For the sake of this article, the focus will be on ccTLDs — top level domain extensions reserved for a country, sovereign state, or a dependent territory identified with a country code. For practical purposes, any reference to ccTLDs will be about those that represent actual countries with more than just penguins and scientists on them: Antarctica has its own ccTLD, dot .AQ.
Think about it as a declaration of sovereignty in the digital space, or as a group of "domain flags" that represent digital national independence—and pride—of the world's numerous countries.
Read MoreWorldwide, popularity of a national ccTLD is high in their respective countries, and is reflected in the established use of domain names by companies and individuals. It's very uncommon for dot .COM and other legacy TLDs to be more popular in these countries with an established national ccTLD and a large Internet base. The exception, of course, being USA: the national ccTLD, .US, plays second fiddle to the ultra popular .COM...
