top level domain (Internet) (TLD)
The top-level domain (TLD) is the extension of the domain name. A distinction is made between two types of top-level domains, the geographical ones called ccTLD ( country code) and the generic gTLD. Country domains are, for example, "de" for Germany, "fr" for France and "ca" for Canada.
The organizational and generic can be an organization, institution or educational institution and represent governmental, commercial and non-commercial entities. Example gTLD domains are "com2 for commercial organizations, "int2 for international organizations, "edu" for educational institutions in the U.S., "gov" for U.S. government organizations, "mil" for U.S. military organizations, and with "org" for other non-profit organizations.
In addition to the top-level domain, there are subdomains or third-leveldomains. Examples are "faq" for questions, "fed" for community colleges with US-wide presence, "bilder" or "blog".
Since mid-2009, it has also been possible to apply to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers( ICANN) for personal, company or city names for the top-level domains. However, application fees are charged for this, which are in the 6- digit euro range. The domains are defined in ISO 3166.