Country code top-level domains with commercial licenses
Encyclopedia
Country code top-level domains with commercial licenses (ccTLD) are Internet
top-level domains
associated with countries or sovereign states, which, unlike most ccTLDs, have been licensed for worldwide commercial use.
A number of the world's smallest countries have licensed their domains in this way. For example, Tuvalu
and the Federated States of Micronesia
, small island-states in the Pacific, have partnered with VeriSign
and FSM Telecommunications respectively, to sell domain names using the tv
and fm
TLDs to television and radio stations.
Some commercially licensed ccTLDs are in demand for use outside their home countries because their name can provide part of a meaningful word or phrase. These are sometimes referred to as "vanity" ccTLDs.
.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
top-level domains
Country code top-level domain
A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
associated with countries or sovereign states, which, unlike most ccTLDs, have been licensed for worldwide commercial use.
A number of the world's smallest countries have licensed their domains in this way. For example, Tuvalu
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
and the Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c...
, small island-states in the Pacific, have partnered with VeriSign
VeriSign
Verisign, Inc. is an American company based in Dulles, Virginia that operates a diverse array of network infrastructure, including two of the Internet's thirteen root nameservers, the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains and the .cc and .tv country-code...
and FSM Telecommunications respectively, to sell domain names using the tv
.tv
The domain name .tv is the Internet country code top-level domain for the islands of Tuvalu.Except for reserved names like com.tv, net.tv, org.tv and others, any person may register second-level domains in tv...
and fm
.fm
.fm is the country code top-level domain for the Federated States of Micronesia, a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean.Except for reserved names like .com.fm, .net.fm, .org.fm and others, any person in the world can register a .fm domain for a fee, much of the income from which goes to...
TLDs to television and radio stations.
Some commercially licensed ccTLDs are in demand for use outside their home countries because their name can provide part of a meaningful word or phrase. These are sometimes referred to as "vanity" ccTLDs.
List of ccTLDs licensed for commercial use
- ac.ac.ac is the Internet country code top-level domain for Ascension Island. It is administered by NIC.AC, a subsidiary of the Internet Computer Bureau based in the United Kingdom.Registration for this domain is open to anyone...
(Ascension IslandAscension IslandAscension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
) is sometimes used to stand for "Access Connection" or "Access Card". It is occasionally used by universities to stand for "academic", for example by the University of Kurdistan – Hawler (ukh.ac) or Ralston CollegeRalston CollegeRalston College is a liberal arts college in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It was founded on February 1, 2010 and as of December 2010 is not yet accepting applications for admission. The patrons of Ralston College are Harold Bloom, Hilary Putnam, and Salman Rushdie. The members of the Board...
(ralston.ac), - ad.ad.ad is the Internet country code top-level domain for Andorra. It is administered by Servei de Telecomunicacions d'Andorra, today called Andorra Telecom....
(AndorraAndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
) has recently been increasingly used by advertising agencies or classified advertisingClassified advertisingClassified advertising is a form of advertising which is particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals which may be sold or distributed free of charge...
. - ag.ag.ag is the Internet country code top-level domain for Antigua and Barbuda.- Second and third level registrations :Registrations can be made at the second level directly beneath .ag, or at the third level beneath .com.ag, .org.ag, .net.ag, .co.ag, or .nom.ag...
(Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
) is sometimes used for agricultural sites. In GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and German-speaking countries, AG (short for AktiengesellschaftAktiengesellschaftAktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
) is appended to the name of a stock-based company, similar to Inc.Incorporation (business)Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
in USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - am.am.am is the Internet country code top-level domain for Armenia.- Regulation :The registry for .am is operated by , the local chapter of the Internet Society.Regulatory notes:...
(ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
) is often used for AMAM broadcastingAM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
radio stations, or for domain hackDomain hackA domain hack is an unconventional domain name that combines domain levels, especially the top-level domain , to spell out the full "name" or title of the domain. Examples include del.icio.us , goo.gl and fold.it...
s. - as.as.as is the Internet country code top-level domain for American Samoa. It is administered by AS Domain Registry.There is no restriction on the nationality of registrants, and many .as names are registered to and used by people, companies and organizations with no connection to American Samoa...
(American SamoaAmerican SamoaAmerican Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
) In Estonia, Denmark and Norway, ASAksjeselskapAksjeselskap is the Norwegian term for a stock-based company. It is usually abbreviated AS or A/S, especially when used in company names. An AS is always a limited company, i.e. the owners cannot be held liable for any debt beyond the stock capital...
is appended to the name of a stock-based company, similar to Inc. in USA. In Czech Republic and Slovakia, the joint stock corporation a.s. abbreviation stands for :cs:Akciová společnost. - at.at.at is the Internet country code top-level domain for Austria. It is administered by .The .at top-level domain has a number of second-level domains...
(AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) is used for English words ending in "at". - be.be.be is the Internet country code top-level domain for Belgium. The domain became active in 1989 and was administrated by Pierre Verbaeten of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. In 2000, the control of the TLD was transferred to DNS Belgium...
(BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) is sometimes used for the literal term "be". It is also used in some download sites as the end of the word "tube" such as downloadyoutu.be, a site for the downloading of YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos. YouTube site is accessible through youtu.be domain, registered by GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
itself. - by.by.by is the Internet country code top-level domain for Belarus. It is administered by The Operative-analytical center of the Republic of Belarus . The code "BY" originates from an alternative spelling of Belarus, Byelorussia, which was used during their inclusion in the Soviet Union...
(BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
) is sometimes used in Germany, as "BY" is the official abbreviation of the state BayernBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. - ca.ca.ca is the Internet country code top-level domain for Canada. The domain name registry that operates it is the Canadian Internet Registration Authority . Registrants of .ca domains must meet the Canadian Presence Requirements as defined by the registry...
(CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is occasionally used to create domain hacks like histori.ca, the web domain of The Historica Dominion Institute. This type of use is limited by the .ca domain's Canadian residence requirements. - cc.cc.cc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Cocos Islands, an Australian territory. It is administered by VeriSign through a subsidiary company eNIC, which promotes it for international registration as "the next .com"; .cc was originally assigned in October 1997 to eNIC Corporation of...
(Cocos (Keeling) IslandsCocos (Keeling) IslandsThe Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....
) is used for a wide variety of sites such as community colleges, especially before such institutions were allowed to use .edu. - cd.cd.cd is the Internet country code top-level domain for the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was created in 1997 as a replacement for the .zr ccTLD, which was phased out and eventually deleted in 2001....
(Democratic Republic of Congo) is used for CD merchants and file sharing sites. - ch.ch.ch is the Internet country code top-level domain for Switzerland. It is administered by SWITCH Information Technology Services.The ".ch" domain does not come from the name for Switzerland in any of its national languages; "die Schweiz", "Suisse", "Svizzera" or "Svizra"...
(SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) is used for a number of church websites. - ck.ck.ck is the Internet country code top-level domain for the Cook Islands.Registrations are within these second-level categories:* .co.ck: business organisations* .org.ck: not-for-profit organisations...
(Cook IslandsCook IslandsThe Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
) was notably abused in Chris Morris'sChris Morris (satirist)Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...
Nathan BarleyNathan BarleyNathan Barley is a Channel 4 sitcom written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris, starring Nicholas Burns, Julian Barratt and Claire Keelan. The series of six weekly episodes began broadcasting on 11 February 2005 on Channel 4...
by preceding it with ".co" in order to spell out the word "cock" (.co.ck as in trashbat.co.ck). - co.co.co is the country code top-level domain assigned to the Republic of Colombia. It is administered by .CO Internet S.A.S., a strategic venture formed between Arcelandia S.A. and Neustar, Inc...
(ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
) is marketed as commercial, corporation, or company. - dj.dj.dj is the country code top-level domain for Djibouti.It has been marketed for music-related sites due to the common use of "DJ" to mean disc jockey. A project is also under development to use it for "Data Journals". However, this TLD has not proven especially popular to date. Other similar ccTLDs...
(DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
) is used for CD merchants and Disc jockey. - dk.dk.dk is the country code top-level domain for Denmark. The supervision of the .dk top-level domain is handled exclusively by DK Hostmaster. Any new .dk domain name has to be applied for via an approved registrator. Then the domain name applicant can ask the registrator to manage his domain name or...
(DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
) is used for private and business in Denmark. - es.es.es is the country code top-level domain for Spain. It is administered by the Network Information Center of Spain.Registrations are permitted at the second level or at the third level beneath various generic second level categories. Some qualifications and restrictions apply to third-level...
(SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) is used for English words ending in es (eg. beach.es). - fi.fi.fi is the Internet country code top-level domain for Finland. It is operated by FICORA, the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority....
(FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) is used as a domain hack by Eye-FiEye-FiEye-Fi is a company based in Mountain View, California that produces SD memory cards and SDHC cards with Wi-Fi capabilities. Using an Eye-Fi card inside a camera, one can wirelessly and automatically upload digital photos to a local computer...
(eye.fi), a maker of memory cards with Wi-Fi capabilities. - fm.fm.fm is the country code top-level domain for the Federated States of Micronesia, a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean.Except for reserved names like .com.fm, .net.fm, .org.fm and others, any person in the world can register a .fm domain for a fee, much of the income from which goes to...
(the Federated States of MicronesiaFederated States of MicronesiaThe Federated States of Micronesia or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c...
) is often used for FMFM broadcastingFM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio stations (and even non-FM stations, such as internet radioInternet radioInternet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
stations). - gg.gg.gg is the country code top-level domain for Guernsey. It is administered by Island Networks.-Second-level domains:Since 2000, names have been registered principally directly at second level....
(GuernseyGuernseyGuernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
) is often used by the gaming and gambling industry, particularly in relation to horse racing and online poker. - im.im.im is the Internet country code top-level domain for the Isle of Man. It is administered by the Government of the Isle of Man and managed on a day to day basis by Domicilium, an offshore Internet Service Provider based on the Isle of Man....
(the Isle of ManIsle of ManThe Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
) is often used by instant messagingInstant messagingInstant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
programs and services. - in.in.in is the Internet country code top-level domain for India. The domain is operated by INRegistry under the authority of NIXI, the National Internet Exchange of India. INRegistry was appointed by the government of India....
(IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is widely used in the internet industry. - io.io.io is the Internet country code top-level domain for the British Indian Ocean Territory.Internationalized domain names may also be registered ....
(the British Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryThe British Indian Ocean Territory or Chagos Islands is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Africa and Indonesia...
). Notable examples are online storage site Drop.ioDrop.ioDrop.io was an online file sharing service. It allowed users to quickly create "drops", which could contain files of any type, and could be accessed via the internet, e-mail, phone, fax, and widgets. The service did not require users to sign up for an account, and each drop was private unless the...
and task list site Done.io. - is.is.is is the Internet country code top-level domain for Iceland. The very first .is domain, hi.is, the domain of University of Iceland, was registered on December 11. 1986. .Is registration is open to all without any special restriction. The country code is derived from the first two letters of...
(IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
) is used as the English verb, "to be" in conjunction with a directory name suffix to complete a linguistically correct sentence (for example, ".is/ " or "<noun>.is/<adjective>). - ir.ir.ir is the Internet country code top-level domain for Iran. It is managed by the Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics.- Second-level domains :* .ir – public...
(IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
) is used in domain hacks (e.g. .has.ir). - it.it.it is the Internet country code top-level domain for Italy.Because it is also the English word it, and many words end with -it, this can commonly used in the construction of domain hacks, such as play.it , write.it or swimsu.it.There are a number of reserved second-level domain names, for...
(ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is the third-person neuter pronoun in English and is used for domains such as win.at.it. - je.je.je is the Internet country code top-level domain for Jersey. It is administered by Island Networks.-Second-level domains:Since 2000, names have been registered principally directly under the country code....
(JerseyJerseyJersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
) is often used as a diminutive in Dutch (e.g. "huis.je"), as "your" ("zoek.je" = "search your"), or as "I" in French (e.g. "moi.je"). - la.la.la is the Internet country code top-level domain for Laos.- History :The LA Names Corporation, based in Guernsey, has gained the rights to market .la registrations, and they had used the registry services of Afilias and, formerly, the registrar services of DreamHost. However, DreamHost has...
(LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
) is marketed as suggesting Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
or Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. - li.li.li is the Internet country code top-level domain for Liechtenstein. It was created in 1993. The domain is sponsored and administered by the Hochschule Liechtenstein in Vaduz, but domain names with the extension can also be registered with SWITCH, administrator of Switzerland's .ch ccTLD...
(LiechtensteinLiechtensteinThe Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
) is marketed as meaning Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. - lv.lv.lv is the Internet country code top-level domain for Latvia.Registration is permitted at the second level, and this is the form of registration currently encouraged by the registry; however, registrations are also accepted at the third level beneath a number of subdomains:* .com.lv - commercial...
(LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
) is also used to abbreviate Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
or less frequently, loveLoveLove is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
. - ly.ly.ly is the Internet country code top-level domain for Libya.-Registration:A .ly registration is the process of registering top-level country-code domain name for Libya. The registration is sponsored by the General Post and Telecommunication Company. The .ly domain extension, introduced in 1988, is...
(LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
) is also used for words ending with suffixSuffixIn linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
"ly". - md.md.md is the Internet country code top-level domain for Moldova.-External links:* * *...
(MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
) is marketed to the medical industry (as in "medical domain" or "medical doctor"). - me.me.me is the Internet country code top-level domain for Montenegro.The .me top level domain replaced the .yu domain previously used by Serbia and Montenegro....
(MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
) was opened in 2008, and has quickly become one of the most used ccTLDs for vanity. It is used worldwide by individuals, and companies offering services, because of the meaning in English and more languages. - mn.mn.mn is the Internet country code top-level domain for Mongolia. It is administered by .MN, Registry, Datacom.The domain name is composed of the consonants in the first syllable of the country name. The .MN registry is operated under the Thick Registry model. Administrative, Billing, Technical and...
(MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
) is used to abbreviate MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. - ms.ms.ms is the Internet country code top-level domain for Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory. Microsoft has used this as an abbreviation with projects such as . Web sites based in, or having to do with, the U.S. State of Mississippi also use the .ms domain as MS is the official United States...
(MontserratMontserratMontserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
) is also used for some MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
-related projects. - mu.mu.mu is the Internet country code top-level domain for Mauritius. It is administered by the Mauritius Network Information Centre and registrations are processed via accredited registrars. Some registrars market it as the .music and .museum TLD....
(MauritiusMauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
) is used within the music industry. - ni.ni.ni is the Internet country code top-level domain for Nicaragua.-Second level domains:Registrations are at the third level beneath several second level names...
(NicaraguaNicaraguaNicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
) is occasionally adopted by companies from Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, particularly to distinguish from the more usual .uk.uk.uk is the Internet country code top-level domain for the United Kingdom. , it is the fourth most popular top-level domain worldwide , with over 9.5 million registrations....
within all parts of the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - nu.nu.nu is the Internet country code top-level domain assigned to the island state of Niue. It was one of the first ccTLDs to be marketed to the Internet at large as an alternative to the gTLDs .com, .net, and .org...
(NiueNiueNiue , is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", and inhabitants of the island call it "the Rock" for short. Niue is northeast of New Zealand in a triangle between Tonga to the southwest, the Samoas to the northwest, and the Cook Islands to...
) is marketed as resembling "new" in English and "now" in Scandinavian/Dutch. Also means "nude" in French and Portuguese. - pr.pr-About Nic.pr:"Gauss Research Laboratory Inc" is the managing organization of the Puerto Rico's top level domain under the website. They operate the website , which stands for the Network Information Center of Puerto Rico....
(Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
) can be used in the meaning of "Public Relations". - rs.rs.rs is the Internet country code top-level domain for Serbia. The domain name registry that operates it is the Register of National Internet Domain Names of Serbia . The letters rs stand for Republic of Serbia....
(SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) is marketed in English words ending with the letters "rs" such as www.blogge.rs. - sc.sc.sc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Seychelles.The TLD was marketed to businesses in Scotland and South Carolina, however, the domains are subject to Seychelles registry rules...
(SeychellesSeychellesSeychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
) is often used as .Source . - sh.sh.sh is the Internet country code top-level domain for Saint Helena. Registrations of internationalized domain names are also accepted.-Second level domains:There are seven Second Level Domains:* co.sh: Commercial Entities...
(Saint HelenaSaint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
) is also sometimes used for entities connected to the GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
BundeslandStates of GermanyGermany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
or the Swiss CantonCantons of SwitzerlandThe 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of SchaffhausenCanton of SchaffhausenThe Canton of is a canton of Switzerland. The principal city and capital of the canton is Schaffhausen.- History:Schaffhausen was a city-state in the Middle Ages, documented to have struck its own coins starting in 1045. It was then known as Villa Scafhusun. Around 1049 Count Eberhard von...
, or to ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
or Shenzen in China. - si.si.si is the Internet country code top-level domain for Slovenia. It is administered by the ARNES, the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia. The registry has reached 80,000 domain names on 19. May 2010-External links:* * *...
(SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
) is also used by Hispanic sites as "yes" ("sí"). Mexican mayor candidate Jorge Arana, for example, had his web site registered as www.jorgearana.si (i.e. "Jorge Arana, sí", meaning "Jorge Arana, yes"). - sr.sr.sr is the Internet country code top-level domain for Suriname. This top-level domain is operated by Telesur, the local telecom company.-External links:* * *...
(SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
) is marketed in the USA as being for "seniors". - st.st.st is the Internet country code top-level domain for São Tomé and Príncipe. It is also being marketed worldwide as an abbreviation for various things.-Second-level domains:...
(São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa. It consists of two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe, located about apart and about , respectively, off...
) is being marketed worldwide as an abbreviation for various things including "street". - tm.tm.tm is the Internet country code top-level domain for Turkmenistan. It is operated by Internet Computer Bureau.It has been marketed as a domain for businesses with trademarks, due to the common use of "TM" in this context....
(TurkmenistanTurkmenistanTurkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
) can be used as "trade mark". - to.to.to is the Internet country code top-level domain of the island kingdom of Tonga.The government of Tonga sells domains in its ccTLD to any interested party. Because to is a common English preposition, it became popular to craft memorable URLs called domain hacks that take advantage of this, such...
(TongaTongaTonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
) is often used as the English word "to", like go.to. Also is marketed as the TLD for TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and for the Italian city and province of TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
(Torino in Italian). - tv.tvThe domain name .tv is the Internet country code top-level domain for the islands of Tuvalu.Except for reserved names like com.tv, net.tv, org.tv and others, any person may register second-level domains in tv...
(TuvaluTuvaluTuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
) is used for the television/entertainment industry purposes. It is also used for local businesses in the province of TrevisoProvince of TrevisoThe Province of Treviso is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso.The province has an area of 2,477 km², and a total population of 886.886 . There are 95 municipalities in the province .-Municipalities:-External links:*...
, Italy. - vc.vc.vc is the Internet country code top-level domain for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Registration is open worldwide, and it has been used for a variety of sites not necessarily related to that location; it can also be seen as standing for "Venture Capital", "Ventura County", "Viet Cong",...
(Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
) is sometimes used to abbreviate "Vacation Club" or "Virtual Casino". - vg.vg.vg is the Internet country code top-level domain for the British Virgin Islands.-External links:* *...
(British Virgin IslandsBritish Virgin IslandsThe Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
) is sometimes used to abbreviate Video games. - vu.vu.vu is the Internet country code top-level domain for Vanuatu.While .vu domains were initially given away for free to any person requesting one, they are now being sold commercially as is common practice for other top-level domains....
(VanuatuVanuatuVanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
) means "seen" in French as well as an abbreviation for the English language word "view". - ws.ws.ws is the Internet country code top-level domain for Samoa. It is administered by SamoaNIC, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Samoa....
(SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, earlier Western Samoa) is marketed as .Website.
See also
For a discussion of unconventional usage of ccTLDs, see also Country code top-level domainCountry code top-level domain
A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
.