Domains
Internet Basics
Domain names are part of the Internet's Domain Name Service (DNS) which allows "user-friendly" names to replace the more difficult numerical Internet protocol (IP) addresses, such as "208.201.239.35," that computers actually use to direct information to other computers.
Domain names appear in specific formats and are restricted in use according to the type of organization applying for a domain. The list below explains what type of organizations use the most prevalent DNS codes.
.com This is an unrestricted domain designed for companies or commercial enterprises. .net Another unrestricted domain, this time intended for network providers and their computers. .org Also an unrestricted miscellaneous category for organizations that are mostly used by not-for-profit organizations. .int This is a restricted domain name for international databases and organizations established by international treaties. .gov Another restricted domain name intended for any kind of government agency or office but which is now only for U.S. federal government agencies. .mil Also a restricted domain name, this is for use only by the U.S. military. .edu A restricted domain name originally intended for all educational institutions but now limited to four-year colleges and universities. In addition to the seven listed above, there is another category of domain names: country codes. These codes distinctly identify the nation in which the domain name was registered, and the country in which the server is located. The table below gives the International naming conventions. Each country has a registered country domain. Locate your home country's domain.
| AD Andorra AE United Arab Emirates AF Afghanistan AG Antigua and Barbuda AI Anguilla AL Albania AM Armenia AN Netherlands Antilles AO Angola AQ Antarctica AR Argentina AS American Samoa AT Austria AU Australia AW Aruba AZ Azerbaijan |
BA Bosnia and Herzegovina BB Barbados BD Bangladesh BE Belgium BF Burkina Faso BG Bulgaria BH Bahrain BI Burundi BJ Benin BM Bermuda BN Brunei Darussalam BO Bolivia BR Brazil BS Bahamas BT Bhutan BV Bouvet Island BW Botswana BY Belarus BZ Belize |
CG Congo CH Switzerland CI Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) CK Cook Islands CL Chile CM Cameroon CN China CO Colombia CR Costa Rica CS Czechoslovakia CU Cuba CV Cape Verde CX Christmas Island CY Cyprus CZ Czech Republic CA Canada CC Cocos CF Central African Republic |
DE Germany DJ Djibouti DK Denmark DM Dominica DO Dominican Republic DZ Algeria EC Ecuador |
| FI Finland FJ Fiji FK Falkland Islands (Malvinas) FM Micronesia FO Faroe Islands FR France FX France, Metropolitan GA Gabon |
HK Hong Kong HM Heard and McDonald Islands HN Honduras HR Croatia (Hrvatska) HT Haiti HU Hungary ID Indonesia |
JM Jamaica JO Jordan JP Japan KE Kenya
|
LA Laos LB Lebanon LC Saint Lucia LI Lichtenstein LK Sri Lanka LR Liberia LS Lesotho LT Lithuania LU Luxembourg LV Latvia LY Libya |
| MA Morocco MC Monaco MD Moldova MG Madagascar MH Marshall Islands MK Macedonia ML Mali MM Myanmar MN Mongolia MO Macau MP Northern Mariana Islands MQ Martinique MR Mauritania MS Montserrat MT Malta MU Mauritius MV Maldives MW Malawi MX Mexico MY Malaysia MZ Mozambique |
NA Namibia NC New Caledonia NE Niger NF Norfolk Island NG Nigeria NI Nicaragua NL Netherlands NO Norway NP Nepal NR Nauru NT Neutral Zone NU Niue NZ New Zealand (Aotearoa) OM Oman |
PA Panama PE Peru PF French Polynesia PG Papua New Guinea PH Philippines PK Pakistan PL Poland PM St. Pierre and Miquelon PN Pitcairn PR Puerto Rico PT Portugal PW Palau PY Paraguay QA Qatar |
RE Reunion RO Romania RU Russian Federation RW Rwanda
|
| SA Saudi
Arabia Sb Solomon Islands SC Seychelles SD Sudan SE Sweden SG Singapore SH St. Helena SI Slovenia SJ Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands SK Slovak Republic SL Sierra Leone SM San Marino SN Senegal SO Somalia SR Suriname ST Sao Tome and Principe SU USSR (former) SV El Salvador SY Syria SZ Swaziland |
TC Turks and
Caicos Islands TD Chad TF French Southern Territories TG Togo TH Thailand TJ Tajikistan TK Tokelau TM Turkmenistan TN Tunisia TO Tonga TP East Timor TR Turkey TT Trinidad and Tobago TV Tuvalu TW Taiwan TZ Tanzania |
UA Ukraine UG Uganda UK United Kingdom UM U.S. Minor Outlying Islands US UnitedStates UY Uruguay UZ Uzbekistan VA Vatican City State
(Holy See) |
WF Wallis and Futuna Islands WS Samoa
|
Every hypertext link contains a URL (uniform resource locator) that identifies a specific web site. Here is a typical URL with its parts color coded to identify each part.
| http://www.geog.umd.edu/academic/undergrad.htm | protocol | |||
| domain name | ||||
| directory path | ||||
| file and tag |
The abbreviation http means hypertext transfer protocol. The two forward slashes after the colon (//) show that the link will be to another computer. The domain name identifies the type of organization operating the server; the owner of the web site. The directory path tells in which directory or subdirectory the web site may be found. The tag at the end of this URL is htm or sometimes html. This means hypertext markup language. This tag indicates how the page should be display onscreen by browsers (Netscape, Microsoft Explorer, AOL) using different computer systems (Mac, PC, Unix, etc.).