Domain Names

The domain name tells you the type of organization sponsoring a page. It is a three-letter code that is part of the URL and preceded by a "dot." Here are the most common domains.

.edu
educational institution
Even though a page comes from an educational institution, it does not mean the institution endorses the views published by students or faculty members.
.com
commercial entity
Companies advertise, sell products, and publish annual reports and other company information on the Internet. Many online newspapers or journals also have .com names.
.gov
government
Federal and state government agencies use the Internet to publish legislation, census information, weather data, tax forms and many other documents.
.org
non-profit organization
Nonprofit organizations use the Internet to promote their causes. These pages are good sources to use when comparing different sides of an issue. However, a .org domain can also be bought and used by anyone.

There is also .net for internet service providers and .mil for U.S. military. In addition, more top level domain names have been added in recent years.

More dots! To see the additional domain names, click on More Dots!
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