Ratnesh Porwal: Domain Name

A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control on the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS).

Domain names are used in various networking contexts and application-specific naming and addressing purposes. In general, a domain name represents an Internet Protocol (IP) resource, such as a personal computer used to access the Internet, a server computer hosting a web site, or the web site itself or any other service communicated via the Internet.

Domain names are organized in subordinate levels (subdomains) of the DNS root domain, which is nameless. The first-level set of domain names are the top-level domains (TLDs), including the generic top-level domains (gTLDs), such as the prominent domains com, info, net and org, and the country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). Below these top-level domains in the DNS hierarchy are the second-level and third-level domain names that are typically open for reservation by end-users who wish to connect local area networks to the Internet, create other publicly accessible Internet resources or run web sites. The registration of these domain names is usually administered by domain name registrars who sell their services to the public

The power of the domain name lies in that it gives a website its own unique web address where it could be found at and associated with. Let’s take for example your brick and mortar store, if it is located in an easy-to-find place and your clients know how to reach it - they will surely come and visit you. If it is not easy for them to follow the way to your site, then no advertising method will be able to bring them there.

This is why, if you have come up with the idea to have your own website, the first thing that you do need to think of is how you will name it. In other words, you will have to think of choosing a suitable domain for your site. For that purpose you will have to know what your site will be for, whether it will represent your personal or business profile, and what audience it will be intended for. When you have all that in mind - finding the right software and web hosting service for creating and putting your website online will be an easy task

Below mentioned is a listing of Domain name Extensions for more than 200 Countries:

.ad	Andorra
.ae	United Arab Emirates
.af	Afghanistan
.ag	Antigua and Barbuda
.ai	Anguilla (U.K.)
.al	Albania
.am	Armenia
.an	Antilles (Netherlands)
.ao	Angola
.aq	Antarctica
.ar	Argentina
.arpa	Advanced Projects Research Agency
.at	Austria
.au	Australia
.aw	Aruba (Netherlands)
.az	Azerbaijan
.ba	Bosnia-Hertsegovina
.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
.cl	Chile
.cm	Cameroon
.cn	China
.co	Colombia
.com	Commercial
.cr	Costa Rica
.cs	Czechoslovakia
.cu	Cuba
.cv	Cape Verde
.cx	Christmas Islands
.cy	Cyprus
.cz	Czech Republic
.de	Germany
.dj	Djibouti
.dk	Denmark
.dm	Dominica
.do	Dominican Republic
.dz	Algeria
.ec	Ecuador
.edu	Education
.ee	Estonia
.eg	Egypt
.eh	Western Sahara
.er	Eritrea
.es	Spain
.et	Etiopia
.fi	Finland
.fj	Fiji
.fk	Falkland Islands
.fm	Micronesia
.fo	Faroe Islands (Denmark)
.fr	France
.fx	France
.ga	Gabon
.gb	Great Britain
.gd	Grenada
.ge	Georgia
.gf	French Guiana
.gh	Ghana
.gi	Gibraltar (U.K.)
.gl	Greenland (Denmark)
.gm	Gambia
.gn	Guinea
.gov	Government
.gp	Guadeloupe (France)
.gq	Equatorial Guinea
.gr	Greece
.gs	South-Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
.gt	Guatemala
.gu	Guam (U.S.)
.gw	Guinea Bissau
.gy	Guyana
.hk	Hong Kong (Hisiangkang, Xianggang)
.hm	Heard & McDonald Islands
.hn	Honduras
.hr	Croatia / Hrvatska
.ht	Haiti
.hu	Hungary
.id	Indonesia
.ie	Ireland
.il	Israel
.in	India
.int	International
.io	British Indian Ocean Territory
.iq	Iraq
.ir	Iran
.is	Iceland
.it	Italian
.jm	Jamaica
.jo	Jordan
.jp	Japan
.ke	Kenya
.kg	Kyrgyz Republic
.kh	Cambodia
.km	Comoros
.kp	North-Korea
.kr	South-Korea
.kw	Kuwait
.ky	Cayman Islands (U.K.)
.kz	Kazakhstan
.la	Laos
.lb	Lebanon
.lc	Saint Lucia
.li	Principality of Liechtenstein
.lk	Sri Lanka
.lr	Liberia
.ls	Lesotho
.lt	Lithuania
.lu	Luxemburg
.lv	Latvia
.ly	Libya
.ma	Marocco
.mc	Monaco
.md	Moldova
.mg	Madagascar
.mh	Marshall Islands
.mil	Military
.mk	Macedonia
.ml	Mali
.mm	Myanmar
.mn	Mongolia
.mo	Macau (Ao-me’n)
.mt	Malta
.mu	Mauritius
.mx	Mexico
.my	Malaysia
.mz	Mozambique
.na	Namibia
.nc	New Caledonia
.ne	Niger
.net	Network
.nf	Norfolk Island
.ng	Nigeria
.ni	Nicaragua
.nl	Netherlands
.no	Norway
.np	Nepal
.nu	Niue
.nz	New Zealand
.om	Oman
.org	Organization
.pa	Panama
.pe	Peru
.pf	Polynesia
.pg	Papua New Guinea
.ph	Philippines
.pk	Pakistan
.pl	Poland
.pm	St. Pierre & Miguelon
.pn	Pitcairn
.pr	Puerto Rico (USA)
.pt	Portuguese Republic
.pw	Palau
.py	Paraguay
.qa	Qatar
.re	Reunion (France)
.ro	Romainia
.ru	Russia
.rw	Rwanda
.sa	Saudi Arabia
.sb	Solomon Islands
.sc	Seychelles
.sd	Sudan
.se	Sweden
.sg	Singapore
.sh	St. Helena
.si	Slovenia
.sj	Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands
.sk	Slovakia
.sl	Sierra Leone
.sm	San Marino
.sn	Senegal
.so	Somalia
.sr	Suriname
.st	St. Tome & Principe
.su	Soviet Union
.sv	El Salvador
.sy	Syria
.sz	Swaziland
.tc	Turks & Caicos Islands
.td	Chad
.tf	France Southern Terr.
.tg	Togo
.th	Thailand
.tj	Tadjikistan
.tk	Tokelau
.tm	Turkmenistan
.tn	Tunisia
.to	Tonga
.tp	East Timor
.tr	Turkey
.tt	Trinidad & Tobago
.tv	Tuvalu
.tw	Taiwan
.tz	Tanzania
.ua	Ukraine
.ug	Uganda
.uk	United Kingdom of Great Britain
.um	US Minor outlying Islands
.us	United States of America
.uy	Uruguay
.uz	Uzbekistan
.va	The Vatican City
.ve	Venezuela
.vg	Virgin Islands (British)
.vi	Virgin Islands (U.S.)
.vn	Vietnam
.vu	Vanuatu
.yu	Yugoslavia
.za	South Africa
.zm	Zambia
.zr	Zaire
.zw	Zimbabwe