The .ac
top-level domain
A top-level domain (TLD) is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system for computers, services, and other resources in the ...
is the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
country code
Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science ...
(
ccTLD
A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It ...
) for
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocea ...
, used primarily for
Ascension Island (
Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'Riv ...
has its own ccTLD,
.sh). It is administered by NIC.AC, a subsidiary of the
Internet Computer Bureau based in the United Kingdom.
Registration for the domain is open to anyone. The registry accepts registrations of
internationalized domain name
An internationalized domain name (IDN) is an Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It ...
s.
The domain is marketed by some domain-brokers as a domain for the city of
Aachen, Germany, after the automotive
license plate designation ("AC") for the city.
Use as an abbreviation for "academic"
Due to its similarity to the
.ac ("academic") second-level domain that exists under some
country code top-level domain
A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It ...
s, some educational institutions also register under the .ac top-level domain:
*
Royal Global University, Guwahati in Assam, India
* The
University of Kurdistan - Hawler
*
Ralston College in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
, United States
*
Faith Mission Bible College in
Edinburgh, Scotland
* It is also used for promotion, campaigns, and
URL shortening
URL shortening is a technique on the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet
The Internet ...
by various parts of the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is p ...
, Scotland
* Promotions and english courses by the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. ...
, Cambridge
* The
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) in
Bangkok, Thailand
*
INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), based at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 mill ...
* Newcastle University, an
online university unconnected with
Newcastle University
Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public
In public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as ...
in the United Kingdom or the
University of Newcastle, Australia
*
Dhaka International University in Dhaka, Bangladesh
*
Community of Physics, an institution that works to advance physics education and research in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Other uses
* On 10 December 2013,
The Pirate Bay switched to an .ac domain.
* .ac is being used by
anti-cheat software Easy Anti-Cheat.
* .ac is occasionally used as an abbreviation for activities and/or accommodation by tourism websites.
See also
*
.uk
*
.sh
*
.ac (second-level domain)
References
External links
*
.AC Domain Name Registry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ac
Ascension Island
Country code top-level domains
Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries members
Computer-related introductions in 1997
sv:Toppdomän#A