The top level domain (TLD) you’re inquiring about is a Country Code top-level domain (ccTLD). However, it is in Unicode form, utilizing the Punycode encoding system to represent Internationalized Domain Names in Applications (IDNA). In ASCII form, your specific TLD “.XN—MGBGU82A” is recognized as “.سودان” which translates to “.sudan” in English. This represents the country Sudan, located in Africa.
According to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is responsible for the global coordination of the DNS root, IP addressing, among others, the .xn—mgbgu82a domain extension belongs exclusively to Sudan. This domain extension was first delegated in July 2010 and is managed by the Sudan Internet Society, which is a non-governmental institution that is tasked with the administration and coordination of the Sudanese internet infrastructure, including the .xn—mgbgu82a domain extension.
Country-specific domains, such as “.xn—mgbgu82a” for Sudan, are primarily used by organizations, businesses, or individuals who are present in, operate in, or have a significant presence or relation to the corresponding country. This allows these organizations to effectively target and connect with their desired audiences within a specific geographical region. For example, a business based in Sudan might use this ccTLD to show their location and target Sudanese consumers more effectively.
Punycode encoding is frequently used to represent Unicode-based domain names in ASCII format, to ensure they are compatible with the Domain Name System, which can only handle ASCII characters. For instance, IDN: “xn—mgbgu82a” is Punycode for Arabic: “سودان”.
While relatively small compared to more internationally common TLDs such as “.com” or “.org”, IDNA TLDs like “.xn—mgbgu82a” are important components of the digital landscape as they support multilingualism and inclusivity on the internet.
Sources:
1. Internet Assigned Numbers Authority – .xn—mgbgu82a: https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt
2. Internet Society Sudan – DNS: https://internetsociety.sd/en/dns/
3. ICANN Wiki – .xn—mgbgu82a: https://icannwiki.org/.xn—mgbgu82a
4. Punycode for developers: https://www.punycoder.com/
