Country code top-level domain
internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country
A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all two-letter top-level domains are ccTLDs.
Country code extension applications began in 1985. The registered country code extensions in that year included .il (Israel), .uk (United Kingdom) and .us (United States). The registered country code extensions in 1986 included .au (Australia), .de (Germany), .fi (Finland), .fr (France), .is (Iceland), .jp (Japan), .kr (South Korea), .nl (Netherlands) and .se (Sweden). The registered country code extensions in 1987 included .ar (Argentina), .ca (Canada), .ch (Switzerland), .cl (Chile), .dk (Denmark), .my (Malaysia), .nz (New Zealand) and .no (Norway). The registered country code extensions in 1988 included .at (Austria), .be (Belgium), .es (Spain), .ie (Ireland), .it (Italy), .pt (Portugal), .sg (Singapore) and .th (Thailand). The registered country code extensions in 1989 included .br (Brazil), .in (India), .mx (Mexico) and .tw (Taiwan). In the 1990s, .ae (United Arab Emirates), .cn (People's Republic of China), .cz (Czech Republic), .hk (Hong Kong), .pl (Poland), .ru (Russian Federation), .tr (Turkey) and .za (South Africa) were first registered.
In 2018, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) began implementing internationalized country code top-level domains, consisting of language-native characters when displayed in an end-user application.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Country code top-level domain” is internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Country, code and top-level, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q42032. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Country code top-level domain”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Country code top-level domain primary sources, Country code top-level domain archive and Country research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Country code top-level domain”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Country code top-level domain” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.