The Top-Level Domain (TLD) .xn—80aswg is an Internationalized Country Code Top-Level Domain (IDN ccTLD), which stands for the country Armenia in the Armenian language, using the Armenian alphabet.
The code xn—80aswg represents .հայ in Punycode, a method used for encoding a string of Unicode characters. Punycode is used to convert non-Latin-based alphabets such as Armenian, for example, into ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) characters recognizable by the Domain Name System (DNS). Essentially, it allows web addresses containing international characters to be resolved and displayed correctly by web browsers.
The .հայ TLD (xn—80aswg) is managed by the Internet Society – Armenia (ISOC AM), who was delegated the domain by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 2014. The domain’s underlying purpose is to allow users to navigate the internet in their native tongue, thus enhancing accessibility and ease of use while acknowledging and promoting cultural diversity on the internet.
Creating TLDs that are not based on the Latin alphabet is part of an ongoing global initiative by ICANN to introduce Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). These enable people around the world to use the internet in their native scripts. More than 50 different scripts are in use for IDNs today, including Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Tamil and Armenian just to name a few. ICANN’s goal with this initiative is to ensure the internet is accessible and usable for the greatest number of individuals, regardless of their language or script.
The domain xn—80aswg is unique and important as it is one of the ways through which Armenian language and culture are represented and preserved on the internet. For instance, Armenian entities such as businesses and organizations, as well as individuals, are able to create websites and email addresses that are culturally relevant and correctly represented in the Armenian language.
In terms of acquiring, any entity or individual worldwide is allowed to register domain names under .հայ (xn—80aswg), but they must comply with ISOC Armenia’s specific registration policies and requirements.
In conclusion, the xn—80aswg is a classic example of the application of Punycode, its use, and the critical part it plays in promoting linguistic and cultural diversity in the digital format. IDN ccTLDs like .xn—80aswg are instrumental in giving people and their languages more representation online and make the Internet more inclusive and accessible.
Sources:
- IANA — .հայ Domain Delegation Data (https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/xn—y9a3aq.html)
- ICANN — IDN TLDs (http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/idn)
- Internet Society Armenia (https://isoc.am/en/)
- Punycode (https://www.punycoder.com/)
