For administrative purposes, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) divides up the world into three different zones. Amateur Radio’s International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) organizes itself along similar lines. These zones consist of:
| ITU Zone | Area |
| 1 | Europe (including the part of Russia that lies in Asia) and Africa |
| 2 | North America and South America |
| 3 | Asia and the Pacific |
Several different groups issue awards for working Amateur Radio operators in a given number of countries that reside in a specific ITU Region.
In the world of the DX Century Club (DXCC) a “country” refers not to just independent nation states, but also entities or territories that the award program determined warrants separate consideration. Criteria for separate entity status includes distance (working Hawaii is very different than working the contiguous 48 US states), separation (Kaliningrad is completely separated from the rest of Russia by other countries) or governing status (Puerto Rico is a territory of, not a state within, the United States).
In the world of the ITU (a part of the UN) countries really refers to nation states only. The ITU Region awards also reflect this definition. So when the award requirements mention needing to work a given number of countries they are not referring to DXCC “entities” but real nations.
The entry level awards for these programs vary by region. As few as 10 countries can earn you a Region 2 award whereas 30 are required by the Region 1 award.
Here are a few awards to get you started.
| ITU Region | Geographic Area | Awards |
| 1 | Europe & Africa | IARU Region 1 Award, Worked Region 1 Award |
| 2 | North & South America | IARU Region 2 Award, Worked Region 2 Award |
| 3 | Asia & Oceania | IARU Region 3 Award, Worked Region 3 Award |