Drives, Extensions, & Domain Names

The Structure of a Domain Name
A domain name always has two or more parts separated by dots and typically consists of some form of an organization's name and a three letter or more suffix. For example, the domain name for IBM is "ibm.com"; the United Nations is "un.org."

The domain name suffix is known as a generic top-level domain and it describes the type of organization. In the last few years, the lines have somewhat blurred between these categories.

.aero--For the air-transport industry

.biz--Reserved for businesses

.com--For businesses, commercial enterprises, or online services like America Online. Most companies use this extension.

.coop--Reserved for cooperatives

.edu--For educational institutions and universities

.gov--Reserved for United States government agencies

.info--For all uses

.int--For organizations established by international treaties

.mil--For the United States military

.museum--For use by museums

.name--For use by individuals

.net--For networks; usually reserved for organizations such as Internet service providers

.org--For non-commercial organizations

.pro--For use by professionals, such as attorneys and physicians

In addition to the generic top-level domains, 244 national top-level domains (NTLD) were established for countries and territories, for example:

.au - Australia

.ca - Canada

.fr - France

.de - Germany

.uk - United Kingdom

.us United States

Here's a list of national top-level domains.

source:

The Animated Internet: How the Web Works