Address
Also called: address information
An address is a physical or administrative location where a person or organization is located or where communications can be received.
Residential address, business address and mailing address
For example, an address can be used to designate the location of a home or commercial building. A street name and house number make it possible to find the address and send mail to it. In the Netherlands and most other countries, addresses are given a postal code to simplify mail processing and distribution. A person's name, address and place of residence make up the NAW data.
Some people and businesses have a special mailing address that is different from the address where they reside. Businesses in particular use a post office box, a central mailing address provided by the postal company.
Digital addresses
Virtual locations can also be referred to by an address. Well-known examples are the e-mail address, which can be used to send and receive e-mail messages, and the Web address and domain names, which can be used to visit Web pages on the Internet.
Without noticing, many more types of addresses are being used in the digital world. Typically, these addresses serve to allow devices to communicate with each other (such as an IP address) or indicate the location where information is stored (a memory address). By this technical definition, even a phone number can be seen as an address.
