.cat
Encyclopedia
.cat (ˈpun ˈkat) is a sponsored top-level domain
intended to be used to highlight the Catalan language
and culture. Its policy has been developed by ICANN
and Fundació puntCAT. It was approved in September 2005.
, .ad
, .fr
, .it
domains (depending on the state respectively) for their domains, alternatives emerged. An example of this is the website for the city of Girona
in Catalonia
, which preferred to use a .gi
domain ("http://www.ajuntament.gi/", the word "ajuntament" meaning both "city council" and "town hall"), even though .gi is the country code
for Gibraltar
, instead of the corresponding .es
as a Spanish local authority.
To solve this question, in September 2005 the .cat TLD was approved, intending to attend the claims of that part of the Catalan linguistic and cultural community on the Internet. This community is made up of those who use Catalan for their online communications, and/or promote the different aspects of Catalan culture online and refuse to use any other domain. The initial registration period went from February 13, 2006, to April 21, 2006. The registry was open to everybody starting April 23, 2006.
Despite the restrictions, the domain has been exploited for feline
-related domain hack
s in several cases.
Sponsored top-level domain
A sponsored top-level domain is one of the categories of top-level domains maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet....
intended to be used to highlight the Catalan language
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
and culture. Its policy has been developed by ICANN
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Marina del Rey, California, United States, that was created on September 18, 1998, and incorporated on September 30, 1998 to oversee a number of Internet-related tasks previously performed directly...
and Fundació puntCAT. It was approved in September 2005.
History
Before .cat was available, and given the reluctance of certain Catalan institutions, companies and people to use .es.es
.es is the country code top-level domain for Spain. It is administered by the Network Information Center of Spain.Registrations are permitted at the second level or at the third level beneath various generic second level categories. Some qualifications and restrictions apply to third-level...
, .ad
.ad
.ad is the Internet country code top-level domain for Andorra. It is administered by Servei de Telecomunicacions d'Andorra, today called Andorra Telecom....
, .fr
.fr
.fr is the country code top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet for France. Along with .re and .tf, it is administered by AFNIC.The .fr top-level domain is divided into a number of second-level domains:...
, .it
.it
.it is the Internet country code top-level domain for Italy.Because it is also the English word it, and many words end with -it, this can commonly used in the construction of domain hacks, such as play.it , write.it or swimsu.it.There are a number of reserved second-level domain names, for...
domains (depending on the state respectively) for their domains, alternatives emerged. An example of this is the website for the city of Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, which preferred to use a .gi
.gi
-Second-Level Domain Names:* .com.gi* .ltd.gi* .gov.gi* .mod.gi* .edu.gi* .org.gi-Trivia:Because of the coincidence in abbreviation, it has also been used for some official domains for the Spanish city Girona...
domain ("http://www.ajuntament.gi/", the word "ajuntament" meaning both "city council" and "town hall"), even though .gi is the country code
Country code
Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The best known of these is ISO 3166-1...
for Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, instead of the corresponding .es
.es
.es is the country code top-level domain for Spain. It is administered by the Network Information Center of Spain.Registrations are permitted at the second level or at the third level beneath various generic second level categories. Some qualifications and restrictions apply to third-level...
as a Spanish local authority.
To solve this question, in September 2005 the .cat TLD was approved, intending to attend the claims of that part of the Catalan linguistic and cultural community on the Internet. This community is made up of those who use Catalan for their online communications, and/or promote the different aspects of Catalan culture online and refuse to use any other domain. The initial registration period went from February 13, 2006, to April 21, 2006. The registry was open to everybody starting April 23, 2006.
Restrictions
The .cat domain is not territorial, but applies to the whole Catalan-speaking community, whether or not a site is based in the Països Catalans. In order to be granted a .cat domain, one needs to belong to the Catalan linguistic and cultural community on the Internet. A person, organization or company is considered to belong if they either:- already have content in Catalan published online.
- have access to a special code (sometimes called ENS), issued during special promotions or by agreements with certain institutions.
- develop activities (in any language) to promote the Catalan culture and language.
- are endorsed by 3 people or 1 institution already using a .cat domain name.
Despite the restrictions, the domain has been exploited for feline
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
-related domain hack
Domain hack
A domain hack is an unconventional domain name that combines domain levels, especially the top-level domain , to spell out the full "name" or title of the domain. Examples include del.icio.us , goo.gl and fold.it...
s in several cases.