The top-level domain (TLD) .NR is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Nauru, a tiny island country in Micronesia, northeastern Australia. A country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code.
The .NR TLD was delegated in 1998 following a decision by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is the agency responsible for the global coordination of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources, to assign each country a particular TLD. For Nauru, a country with an area of just 21 square kilometers and a population of around 10,000 people, that TLD is .NR.
CTRN (Cooperative Association of Internet Data Analysis) provides up-to-date information relating to the use and allocation of .NR domains. As of the time of writing in December 2021, there were just four delegated .NR domains: com.nr, edu.nr, gov.nr, and net.nr. These so-called ‘second level domains’ are further subdivided for use by different organizations, with each organization typically allocated its unique third-level domain.
The technical administration of .NR resides with the CenpacNet Inc., a telecom company in the Republic of Nauru, according to sources of IANA. The company is responsible for maintaining the control and reliability of this TLD, tasks which primarily involve handling domain name registrations, managing the DNS for .NR, and interfacing with the worldwide network of other DNS servers to ensure the accessibility of .NR websites.
One of the prime examples of a .NR domain is www.gov.nr, which is the official government website for the Republic of Nauru. This site provides news, information, and services from the Government of the Republic of Nauru to the public. Similarly, edu.nr is primarily used by educational institutions, such as the University of Nauru, and com.nr and net.nr are typically used by commercial and network infrastructure entities.
As a ccTLD, .NR has some unique attributes not found in generic TLDs (like .com, .org) because it is under national jurisdiction. The rules and policies regarding who can register a .NR domain and how it can be used are set by CenpacNet Inc and the Government of the Republic of Nauru.
In conclusion, the .NR top-level domain is a crucial aspect of the Nauru internet identity, serving as a distinct identifier for the country in cyberspace context. This enhances the visibility of Nauru entities on the global internet stage.
Sources:
1. IANA — .nr Domain Delegation Data [https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt]
2. CTRN Official Website [https://centr.org/]
3. Nauru Government Official Website [https://www.gov.nr/].
