What is ccTLD?
What is ccTLD?
Country-code top-level domain, basically it is an Internet topmost level of a domain in the domain name system (DNS). Some countries as well as geographical regions namely the United States sponsor country code top-level domains (ccTLD). Furthermore, ccTLDs always include two letters of the Latin alphabet. The only exceptions to this rule are the countries with IDN-ccTLDs (internationalized country code top-level domains). ccTLD is subjected to requirements that are determined by each country’s domain name regulation corporation. With over 150 million domain name registrations today, ccTLD’s make up 40% of the total domain name industry. ccTLD shows users and searches engines in what country, sovereign state, or dependent territory a website is registered. Country code TLDs use the ISO 3166-1 country codes except in a few rare cases, where ASCII identifiers are used instead (for instance, .uk instead of .gb)
Why ccTLDs:
It is important in international SEO, ccTLDs are only the strongest way to show search engines and users that site content is specifically targeted to a certain country or region and it is not targeted to a language. Whenever a site uses a ccTLD, Google understands that site (and all the content on it) is relevant to the geographic area which is targeted by the ccTLD and should appear on SERPs in that area.
Benefits of ccTLD:
- The most common usage of ccTLDs is to internationalize the website content by using a ccTLD which is the strongest signal you can send to a search engine that your content focuses on a specific country.
- ccTLDs allow you to target traffic from specific areas of the world. For example, you want to target visitors from the United Kingdom to your UK-based bakery’s website; you may want to consider choosing .co.uk as your domain extension. This sure that you are showing up in the search results of those living in the UK, rather than Australia or Canada or any other region.
- ccTLD is good for reliability and they give visitors to your website more confident. Since they consider the website to be local, visitors may feel that it is easier to make purchases, especially if they see that the address is somewhere that they recognize rather than a foreign address. Also, many people prefer to complete transactions and visit sites in their native language, currency, and region.
- It helps WHOIS database lookup companies
The following Country-code top-level domain list includes every country domain, with this list you can easily discover a country or area where domain extensions belong to. The column on the right indicates whether a web address registered under the respective ccTLD, in the middle country or region, and left side DNSSEC, IDN is allocated.
Country top-level domain list
ccTLDCountry (or region)DNSSECIDN
.ac |
Ascension Island |
Yes |
Yes |
.ad |
Andorra |
Yes |
No |
.ae |
United Arab Emirates |
No |
No |
.af |
Afghanistan |
Yes |
No |
.ag |
Antigua and Barbuda |
Yes |
No |
.ai |
Anguilla |
No |
No |
.al |
Albania |
No |
No |
.am |
Armenia |
Yes |
No |
.an |
Netherlands Antilles (now deleted – with the 2010 political dissolution of this region as an overseas territory, the ccTLD was closed down in 2015) |
No |
No |
.ao |
Angola |
No |
No |
.aq |
Antarctic |
No |
No |
.ar |
Argentina |
Yes |
Yes |
.as |
American Samoa |
No |
Yes |
.at |
Austria |
Yes |
No |
.au |
Australia |
Yes |
No |
.aw |
Aruba |
Yes |
No |
.ax |
Åland Islands (until March 2006 still accessable at .aland.fi) |
No |
No |
.az |
Azerbaijan |
No |
No |
.ba |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
No |
No |
.bb |
Barbados |
No |
No |
.bd |
Bangladesh |
No |
Yes |
.be |
Belgium |
Yes |
Yes |
.bf |
Burkina Faso |
No |
No |
.bg |
Bulgaria |
Yes |
Yes |
.bh |
Bahrain |
No |
No |
.bi |
Burundi |
No |
No |
.bj |
Benin |
No |
No |
.bl |
Saint-Barthélemy |
No |
No |
.bm |
Bermuda |
No |
No |
.bn |
Brunei |
No |
No |
.bo |
Bolivia |
No |
No |
.br |
Brazil |
Yes |
Yes |
.bq |
Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius |
No |
No |
.bs |
Bahamas |
No |
No |
.bt |
Bhutan |
No |
No |
.bv |
Bouvet Island (registration not yet possible) |
No |
No |
.bw |
Botswana |
Yes |
No |
.by |
Belarus |
Yes |
No |
.bz |
Belize |
Yes |
No |
.ca |
Canada |
Yes |
Yes |
.cc |
Cocos Islands |
Yes |
No |
.cd |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
No |
No |
.cf |
Central African Republic |
No |
No |
.cg |
Republic of the Congo |
Yes |
No |
.ch |
Switzerland |
Yes |
Yes |
.ci |
Côte d’Ivoire |
No |
No |
.ck |
Cook Islands |
Yes |
No |
.cl |
Chile |
Yes |
Yes |
.cm |
Cameroon |
Yes |
No |
.cn |
China |
Yes |
Yes |
.co |
Colombia |
Yes |
No |
.cr |
Costa Rica |
Yes |
No |
.cs |
Czechoslovakia (now deleted) |
No |
No |
.cu |
Cuba |
No |
No |
.cv |
Cape Verde |
No |
No |
.cw |
Curaçao |
Yes |
No |
.cx |
Christmas Island |
No |
No |
.cy |
Cyprus |
Yes |
No |
.cz |
Czech Republic |
Yes |
No |
.dd |
German Democratic Republic (never activated) |
No |
No |
.de |
Germany |
Yes |
Yes |
.dj |
Djibuti |
Yes |
No |
.dk |
Denmark |
Yes |
Yes |
.dm |
Dominica |
No |
No |
.do |
Dominican Republic |
No |
No |
.dz |
Algeria |
No |
No |
.ec |
Ecuador |
Yes |
No |
.ee |
Estonia |
No |
Yes |
.eg |
Egypt |
No |
No |
.eh |
Western Sahara (due to the political conflict between the countries of Western Sahara and Morocco, this is ccTLD is currently not live) |
No |
No |
.er |
Eritrea |
Yes |
No |
.es |
Spain |
No |
No |
.et |
Ethiopia |
Yes |
No |
.eu |
European Union |
Yes |
Yes |
.fi |
Finland |
Yes |
Yes |
.fj |
Fiji |
No |
No |
.fk |
Falkland Islands |
No |
No |
.fm |
Micronesia |
Yes |
No |
.fo |
Faroe |
Yes |
No |
.fr |
France |
Yes |
Yes |
.ga |
Gabon |
No DS resource record available |
No |
.gb |
United Kingdom (no longer in use since .uk became the established ccTLD) |
Yes |
No |
.gd |
Grenada |
No |
No |
.ge |
Georgia |
No |
No |
.gf |
French Guiana |
No |
No |
.gg |
Guernsey |
No |
No |
.gh |
Ghana |
Yes |
No |
.gi |
Gibraltar |
Yes |
No |
.gl |
Greenland |
No |
No |
.gm |
Gambia |
Yes |
No |
.gn |
Guinea |
No DS resource record available |
No |
.gp |
Guadeloupe |
No |
No |
.gq |
Equatorial Guinea |
Yes |
No |
.gr |
Greece |
Yes |
Yes |
.gs |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
No |
No |
.gt |
Guatemala |
No |
Yes |
.gu |
Guam |
No |
No |
.gw |
Guinea-Bissau |
No |
No |
.gy |
Guyana |
No |
No |
.hk |
Hong Kong |
No |
Yes |
.hm |
Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
Yes |
No |
.hn |
Honduras |
Yes |
No |
.hr |
Croatia |
No |
No |
.ht |
Haiti |
Yes |
Yes |
.hu |
Hungary |
Yes |
No |
.id |
Indonesia |
Yes |
Yes |
.ie |
Ireland |
No |
No |
.il |
Israel |
No |
Yes |
.im |
Isle of Man |
Yes |
No |
.in |
India |
Yes |
No |
.io |
British Indian Ocean Territory |
Yes |
No |
.iq |
Iraq |
No |
No |
.ir |
Iran |
No |
Yes |
.is |
Iceland |
No |
Yes |
.it |
Italy |
No |
Yes |
.je |
Jersey |
No |
No |
.jm |
Jamaica |
No |
No |
.jo |
Jordan |
Yes |
No |
.jp |
Japan |
Yes |
No |
.ke |
Kenya |
Yes |
No |
.kg |
Kyrgyzstan |
Yes |
No |
.kh |
Cambodia |
Yes |
No |
.ki |
Kiribati |
No |
No |
.km |
Comoros |
No |
No |
.kn |
St. Kitts and Nevis |
No |
No |
.kp |
North Korea |
Yes |
No |
.kr |
South Korea |
Yes |
Yes |
.kw |
Kuwait |
Yes |
No |
.ky |
Cayman Islands |
No |
No |
.kz |
Kazakhstan |
Yes |
No |
.la |
Laos |
Yes |
No |
.lb |
Lebanon |
Yes |
No |
.lc |
St. Lucia |
Yes |
No |
.li |
Liechtenstein |
Yes |
Yes |
.lk |
Sri Lanka |
Yes |
Yes |
.lr |
Liberia |
No DS resource record available |
No |
.ls |
Lesotho |
Yes |
No |
.lt |
Lithuania |
Yes |
Yes |
.lu |
Luxembourg |
Yes |
Yes |
.lv |
Latvia |
Yes |
Yes |
.ly |
Libya |
Yes |
No |
.ma |
Marocco |
No |
No |
.mc |
Monaco |
No |
No |
.md |
Moldova |
Yes |
No |
.me |
Montenegro |
Yes |
No |
.mf |
Saint Martin |
No |
No |
.mg |
Madagascar |
No |
No |
.mh |
Marshall Islands |
No |
No |
.mk |
Macedonia |
Yes |
No |
.ml |
Mali |
Yes |
No |
.mm |
Myanmar |
Yes |
No |
.mn |
Mongolia |
Yes |
No |
.mo |
Macau |
No |
No |
.mp |
Northern Mariana Islands |
No |
No |
.mq |
Martinique |
No |
No |
.mr |
Mauritania |
No |
No |
.ms |
Montserrat |
No |
No |
.mt |
Malta |
No |
No |
.mu |
Mauritius |
No |
No |
.mv |
Maldives |
Yes |
No |
.mw |
Malawi |
Yes |
No |
.mx |
Mexico |
No |
No |
.my |
Malaysia |
Yes |
Yes |
.mz |
Mozambique |
Yes |
No |
.na |
Namibia |
Yes |
No |
.nc |
New Caledonia |
Yes |
No |
.ne |
Niger |
No |
No |
.nf |
Norfolk Island |
No |
No |
.ng |
Nigeria |
Yes |
No |
.ni |
Nicaragua |
Yes |
No |
.nl |
Netherlands |
Yes |
No |
.no |
Norway |
No |
Yes |
.np |
Nepal |
Yes |
No |
.nr |
Nauru |
Yes |
No |
.nu |
Niue |
Yes |
Yes |
.nz |
New Zealand |
Yes |
Yes |
.om |
Oman |
Yes |
No |
.pa |
Panama |
No |
No |
.pe |
Peru |
No |
Yes |
.pf |
French Polynesia |
No |
No |
.pg |
Papua New Guinea |
No |
No |
.ph |
Philippines |
Yes |
No |
.pk |
Pakistan |
Yes |
No |
.pl |
Poland |
Yes |
Yes |
.pm |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
Yes |
Yes |
.pn |
Pitcairn Islands |
No |
No |
.pr |
Puerto Rico |
Yes |
No |
.ps |
Palestine |
Yes |
No |
.pt |
Portugal |
Yes |
Yes |
.pw |
Palau |
No |
No |
.py |
Paraguay |
Yes |
No |
.qa |
Qatar |
Yes |
No |
.re |
Réunion |
Yes |
Yes |
.ro |
Romania |
Yes |
Yes |
.rs |
Serbia |
No |
No |
.ru |
Russia |
No |
No |
.rw |
Rwanda |
Yes |
No |
.sa |
Saudi Arabia |
Yes |
Yes |
.sb |
Solomon Islands |
No |
No |
.sc |
Seychelles |
Yes |
No |
.sd |
Sudan |
No |
No |
.se |
Sweden |
Yes |
Yes |
.sg |
Singapore |
Yes |
No |
.sh |
St. Helena |
Yes |
Yes |
.si |
Slovenia |
Yes |
Yes |
.sj |
Svalbard and Jan Mayen (registration is not yet possible) |
No |
No |
.sk |
Slovakia |
No |
No |
.sl |
Sierra Leone |
No |
No |
.sm |
San Marino |
No |
No |
.sn |
Senegal |
No |
No |
.so |
Somalia |
No |
No |
.sr |
Suriname |
No |
No |
.ss |
South Sudan |
Yes |
No |
.st |
São Tomé and Príncipe |
No |
No |
.su |
Soviet Union (this TLD has been managed by Russia since the dissolution of the USSR) |
Yes |
Yes |
.sv |
El Salvador |
No |
No |
.sx |
Sint Maarten |
Yes |
No |
.sy |
Syria |
No |
No |
.sz |
Swaziland |
No |
No |
.tc |
Turks and Caicos Islands |
Yes |
No |
.td |
Chad |
No |
No |
.tf |
French Southern and Antarctic Lands |
Yes |
Yes |
.tg |
Togo |
No |
No |
.th |
Thailand |
No |
Yes |
.tj |
Tajikistan |
No |
No |
.tk |
Tokelau |
Yes |
No |
.tl |
Timor-Leste (formerly .tp) |
Yes |
No |
.tm |
Turkmenistan |
Yes |
Yes |
.tn |
Tunisia |
No |
Yes |
.to |
Tonga |
No |
Yes |
.tp |
Timor-Leste (now deleted – replaced by .tl in 2002) |
Yes |
No |
.tr |
Turkey, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus |
Yes |
Yes |
.tt |
Trinidad and Tobago |
Yes |
No |
.tv |
Tuvalu |
Yes |
No |
.tw |
Taiwan |
Yes |
Yes |
.tz |
Tanzania |
No DS resource record available |
No |
.ua |
Ukraine |
Yes |
No |
.ug |
Uganda |
Yes |
No |
.uk |
United Kingdom |
Yes |
No |
.um |
United States Minor Outlying Islands (now deleted) |
No |
No |
.us |
United States |
No |
No |
.uy |
Uruguay |
Yes |
No |
.uz |
Uzbekistan |
No |
No |
.va |
Vatican City |
No |
No |
.vc |
St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
No DS resource record available |
No |
.ve |
Venezuela |
No |
No |
.vg |
Britische Virgin Islands |
Yes |
No |
.vi |
United States Virgin Islands |
Yes |
No |
.vn |
Vietnam |
Yes |
Yes |
.vu |
Vanuatu |
No |
No |
.wf |
Wallis and Futuna (also .fr) |
Yes |
Yes |
.ws |
Samoa |
No |
Yes |
.ye |
Yemen |
Yes |
No |
.yt |
Mayotte (French region – also .fr) |
Yes |
Yes |
.yu |
Yugoslavia (now deleted – after the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia the TLD was used by Serbia and Montenegro until 2010) |
No |
No |
.za |
South Africa |
No |
No |
.zm |
Zambia |
No |
No |
.zr |
Zaire (now deleted – since the country was renamed in 1997, the ccTLD .cd has been used) |
No |
No |
.zw |
Zimbabwe |
