The top-level domain (TLD) “.ss” is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for South Sudan. A top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System (DNS) of the internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space.
South Sudan became an independent country on July 9, 2011, after a referendum that passed with 98.83% of the vote. Consequently, as a country, it was entitled to its own country code top-level domain. This is consistent with the process laid out by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which oversees global IP address allocation, autonomous system number allocation, root zone management in the Domain Name System (DNS), media types, and other internet assigned numbers
In accordance with the ISO 3166 international standard, the two-letter country code for South Sudan is “SS”, and consequently, the ccTLD is “.ss”. The IANA officially delegated the “.ss” domain to South Sudan on August 31, 2011. However, with some complications and ongoing civil war issues, the “.ss” domain was not officially launched and did not become fully operational until 2019, when it was released to the global markets.
Operating the ccTLD comes with some responsibility. The administering organization needs to set, maintain, and enforce policies about who can register names within the ccTLD and under what conditions. This is typically done in consultation with the local internet community, government, and other stakeholders.
Examples of other TLDs from the African continent include .za for South Africa, .ng for Nigeria, .eg for Egypt, and .ke for Kenya.
Information about individual country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) operators, their administrative and technical contacts, and the IANA assignments is published in the IANA Root Zone Database. Documentation concerning specific domain assignments is available from the relevant country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) operator.
Sources:
1. IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority). “Delegation Record for .SS.” Iana.Org, 2011, www.iana.org/domains/root/db/ss.html.
2. IANA. “Root Zone Database.” Iana.Org, www.iana.org/domains/root/db.
3. ISO. “South Sudan – Country Code SS – Details and BBAN format – TIS.” Secure.Iso.Org, www.iso20022.org/820_country_iso.en.do?value=SS.
