I suggest listing locations: country, state/province, county/region, city. My reasons:
(1) When starting genealogy, I knew only what country my original emigrant was from; I had to learn each more precise location over time: first the county, then area, then exact town. If your ancestor is for Ireland, like mine, you end up with the place name:
Ireland, Kerry (County), Corkaguiny (Barony), Ballyferriter (Catholic Parish), Kilquane (Civil Parish), Ballybrack (townland).
(2) People read from left to right, and there are towns with the same names in many different counties, states, and countries. At first glance, you wouldn’t know Columbia, Boone County, Missouri, U.S.A. from Columbia, Charters Towers, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. With my system, you could differentiate right away between Australia and U.S.A.
(3) As you search for extended family, you can differentiate between Griffins in Ireland’s Kerry County vs. Ireland’s Wicklow County.
