iOS Find Location (Latitude,longitude) from Zipcode

What could be the best way to get location for a given zipcode开发者_Python百科. Would it work for countries outside US/Canada .Thanks

Use the Google geolocating API (try it out on google.com/maps):

Input for a Swiss ZIP code for example: CH-9014

or a french one: FR-34000

or german: de-12101

or US: us-90210

or canada: ca-J5Z 1A1

or china: cn-100000

for example:

yields

{
  "status": "OK",
  "results": [ {
    "types": [ "postal_code" ],
    "formatted_address": "9014 St Gallen, Switzerland",
    "address_components": [ {
      "long_name": "9014",
      "short_name": "9014",
      "types": [ "postal_code" ]
    }, {
      "long_name": "St Gallen",
      "short_name": "St Gallen",
      "types": [ "locality", "political" ]
    }, {
      "long_name": "Sankt Gallen",
      "short_name": "SG",
      "types": [ "administrative_area_level_1", "political" ]
    }, {
      "long_name": "Switzerland",
      "short_name": "CH",
      "types": [ "country", "political" ]
    } ],
    "geometry": {
      "location": {
        "lat": 47.4082855,
        "lng": 9.3323890
      },
      "location_type": "APPROXIMATE",
      "viewport": {
        "southwest": {
          "lat": 47.3991076,
          "lng": 9.3180504
        },
        "northeast": {
          "lat": 47.4199564,
          "lng": 9.3543340
        }
      },
      "bounds": {
        "southwest": {
          "lat": 47.3991076,
          "lng": 9.3180504
        },
        "northeast": {
          "lat": 47.4199564,
          "lng": 9.3543340
        }
      }
    }
  } ]
}

So the swiss ZIP code 9014 corresponds appx. to this location:

"lat": 47.4082855,
"lng": 9.3323890

See my answer on the geolocating API here:
How to get GLatLng object from address string in advance in google maps?

GeoNames offers a number of various zipcode geocoding services, including search for the location of a given zipcode. They support a number of various countries.

You would probably be most interested in the Placename Lookup for postalcode service

Google's API comes with some fairly nasty restrictions. Better to use open sources like GeoNames per @Claus Broch's suggestion.

I'm adding this answer to also note that MapQuest has recently put up an API to OpenStreetMap data. It doesn't do (as far as I can tell) zip code searching, but location names, directions, altitude etc are all freely queryable. I recently discovered it an I plan on replacing my calls to google maps API with it as soon as I can.

http://developer.mapquest.com/web/products/open