Country code top-level domain
Also called: ccTLD or country code top-level domain
The abbreviation ccTLD stands for country code top-level domain. A top-level domain (TLD) is a domain name at the highest level of the DNS system. Country code top-level domains are a category within TLDs that are tied to a country or geographic region. The suffixes are derived from official country codes.
Country-specific top-level domains are particularly interesting for companies operating within a particular country or territory and for internationally operating companies that want to profile multiple Web sites as local "affiliates" per country. General TLDs that are not tied to a country or territory are called generic top-level domains (gTLDs).
.nl first ccTLD
The country code top-level domain for the Netherlands is .nl. This domain extension has been the first active country code domain outside the United States since 1986. The initiator of the .nl domain was Piet Beertema of the Dutch Center for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI). In 1996, management of the Dutch top-level domain was transferred to the Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland (SIDN).
Popular country codes
Not only is the .nl domain the oldest ccTLD, it has long been one of the most popular ccTLDs. By 2020, the milestone of 6 million active domain names is approaching.
The country domain with the most registrations is .tk. About 20 million domains are active under this extension. The explanation for this is that .tk domain names can be registered for free. As an overseas territory, the Tokelau archipelago is officially under New Zealand. Revenues from advertising and paid registrations are an important source of income for the local government.
Top-level domain .tk is closely followed in number of registrations by .cn (China), followed at a respectable distance by .de (Germany), .uk (United Kingdom) and .ru (Russia).