In v201311 we changed how the API returns locations to:

• More granularity in targeting 
• Streamlined code paths 
• Increased flexibility for handling location objects

Along with the update to location objects, we've also expanded the list of targetable locations far beyond what was previously available. If you look at new Geo_Target table - which replaces the individual City, Country, Metro, Postal Code, and Region tables - you’ll find that you now have far more control over where your ads will serve. In the past, the smallest location you could target was a city; now, you can target something as specific as an Airport.

Many of you have asked how to migrate from the deprecated PQL tables to the new Geo_Target table.

Instead of having a table for each geo locations type, we combine everything into a single table with the type defined as a new column. This not only makes things easier for you, it also allows us to add even more types of locations to target in the future without having to make new tables.

As far as how the old tables relate to the new Geo_Target table, the Country, City, Postal_Code, and Region tables will map to their respective namesake columns, with only the Metro table being different, now mapping to the more canonical DMA_Region. To see how simple it is to replicate the old behavior, look at this Python example that pulls down the targetable City locations.

If you’re not entirely sure how to break out your targeting into smaller geo locations, we’ve got you covered there too - instead of trying to make your own relational mapping between cities, metros, regions, and countries, the new Geo_Target table simplifies the task with the ParentIds field, which yields a list of parent location IDs that encompass a child location.

For the new year, make a resolution to switch over to the new Geo_Target table and reap the benefits thereafter.

 - Nicholas Chen, DFP API Team

As part of our effort to provide advertisers with increasingly rich ways to tailor ads to specific geographies, we're adding new geographical targeting options and introducing a few changes to target types in Vietnam and Italy. These changes will take place July 31 - Aug 2, 2013.

Vietnam

• All 32 existing “regions” in Vietnam will be reclassified as “provinces” to correctly reflect their administrative division
• 30 additional provinces will be made available

Italy

• All 103 existing "regions" in Italy will be reclassified as "provinces" to correctly reflect their administrative division
• 7 additional provinces will be made available
• The 20 official regions of Italy will be added and classified as “regions”

In reporting, the 103 “regions” in Italy that are being reclassified will continue to appear as “regions” for dates prior to this transition. For dates after the transition, reports will attribute performance according to the new classifications. Reports that span date ranges both before and after this change will show both regions and provinces in the “Region” column.

Tools that specifically rely on geographical target type will need to be updated to use the new classifications listed above. We recommend making these adjustments by July 31.

You can download the full list of changes mentioned above and find more information about geographical targeting on the Google Developers site.

- AdWords API Team