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Top Level Domain Names: ccTLDs and gTLDs
ccTLDs
There are two types of top level domain names. The first type of top level domain name is known as the country code top level domains (ccTLDs). Currently there are 239 ccTLDs that are recognized by IANA and are ISO 3166 Standard. Each country has its own policy for registering its national domain name.
Canada’s ccTLD, the dot-ca domain, is managed by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). Cira is the not-for-profit organization responsible for setting policy and managing the dot-ca domain database as well as registering domain names through its network of certified registrars. As of January 2002, there were approximately 270,000 dot-ca domain names registered in CIRA’s database.
Those meeting Canadian Presence Requirements - basic requirements defining a person or a company’s presence in Canada - can register dot-ca domain names through any of CIRA’s 80 certified registrars. The list of certified registrars and the Canadian Presence Requirements are available on CIRA’s web site at www.cira.ca. CIRA certified registrars offer a range of services and prices. CIRA invites those wanting to register dot-ca domain names to visit many registrars’ sites and ask questions to ensure they find the right price and service mix.
gTLDs
The second type of top level domain is the generic top level domains (gTLDs). Domain name registrations in gTLDs are generally available to anyone, regardless of country of origin or geographic location. The gTLD serves to broadly categorize the name as to its type or purpose. However, it is not unusual to find websites that do not reflect the intent of their gTLD. The gTLDs currently being used on the Internet include:
.com Intended for use by commercial domains.
.org Intended for noncommercial organizations.
.biz Intended for businesses.
.info Intended for organizations providing information.
.name Limited to names of individuals.
.net Primarily used by network-related companies and organizations.
.edu Limited to educational institutions that are "four-year" colleges and universities.
.mil Limited to the US military.
.gov Limited to the US government.
.int Limited to bodies created by international treaty.
.museum created exclusively for the museum community.
.coop to allow cooperatives to differentiate themselves from other types of businesses and organizations online
New gTLDs
Until recently, the only gTLDs available to businesses, individuals and organizations were ".com," ".org" and ".net." The shortage of available second-level domain names that use these three gTLDs (particularly .com) and the growth of the Internet in general has led to a move to introduce new gTLDs. Virtually all of the one word domain names ending in .com have been taken by legitimate registrants or are being held ransom by cybersquatters.
The introduction of more generic top level domains was first proposed in May 1996. Two years later, the United States Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications together with the Information Administration (NTIA) and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) proposed to cut down the original 150 suggested gTLDs to 5. "Working Group C" of ICANN’s Domain Names Supporting Organization was assigned to come to a consensus on new top level domain names. There have since been many proposals by interested persons, ranging from adding no new gTLDs to adding 500 or more.
Upcoming gTLDs-Registration dates TBA
.pro for certified professionals around the world
.aero for the exclusive use of the air transport industry
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