Recent changes in two parts of Table 2 are now available in WebDewey. The first set of changes concerns the provinces of Sardinia, in Italy, and the second deals with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in the Middle East.
The changes for Sardinia bring the DDC in line with a reorganization of Sardinia’s provinces which occurred earlier this year. Previously, the island of Sardinia was divided into seven provinces. Now, it has four provinces and one metropolitan city. (Metropolitan cities are relatively new Italian subdivisions; we had updated Table 2 last year to reflect the shift of some former provinces into metropolitan cities.)
Cagliari, the region’s capital and largest city, is now Sardinia’s metropolitan city. Other parts of the former Cagliari province are now part of the new South Sardinia province, which also incorporates the former provinces of Medio Campidano and Carbonia-Iglesia. Cagliari Metropolitan City remains at T2—4591, while South Sardinia province is at T2—4598, which formerly only covered Carbonia-Iglesia. Ogliastra province merged with Nuoro province and is discontinued to T2—4592, and Olbia-Tempio province merged with Sassari province and is discontinued to T2—4593. Notes at the numbers give instructions regarding the Campidano, a plain in the current Oristano and South Sardinia provinces.
Our recent changes to the West Bank and Gaza Strip brought an older arrangement up to date. Since Edition 20, T2—5694 Palestine; Israel has been defined as the “area covering Israel, Gaza Strip, and West Bank of Jordan.” See references there drew off the West Bank and Gaza Strip to other numbers. The West Bank was given at a span, T2—56951-56953, which was subordinate to T2—5695 Jordan. But Jordan relinquished all claims to the West Bank in 1988. While the West Bank is named for its proximity to the Jordan River, “West Bank of Jordan” is anachronistic. The changes have dropped “of Jordan” from the note, and authorized a new number, T2—56942 West Bank.
Similarly, the Gaza Strip was in standing room at T2—531 Sinai Peninsula, along with two provinces of Egypt. The Gaza Strip is adjacent to the Sinai Peninsula, but not on the peninsula itself. Recall that Table 2 is organized chiefly by geography, though political boundaries are also considered. So how did they end up lumped together? After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel claimed both the Gaza Strip and the Sinai. The Sinai was subsequently returned to Egypt in a 1979 peace treaty. And since the Gaza Strip has long been part of Palestine under the Dewey definition, it was time we brought it into that hierarchy. Thus, we’ve also authorized T2—56943 Gaza Strip.
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