Geographical classification guide

Country classification guide

The Centre’s library is classified using a modified version of UDC (Universal Decimal Classification).

About 90% of the open access book collection is shelved first by geographical region and then sorted within these geographical sections by subject.

Classmark examples:
Pakistan : Political parties (549):329
Singapore : Memoirs (594):8-94

The initial number in brackets represents a geographical region and the second number (after the colon) represents a subject. When several books share a classmark, the books are filed alphabetically by surname of the first named author or editor.

Classmarks file number by number, so (581) which represents Afghanistan, files before (59) which represents Southeast Asia.

As only one set of numbers is used to shelve each book, the classification is very general and ignores many of the subjects discussed in each book. It can only provide a very general guide to browsing, though is useful a finding aid.

There is no need to memorise classmarks – the major geographical divisions are posted on the ends of bookshelves as a guide to browsing.

(235.24) Himalayas/Central Asia
(267) Indian Ocean, including Seychelles
(5) Asia
(5-13) South Asia
(54) Indian subcontinent (pre 1947)
(540) Republic of India (1947-)
(541) Bengal as a whole to 1947; Eastern India
(541.1) Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, (NE Frontier Agency)
(541.2) West Bengal
(541.31) Bhutan
(541.33) Sikkim
(541.35) Nepal
(541.37) Bangladesh
(541.4) Bihar, Chota Nagpur
(541.5) Orissa
(541.9) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(542) Dandakaranya
(543) Central India (& pre 1947)
(543.1) Madhya Pradesh and Bastar
(543.2) Berar
(543.7) Bhopal
(543.8) Vindhya Pradesh
(544) Rajasthan, Rajputana, North west central India
(544.1) Gwalior, Indore, Madhya Bharat/Malwa Union
(544.6) Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner
(544.8) Ajmer-Merwara
(545) Northern India (Punjab as a whole, pre 1947)
(545.2) Punjab and Haryana; East Punjab
(545.3) Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU)
(545.4) Himachal Pradesh
(545.5) Delhi (State)
(545.8) Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal/Uttarakhand
(546.1) Kashmir, Dardistan, Ladakh
(547) Western India
(547.1) Bombay (Presidency, State), Maharashtra
(547.2) Baroda/Vadodara
(547.4) Goa
(547.6) Saurashtra
(547.7) Gujarat
(547.8) Kutch/Kachchh
(548) Southern India
(548.1) Madras (Presidency, State), Tamil Nadu, Coromandel coast
(548.21) Mysore, Karnataka
(548.22) Coorg/Kodagu, W. Ghats
(548.23) Andhra Pradesh, Andhra Desha, Hyderabad, Deccan, Telengana
(548.3) Kerala, Travancore-Cochin, Malabar
(548.4) Hyderabad (Deccan)
(548.7) Sri Lanka, Ceylon
(548.8) Maldive Islands, Lakshadweep/Laccadive Islands
(549) Pakistan
(549.1) West Pakistan
(549.11) West Punjab
(549.12) Sind, Lower Indus
(549.13) Baluchistan
(549.14) North West Frontier Province
(549.2) Swat
(549.21 Chitral, Gilgit, Hunza, Baltistan, Hindu Kush
(549.3) East Pakistan, East Bengal c.f. Bangladesh (541.37) and West Bengal (541.2)
(581) Afghanistan
(59) Southeast Asia
(591) Burma, Myanmar
(591.2) Lower Burma, Tenasserim, Salween and Irrawaddy
(591.3) Upper Burma, Mandalay basins, Arakan
(591.4) North and Northeast Burma
(591.5) Shan States
(592) Thailand, Siam
(593) Indo-China
(593.1) Vietnam
(593.3) Cambodia, Kampuchea
(593.7) Laos
(594) Singapore
(594.1) Hong Kong
(595) Malaysia, (1946-64 Federation of Malaya)
(595.1) Malaya and Straits Settlements (West Malaysia)
(595.2) East Malaysia (British Borneo)
(595.21) Sabah (North Borneo)
(595.24) Sarawak
(595.28) Labaun Island
(595.6) Brunei
(596) Indonesia
(596.1) Indonesian Borneo, Kalimantan
(596.2) Sumatra
(596.21) Riouw-Lingga Archipelago (Province of Riau)
(596.3) Java
(596.4) Islands of Bangka and Billiton/Belitung
(596.5) Sulawesi (formerly Celebes)
(596.6) Moluccas
(596.7) West Timor
(596.8) Bali and Lombok
(596.9) West New Guinea, Irian Jaya, West Papua (Indonesia)
(597) Philippines
(598) East Timor
(599) Papua New Guinea