Postal Code Crash Course

(This one is for you, Rona!)

Canadian postal codes are based on an alphanumeric system and are composed of six characters. All postal codes follow the pattern ANA NAN, where A represents a letter and N represents a number.

The first three characters of a Canadian postal code are known as the Forward Sortation Area (FSA). The FSA is a geographical area where all postal codes start with the same three characters. The first letter of every postal code denotes the Postal District. The country of Canada is divided into eighteen different Postal Districts. (See the above map.) The next three characters are called the Local Delivery Unit (LDU). The LDU may refer to a single address, a range of addresses, a town, or even a large building or institution.

Theoretically, the Canadian postal system has a maximum of 7.2 million codes. Interestingly enough, not all letters of the alphabet are used in the system. D, F, I, O, Q and U are unused because the automated sorting equipment might confuse them for other letters or numbers. There are currently about 850, 000 postal codes in use in Canada, so the system has lots of room for growth.

If you are interested in learning more about Canadian postal codes check out this article on Wikipedia. You can look up the postal code for any Canadian address on the Canada Post website.