DNS (domain name system)

The operation of the Internet requires that each participat-ing computer have a unique address to which data pack-ets can be routed (see Internet and tcp/ip). The Domain Name System (DNS) provides alphabetical equivalents to the numeric IP addresses, giving the now familiar-looking Web addresses (URLs), e-mail addresses, and so on.

The system uses a set of “top-level” domains to cat-egorize these names. One set of domains is based on the nature of the sites involved, including: .com (commercial, corporate), .edu (educational institutions), .gov (govern-ment), .mil (military), .org (nonprofit organizations), .int (international organizations), .net (network service provid-ers, and so on).

The other set of top-level domains is based on the geo-graphical location of the site. For example, .au (Australia), .fr (France), and .ca (Canada). (While the United States has the .us domain, it is generally omitted in practice, because the Internet was developed in the United States).

INTERNET COUNTRY CODES     

(partial list)   

  

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   

CA Canada   

CC Cocos (Keeling) Islands   

CF Central African Republic   

CG Congo   

CH Switzerland   

CI Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)   

CK Cook Islands   

CL Chile   

CM Cameroon   

CN China   

CO Colombia   

CR Costa Rica  

CS Czechoslovakia (former)

CU Cuba IS Iceland   

CV Cape Verde   

CX Christmas Island    

CY Cyprus   

CZ Czech Republic   

DE Germany   

DJ Djibouti   

DK Denmark   

DM Dominica   

DO Dominican Republic    

DZ Algeria   

EC Ecuador    

EE Estonia   

EG Egypt   

EH Western Sahara   

ER Eritrea   

ES Spain  

ET Ethiopia    

FI Finland   

FJ Fiji   

FK Falkland Islands (Malvinas)    

FM Micronesia   

FO Faroe Islands    

FR France   

FX France, Metropolitan   

GA Gabon   

GB Great Britain (UK)   

GD Grenada   

GE Georgia   

GF French Guiana    

GH Ghana    

GI Gibraltar

GL Greenland   

GM Gambia

GN Guinea 

GP Guadeloupe    

GQ Equatorial Guinea    

GR Greece   

GS S. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls   

GT Guatemala    

GU Guam  

GW Guinea-Bissau   

GY Guyana  

HK Hong Kong   

HM Heard and McDonald Islands   

HN Honduras   

HR Croatia (Hrvatska)   

HT Haiti   

HU Hungary    

ID Indonesia    

IE Ireland  

IL Israel   

IN India   

IO British Indian Ocean Territory   

IQ Iraq  

IR Iran    

IS Iceland   

IT Italy   

JM Jamaica   

JO Jordan   

JP Japan   

KE Kenya   

KG Kyrgyzstan   

KH Cambodia   

KI Kiribati   

KM Comoros   

KN Saint Kitts and Nevis   

KP Korea (North)   

KR Korea (South)   

KW Kuwait   

KY Cayman Islands   

KZ Kazakhstan   

LA Laos   

LB Lebanon   

LC Saint Lucia   

LI Liechtenstein   

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 US Minor Outlying Islands   

US United States   

UY Uruguay   

UZ Uzbekistan   

VA Vatican City State (Holy See)   

VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   

VE Venezuela   

VG Virgin Islands (British)   

VI Virgin Islands (U.S.)   

VN Viet Nam   

VU Vanuatu   

WF Wallis and Futuna Islands   

WS Samoa   

YE Yemen   

YT Mayotte   

YU Yugoslavia   

ZA South Africa   

ZM Zambia   

ZR Zaire   

ZW Zimbabwe