Country domains: a comprehensive ccTLD list
Every internet address, or domain, has a domain ending, also known as a top-level domain. Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) are used to indicate the site’s relation to a specific country or region (i.e. .uk for the United Kingdom or .eu for the European Union) and are therefore referred to as country code TLDs. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the company that regulates the allocation of all ccTLDs. Meanwhile an NIC (Network Information Center, also known as the Domain Name Registry) is the body responsible for the management and registration of all regional domain extensions in a country. In total there are now more than 200 ccTLDs, all of which can be found in the top-level domain list below.
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Characteristics of ccTLDs
Country-specific domain extensions generally indicate the region or language that the website’s content is relevant for. Furthermore, ccTLDs always include two letters of the Latin alphabet. The only exceptions to this rule are the countries with IDN-ccTLDs (internationalized country code top-level domains). In addition to the standard ccTLD, these countries have one or more variants of the same ccTLD in a language that doesn’t use the Latin alphabet. An example of a country with several variations of the same ccTLD is Sri Lanka; as well as the country code, .lk, Sri Lanka also uses the TLDs, .ලංකා and .இலங்கை, which refer to the country in Sinhalese and Tamil, respectively.
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Alternative uses for ccTLDs
Generic top-level domains provide the counterpart to ccTLDs. These don’t have a regional domain extension, but rather refer to a specific theme (such as .com for commercial/business enterprise or .org for an organization) and can include more than two letters. However, some ccTLDs are repurposed and, like gTLDs, can be used to indicate particular types of websites or the genre of content or products. Wordplay with certain country codes is also quite common. Examples of this include:
- FORA.tv: this video hosting platform and live streaming channel uses the Tuvaluan ccTLD to offer users all kinds of video uploading, editing, and streaming services. The .tv domain extension is particularly popular in the area of television, film, and video streaming sites (further examples include ustream.tv and green.tv).
- Last.fm: this is the web address of a UK-based music streaming service, which uses the county code of the Federated States of Micronesia, .fm. As the abbreviation also stands for ‘frequency modulation’, it shares a connection with FM radio, and therefore enjoys popularity among websites that are connected to radio shows, music, and podcasts (further examples include the internet radio platform di.fm and the music website, libre.fm).
- CanIStream.It: CanIStream.It is an online platform that provides links to on demand video services. By using the Italian ccTLD, the domain spells out exactly what service the website provides.
- Meet.me: this is the most expensive Montenegrin domain ever sold (for $450,000). MeetMe is the name of a US-based social network that was able to express its brand name fully in the domain name with the help of Montenegro’s ccTLD.
The .tk domain ending is a special case when it comes to country domains. Over 30 million websites use this ccTLD, even though the island state of Tokelau, which officially presides over this domain extension, has less than 2 million inhabitants. The mass registration of .tk websites can be put down to the fact that in the past, it was completely free of charge to secure an internet address with this ccTLD. Even now, website owners with a .tk TLD can run their sites without paying a dime for the first 12 months after registering.
Country code top-level domain list
The following domain extensions list includes every country domain in existence. With this table, you can not only discover which country or area the domain extensions belong to, but also whether the respective ccTLD is available with DNSSEC. Websites can use DNSSEC internet standards in order to protect the domain name system from manipulation, which includes, for example, phishing websites, which can request sensitive data using fake webpages.
The column on the right indicates whether a web address registered under the respective ccTLD can also be allocated an internationalized domain name (IDN). As mentioned above, these internationalized domain names can use characters from the Latin alphabet, including those with accents, in addition to characters from other alphabets. These characters are located in the second-level domain (i.e. the name of the website before the country code top-level domain). One example of this is the Canadian weather website, métro.ca, which includes an accented letter.
Top-level domains that have an IDN can be accessed using both Latin characters as well as characters from their respective alphabet. However, this doesn’t mean that the corresponding top-level domain is also offered as an IDN ccTLD at the same time – as is the case with the aforementioned example of Sri Lanka. A good example of this is Germany’s .de domain extension; although there is no alternative for the .de country code, German website owners can use many special characters, including three vowels with umlauts (ä, ö, ü), the ‘ß’ character, as well as further characters that contain accents (à, á, â, ã etc.). Since the German language is based on the Latin alphabet and can be optimally expressed with a ccTLD (unlike Sri Lanka), it’s also not necessary.
ccTLD | Land (or region) | DNSSEC | IDN |
.ac | Ascension Island | Yes | Yes |
.ad | Andorra | Yes | No |
.ae | United Arab Emirates | No | No |
.af | Afghanistan | Yes | No |
.ag | Antigua and Barbuda | Yes | No |
.ai | Anguilla | No | No |
.al | Albania | No | No |
.am | Armenia | Yes | No |
.an | Netherlands Antilles (now deleted – with the 2010 political dissolution of this region as an overseas territory, the ccTLD was closed down in 2015) | No | No |
.ao | Angola | No | No |
.aq | Antarctic | No | No |
.ar | Argentina | Yes | Yes |
.as | American Samoa | No | Yes |
.at | Austria | Yes | No |
.au | Australia | Yes | No |
.aw | Aruba | Yes | No |
.ax | Åland Islands (until March 2006 still accessable at .aland.fi) | No | No |
.az | Azerbaijan | No | No |
.ba | Bosnia and Herzegovina | No | No |
.bb | Barbados | No | No |
.bd | Bangladesh | No | Yes |
.be | Belgium | Yes | Yes |
.bf | Burkina Faso | No | No |
.bg | Bulgaria | Yes | Yes |
.bh | Bahrain | No | No |
.bi | Burundi | No | No |
.bj | Benin | No | No |
.bl | Saint-Barthélemy | No | No |
.bm | Bermuda | No | No |
.bn | Brunei | No | No |
.bo | Bolivia | No | No |
.br | Brazil | Yes | Yes |
.bq | Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius | No | No |
.bs | Bahamas | No | No |
.bt | Bhutan | No | No |
.bv | Bouvet Island (registration not yet possible) | No | No |
.bw | Botswana | Yes | No |
.by | Belarus | Yes | No |
.bz | Belize | Yes | No |
.ca | Canada | Yes | Yes |
.cc | Cocos Islands | Yes | No |
.cd | Democratic Republic of the Congo | No | No |
.cf | Central African Republic | No | No |
.cg | Republic of the Congo | Yes | No |
.ch | Switzerland | Yes | Yes |
.ci | Côte d’Ivoire | No | No |
.ck | Cook Islands | Yes | No |
.cl | Chile | Yes | Yes |
.cm | Cameroon | Yes | No |
.cn | China | Yes | Yes |
.co | Colombia | Yes | No |
.cr | Costa Rica | Yes | No |
.cs | Czechoslovakia (now deleted) | No | No |
.cu | Cuba | No | No |
.cv | Cape Verde | No | No |
.cw | Curaçao | Yes | No |
.cx | Christmas Island | No | No |
.cy | Cyprus | Yes | No |
.cz | Czech Republic | Yes | No |
.dd | German Democratic Republic (never activated) | No | No |
.de | Germany | Yes | Yes |
.dj | Djibuti | Yes | No |
.dk | Denmark | Yes | Yes |
.dm | Dominica | No | No |
.do | Dominican Republic | No | No |
.dz | Algeria | No | No |
.ec | Ecuador | Yes | No |
.ee | Estonia | No | Yes |
.eg | Egypt | No | No |
.eh | Western Sahara (due to the political conflict between the countries of Western Sahara and Morocco, this is ccTLD is currently not live) | No | No |
.er | Eritrea | Yes | No |
.es | Spain | No | No |
.et | Ethiopia | Yes | No |
.eu | European Union | Yes | Yes |
.fi | Finland | Yes | Yes |
.fj | Fiji | No | No |
.fk | Falkland Islands | No | No |
.fm | Micronesia | Yes | No |
.fo | Faroe | Yes | No |
.fr | France | Yes | Yes |
.ga | Gabon | No DS resource record available | No |
.gb | United Kingdom (no longer in use since .uk became the established ccTLD) | Yes | No |
.gd | Grenada | No | No |
.ge | Georgia | No | No |
.gf | French Guiana | No | No |
.gg | Guernsey | No | No |
.gh | Ghana | Yes | No |
.gi | Gibraltar | Yes | No |
.gl | Greenland | No | No |
.gm | Gambia | Yes | No |
.gn | Guinea | No DS resource record available | No |
.gp | Guadeloupe | No | No |
.gq | Equatorial Guinea | Yes | No |
.gr | Greece | Yes | Yes |
.gs | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | No | No |
.gt | Guatemala | No | Yes |
.gu | Guam | No | No |
.gw | Guinea-Bissau | No | No |
.gy | Guyana | No | No |
.hk | Hong Kong | No | Yes |
.hm | Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Yes | No |
.hn | Honduras | Yes | No |
.hr | Croatia | No | No |
.ht | Haiti | Yes | Yes |
.hu | Hungary | Yes | No |
.id | Indonesia | Yes | Yes |
.ie | Ireland | No | No |
.il | Israel | No | Yes |
.im | Isle of Man | Yes | No |
.in | India | Yes | No |
.io | British Indian Ocean Territory | Yes | No |
.iq | Iraq | No | No |
.ir | Iran | No | Yes |
.is | Iceland | No | Yes |
.it | Italy | No | Yes |
.je | Jersey | No | No |
.jm | Jamaica | No | No |
.jo | Jordan | Yes | No |
.jp | Japan | Yes | No |
.ke | Kenya | Yes | No |
.kg | Kyrgyzstan | Yes | No |
.kh | Cambodia | Yes | No |
.ki | Kiribati | No | No |
.km | Comoros | No | No |
.kn | St. Kitts and Nevis | No | No |
.kp | North Korea | Yes | No |
.kr | South Korea | Yes | Yes |
.kw | Kuwait | Yes | No |
.ky | Cayman Islands | No | No |
.kz | Kazakhstan | Yes | No |
.la | Laos | Yes | No |
.lb | Lebanon | Yes | No |
.lc | St. Lucia | Yes | No |
.li | Liechtenstein | Yes | Yes |
.lk | Sri Lanka | Yes | Yes |
.lr | Liberia | No DS resource record available | No |
.ls | Lesotho | Yes | No |
.lt | Lithuania | Yes | Yes |
.lu | Luxembourg | Yes | Yes |
.lv | Latvia | Yes | Yes |
.ly | Libya | Yes | No |
.ma | Marocco | No | No |
.mc | Monaco | No | No |
.md | Moldova | Yes | No |
.me | Montenegro | Yes | No |
.mf | Saint Martin | No | No |
.mg | Madagascar | No | No |
.mh | Marshall Islands | No | No |
.mk | Macedonia | Yes | No |
.ml | Mali | Yes | No |
.mm | Myanmar | Yes | No |
.mn | Mongolia | Yes | No |
.mo | Macau | No | No |
.mp | Northern Mariana Islands | No | No |
.mq | Martinique | No | No |
.mr | Mauritania | No | No |
.ms | Montserrat | No | No |
.mt | Malta | No | No |
.mu | Mauritius | No | No |
.mv | Maldives | Yes | No |
.mw | Malawi | Yes | No |
.mx | Mexico | No | No |
.my | Malaysia | Yes | Yes |
.mz | Mozambique | Yes | No |
.na | Namibia | Yes | No |
.nc | New Caledonia | Yes | No |
.ne | Niger | No | No |
.nf | Norfolk Island | No | No |
.ng | Nigeria | Yes | No |
.ni | Nicaragua | Yes | No |
.nl | Netherlands | Yes | No |
.no | Norway | No | Yes |
.np | Nepal | Yes | No |
.nr | Nauru | Yes | No |
.nu | Niue | Yes | Yes |
.nz | New Zealand | Yes | Yes |
.om | Oman | Yes | No |
.pa | Panama | No | No |
.pe | Peru | No | Yes |
.pf | French Polynesia | No | No |
.pg | Papua New Guinea | No | No |
.ph | Philippines | Yes | No |
.pk | Pakistan | Yes | No |
.pl | Poland | Yes | Yes |
.pm | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Yes | Yes |
.pn | Pitcairn Islands | No | No |
.pr | Puerto Rico | Yes | No |
.ps | Palestine | Yes | No |
.pt | Portugal | Yes | Yes |
.pw | Palau | No | No |
.py | Paraguay | Yes | No |
.qa | Qatar | Yes | No |
.re | Réunion | Yes | Yes |
.ro | Romania | Yes | Yes |
.rs | Serbia | No | No |
.ru | Russia | No | No |
.rw | Rwanda | Yes | No |
.sa | Saudi Arabia | Yes | Yes |
.sb | Solomon Islands | No | No |
.sc | Seychelles | Yes | No |
.sd | Sudan | No | No |
.se | Sweden | Yes | Yes |
.sg | Singapore | Yes | No |
.sh | St. Helena | Yes | Yes |
.si | Slovenia | Yes | Yes |
.sj | Svalbard and Jan Mayen (registration is not yet possible) | No | No |
.sk | Slovakia | No | No |
.sl | Sierra Leone | No | No |
.sm | San Marino | No | No |
.sn | Senegal | No | No |
.so | Somalia | No | No |
.sr | Suriname | No | No |
.ss | South Sudan | Yes | No |
.st | São Tomé and Príncipe | No | No |
.su | Soviet Union (this TLD has been managed by Russia since the dissolution of the USSR) | Yes | Yes |
.sv | El Salvador | No | No |
.sx | Sint Maarten | Yes | No |
.sy | Syria | No | No |
.sz | Swaziland | No | No |
.tc | Turks and Caicos Islands | Yes | No |
.td | Chad | No | No |
.tf | French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Yes | Yes |
.tg | Togo | No | No |
.th | Thailand | No | Yes |
.tj | Tajikistan | No | No |
.tk | Tokelau | Yes | No |
.tl | Timor-Leste (formerly .tp) | Yes | No |
.tm | Turkmenistan | Yes | Yes |
.tn | Tunisia | No | Yes |
.to | Tonga | No | Yes |
.tp | Timor-Leste (now deleted – replaced by .tl in 2002) | Yes | No |
.tr | Turkey, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | Yes | Yes |
.tt | Trinidad and Tobago | Yes | No |
.tv | Tuvalu | Yes | No |
.tw | Taiwan | Yes | Yes |
.tz | Tanzania | No DS resource record available | No |
.ua | Ukraine | Yes | No |
.ug | Uganda | Yes | No |
.uk | United Kingdom | Yes | No |
.um | United States Minor Outlying Islands (now deleted) | No | No |
.us | United States | No | No |
.uy | Uruguay | Yes | No |
.uz | Uzbekistan | No | No |
.va | Vatican City | No | No |
.vc | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | No DS resource record available | No |
.ve | Venezuela | No | No |
.vg | Britische Virgin Islands | Yes | No |
.vi | United States Virgin Islands | Yes | No |
.vn | Vietnam | Yes | Yes |
.vu | Vanuatu | No | No |
.wf | Wallis and Futuna (also .fr) | Yes | Yes |
.ws | Samoa | No | Yes |
.ye | Yemen | Yes | No |
.yt | Mayotte (French region – also .fr) | Yes | Yes |
.yu | Yugoslavia (now deleted – after the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia the TLD was used by Serbia and Montenegro until 2010) | No | No |
.za | South Africa | No | No |
.zm | Zambia | No | No |
.zr | Zaire (now deleted – since the country was renamed in 1997, the ccTLD .cd has been used) | No | No |
.zw | Zimbabwe | No | No |