Introduced | 31 July 2014 |
---|---|
TLD type | top-level domain |
Status | Available and active as of September 2014 [1] |
Intended use | Wales and Welsh language |
Actual use | Used in Wales, often when the primary or content language is Welsh; e.g. https://www.s4c.cymru |
Registration restrictions | Unknown |
Documents | Policies |
Dispute policies | UDRP |
DNSSEC | Yes |
Registry website | Nominet: Cymru - Wales and Our Home Online (Domain for Wales) |
.cymru is one of two geographic top level domains (GeoTLD) for Wales (the other being .wales). The word Cymru means Wales in Welsh.
The TLD was proposed by the British internet registry company Nominet, which has run the domain for the UK (.uk) since 1996. [2] The proposal initially ran into conflict with .cym, proposed by the Wales-based, not-for-profit dotCYM organisation, which advocates for the Welsh language and culture. [3] [4] (.cym was ultimately assigned to the Cayman Islands. [5] )
In June 2014, final go-ahead for the domains was granted by ICANN, and a phased launch of the new domains began. [6] [7] Initially, the new domains were available to trademark holders, with full availability originally planned for the spring of 2015.
On 30 September 2014, the Llywydd of the Senedd officially moved Senedd websites and other sites to new ".cymru" and ".wales" domains which are geographic top-level domains specific to Wales. Wales Online, Daily Post, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium, Golwg360, Bloc, Gwalia, Atlantic PLC, Orchard and Portmeirion were among others who also switched over to the domains. [8] These became available to all on St David's Day 2015. [9]
A domain name registry is a database of all domain names and the associated registrant information in the top level domains of the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet that enables third party entities to request administrative control of a domain name. Most registries operate on the top-level and second-level of the DNS.
Nominet UK is currently delegated by IANA to be the manager of the .uk domain name. Nominet directly manages registrations directly under .uk, and some of the second level domains .co.uk, .org.uk, .sch.uk, .me.uk, .net.uk, .ltd.uk and .plc.uk.
A member of the Senedd is a representative elected to the Senedd. There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd constituencies, and twenty to represent the five electoral regions of the Senedd in Wales.
The Senedd, officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and Senedd Cymru in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees to certain taxes, and scrutinises the Welsh Government. It is a bilingual institution, with both Welsh and English being the official languages of its business. From its creation in May 1999 until May 2020, the Senedd was officially known as the National Assembly for Wales and often simply called the Welsh Assembly.
.uk is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It was first registered in July 1985, seven months after the original generic top-level domains such as .com and the first country code after .us.
.ky is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Cayman Islands. The code was chosen as other possible options had already been allocated. Registration was limited to residents and registered companies in the Cayman Islands with a local address, but this restriction was removed in September 2015. The Cayman Islands also has the international three-letter code CYM and has won a bid to be awarded the .cym domain in a future expansion of the top-level domain space.
Politics in Wales forms a distinctive polity in the wider politics of the United Kingdom, with Wales as one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (UK).
.cym is a GeoTLD reserved for eventual assignment to the Cayman Islands. The primary top-level domain used by the Cayman Islands is .ky. The Islands already have the international three letter code, CYM. ICANN plans to increase the number of generic top-level domains, and it is through this process that a .cym top-level domain might be awarded.
There are four types of elections in Wales: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elections to the devolved Senedd, local elections to community councils and the 22 principal areas, and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections. In addition there are by-elections for each aforementioned election. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday. Since the passing of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 for UK general elections, all four types of elections are held after fixed periods, though early elections to the UK parliament can occur in certain situations, with Senedd elections being postponed to avoid elections to the UK parliament and Senedd coinciding with each other.
Welsh law is an autonomous part of the English law system composed of legislation made by the Senedd. Wales is part of the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales, one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. However, due to devolution, the law in Wales is increasingly distinct from the law in England, since the Senedd, the devolved parliament of Wales, can legislate on non-reserved matters.
Welsh independence is the political movement advocating for Wales to become a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom.
The Domain Name System of the Internet consists of a set of top-level domains that constitute the root domain of the hierarchical name space and database. In the growth of the Internet, it became desirable to expand the initial set of six generic top-level domains in 1984. As a result, new top-level domain names have been proposed for implementation by ICANN. Such proposals included a variety of models ranging from adoption of policies for unrestricted gTLDs that could be registered by anyone for any purpose, to chartered gTLDs for specialized uses by specialized organizations. In October 2000, ICANN published a list of proposals for top-level domain strings it had received.
A geographic top-level domain is any of an unofficial group of top-level domains in the Domain Name System of the Internet using the name of or invoking an association with a geographical, geopolitical, ethnic, linguistic or cultural community. The IANA does not recognize these domains as their own group within the Root Zone Database, rather classifying them as generic top-level domains.
.scot is a GeoTLD for Scotland and Scottish culture, including the Gaelic and Scots languages.
.wales is one of two geographic top level domains for Wales.
Unionism in Wales is the political view that supports a political union between Wales and the other countries of the United Kingdom. As well as the current state of the UK, unionism may also include support for Federalism in the United Kingdom and a United Kingdom Confederation.
The domain name .blog is a generic top level domain (gTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Added in 2016, it is intended to be used for blogs. Anyone can sign up for a dot blog domain name at the regular available prices. People can currently purchase .blog domains at a variety of domain registrars. However, there are some restrictions regarding trademark names.
Welsh devolution is the transfer of legislative power for self-governance to Wales by the Government of the United Kingdom.
There have been calls for further Welsh devolution, increasing the autonomy for Wales, since the Welsh legislature of the Senedd was founded following the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum.