I was curious to see what countries seem to run / control most of the Domain Name System. Especially how much is actually located in the US.
Root servers
First of all lets look at the Root-Servers the one responsible for ".". These servers point to the Generic TLD and CcTLD servers such as .be, .be .nl, .uk .com .net etc.
| TLD |
Server |
IP |
AS |
Country |
| . |
a.root-servers.net. |
198.41.0.4 |
AS36620 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| . |
b.root-servers.net. |
192.228.79.201 |
AS4 University of Southern California |
United States |
| . |
c.root-servers.net. |
192.33.4.12 |
AS2149 Cogent Communications |
United States |
| . |
d.root-servers.net. |
199.7.91.13 |
AS27 University of Maryland at College Park |
United States |
| . |
e.root-servers.net. |
192.203.230.10 |
AS297 National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
United States |
| . |
f.root-servers.net. |
192.5.5.241 |
AS3557 Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. |
United States |
| . |
g.root-servers.net. |
192.112.36.4 |
AS5927 DoD Network Information Center |
United States |
| . |
h.root-servers.net. |
128.63.2.53 |
AS13 Headquarters, USAISC |
United States |
| . |
i.root-servers.net. |
192.36.148.17 |
AS29216 NETNOD Internet Exchange i Sverige AB |
Sweden |
| . |
j.root-servers.net. |
192.58.128.30 |
AS36626 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| . |
k.root-servers.net. |
193.0.14.129 |
AS25152 Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) |
Netherlands |
| . |
l.root-servers.net. |
199.7.83.42 |
AS20144 DNS Root Name Server L.ROOT-SERVERS.NET |
United States |
| . |
m.root-servers.net. |
202.12.27.33 |
AS7500 WIDE Project |
Japan |
As you can see in the above diagram, out of the 13 servers 10 are run in the USA, 2 are run in Europe of which one in The Netherlands and one in Sweden, and one server resides in Asia, Japan.
Of the US based servers, the g.root-servers.net server is operated by the Department of Defense, two are operated by Verisign the rest by Universities, NASA and the ISC.
Infrastructure top level domain:
| TLD |
Description |
Notes |
| .Arpa |
Address and Routing Parameter Area |
Must verify eligibility for registration; only those in various categories of air-travel-related entities may register. |
The .Arpa TLD is used for reverse DNS functionality and uses the root servers.
The most common implementation of this .Arpa domain is the 'z.y.x.w.in-addr.arpa' way of resolving domains. (dig -x )
| TLD |
Server |
IP |
ASN |
Country |
| in-addr.arpa |
a.in-addr-servers.arpa. |
199.212.0.73 |
AS393225 ARIN Operations |
United States |
| in-addr.arpa |
b.in-addr-servers.arpa. |
199.253.183.183 |
AS26710 ICANN DNS Operations Anycast |
United States |
| in-addr.arpa |
c.in-addr-servers.arpa. |
196.216.169.10 |
AS37181 AFRINIC-ANYCAST |
Mauritius |
| in-addr.arpa |
d.in-addr-servers.arpa. |
200.10.60.53 |
AS28001 Latin American and Caribbean IP address |
Uruguay |
| in-addr.arpa |
e.in-addr-servers.arpa. |
203.119.86.101 |
AS18368 UNICAST AS of ANYCAST node(The Netherlands) |
Australia |
| in-addr.arpa |
f.in-addr-servers.arpa. |
193.0.9.1 |
AS197000 Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) |
Netherlands |
Mauritius? I admit it, I had to Google. But domaintools.com agreed with the Maxmind database:
http://whois.domaintools.com/196.216.169.10
Uruguay is also an unusual country for such a high traffic service. ( in my opinion )
But again:
http://whois.domaintools.com/200.10.60.53
Generic Top Level domains:
These are the Generic Top Level domains:
| TLD |
Description |
Notes |
| .Arco |
air-transport industry |
Must verify eligibility for registration; only those in various categories of air-travel-related entities may register. |
| .Asia |
Asia-Pacific region |
This is a TLD for companies, organizations, and individuals based in the region of Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. |
| .Biz |
business |
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register; however, registrations may be challenged later if they are not held by commercial entities in accordance with the domain's charter. This TLD was created to provide relief for the wildly popular .com TLD. |
| .Cat |
Catalan |
This is a TLD for Web sites in the Catalan language or related to Catalan culture. |
| .Com |
commercial |
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register. |
| .Coop |
cooperatives |
The .coop TLD is limited to cooperatives as defined by the Rochdale Principles. |
| .Info |
information |
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register. |
| .Int |
international organizations |
The .int TLD is strictly limited to organizations, offices, and programs which are endorsed by a treaty between two or more nations. |
| .Jobs |
companies |
The .jobs TLD is designed to be added after the names of established companies with jobs to advertise. At this time, owners of a "company.jobs" domain are not permitted to post jobs of third party employers. |
| .Mobi |
mobile devices |
Must be used for mobile-compatible sites in accordance with standards. |
| .Museum |
museums |
Must be verified as a legitimate museum. |
| .Name |
individuals, by name |
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register; however, registrations may be challenged later if they are not by individuals (or the owners of fictional characters) in accordance with the domain's charter. |
| .Net |
network |
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register. Originally intended for use by domains pointing to a distributed network of computers, or "umbrella" sites that act as the portal to a set of smaller websites. |
| .Org |
organization |
This is an open TLD; any person or entity is permitted to register. Originally intended for use by non-profit organizations, and still primarily used by some. |
| .Post |
postal services |
The .post TLD is restricted to Postal Administrations as defined in the Universal Postal Union constitution, and their large customers who wish to provide "Trusted Postal Services". |
| .Pro |
professions |
Currently, .pro is reserved for licensed or certified professionals worldwide. A professional seeking to register a .pro domain must provide their registrar with the appropriate credentials. |
| .Tel |
Internet communication services |
A contact directory housing all types of contact information directly in the Domain Name System. |
| .Travel |
travel and tourism industry related sites |
Must be verified as a legitimate travel-related entity. |
| .XXX |
adult content |
For sites providing sexually explicit content, such as pornography. |
The top level domains distribution over the globe is as follows:
77 United States
42 Canada
6 Germany
3 United Kingdom
3 Sweden
2 Switzerland
2 Spain
1 Netherlands
1 Andorra
Canada and the US top the list leaving all other countries far behind.
Full list:
| TLD |
Server |
IP |
AS |
Country |
| AERO |
ns2.switch.ch. |
130.59.138.49 |
AS559 SWITCH, Swiss Education and Research Network |
Switzerland |
| AERO |
dns7.denic.de. |
81.91.161.68 |
AS8763 DENIC eG |
Germany |
| AERO |
ns5.knipp.de. |
195.253.6.62 |
AS8391 Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH |
Germany |
| AERO |
a0.aero.afilias-nst.info. |
199.254.51.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| AERO |
a2.aero.afilias-nst.info. |
199.249.115.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| AERO |
c0.aero.afilias-nst.info. |
199.254.53.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| AERO |
b0.aero.afilias-nst.org. |
199.254.52.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| AERO |
b2.aero.afilias-nst.org. |
199.249.123.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| AERO |
d0.aero.afilias-nst.org. |
199.254.54.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ASIA |
b0.asia.afilias-nst.ASIA. |
199.254.28.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ASIA |
d0.asia.afilias-nst.ASIA. |
199.254.30.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ASIA |
a0.asia.afilias-nst.info. |
199.19.55.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ASIA |
a2.asia.afilias-nst.info. |
199.249.114.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| ASIA |
c0.asia.afilias-nst.info. |
199.254.29.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ASIA |
b2.asia.afilias-nst.org. |
199.249.122.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| BIZ |
a.gtld.BIZ. |
156.154.124.65 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| BIZ |
b.gtld.BIZ. |
156.154.125.65 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| BIZ |
c.gtld.BIZ. |
156.154.127.65 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| BIZ |
e.gtld.BIZ. |
156.154.126.65 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| BIZ |
f.gtld.BIZ. |
209.173.58.66 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| BIZ |
k.gtld.BIZ. |
156.154.128.65 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| CAT |
dnsc.ad. |
194.158.74.10 |
AS6752 Servei de Telecomunicacions d'Andorra |
Andorra |
| CAT |
ns.nic.CAT. |
84.88.0.162 |
AS13041 CESCA - Anella Cientifica RREN Autonomous System |
Spain |
| CAT |
switch.nic.CAT. |
130.59.138.49 |
AS559 SWITCH, Swiss Education and Research Network |
Switzerland |
| CAT |
nsc.nic.de. |
81.91.161.84 |
AS8763 DENIC eG |
Germany |
| CAT |
ns1.nic.es. |
194.69.254.1 |
AS25354 Entidad Publica Empresarial Red.es |
Spain |
| CAT |
anyc1.irondns.net. |
195.253.64.4 |
AS50611 Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH |
Germany |
| CAT |
cat.pch.net. |
204.61.216.20 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
United States |
| CAT |
sns-pb.isc.org. |
192.5.4.1 |
AS3557 Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. |
United States |
| COM |
a.gtld-servers.net. |
192.5.6.30 |
AS36621 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
b.gtld-servers.net. |
192.33.14.30 |
AS26415 Verisign |
United States |
| COM |
c.gtld-servers.net. |
192.26.92.30 |
AS36619 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
d.gtld-servers.net. |
192.31.80.30 |
AS36617 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
e.gtld-servers.net. |
192.12.94.30 |
AS36625 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
f.gtld-servers.net. |
192.35.51.30 |
AS36620 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
g.gtld-servers.net. |
192.42.93.30 |
AS36624 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
h.gtld-servers.net. |
192.54.112.30 |
AS36623 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
i.gtld-servers.net. |
192.43.172.30 |
AS36631 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
j.gtld-servers.net. |
192.48.79.30 |
AS36626 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
k.gtld-servers.net. |
192.52.178.30 |
AS36622 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
l.gtld-servers.net. |
192.41.162.30 |
AS36628 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COM |
m.gtld-servers.net. |
192.55.83.30 |
AS36618 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| COOP |
coop1.dyntld.net. |
208.78.70.80 |
AS33517 Dynamic Network Services, Inc. |
United States |
| COOP |
coop2.dyntld.net. |
204.13.250.80 |
AS33517 Dynamic Network Services, Inc. |
United States |
| COOP |
coop3.dyntld.net. |
208.78.71.80 |
AS33517 Dynamic Network Services, Inc. |
United States |
| COOP |
coop4.dyntld.net. |
204.13.251.80 |
AS33517 Dynamic Network Services, Inc. |
United States |
| INT |
ns0.ja.net. |
193.63.94.20 |
AS786 The JNT Association |
United Kingdom |
| INT |
ns0.ja.net. |
128.86.1.20 |
AS786 The JNT Association |
United Kingdom |
| INT |
sec2.authdns.ripe.net. |
193.0.9.4 |
AS197000 Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) |
Netherlands |
| INT |
ns.uu.net. |
137.39.1.3 |
AS701 MCI Communications Services, Inc. d/b/a Verizon Business |
United States |
| INT |
ns.icann.org. |
199.4.138.53 |
AS26710 ICANN DNS Operations Anycast |
United States |
| INT |
ns1.cs.ucl.ac.uk. |
128.16.5.32 |
AS786 The JNT Association |
United Kingdom |
| JOBS |
a5.nstld.com. |
192.5.6.34 |
AS36621 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| JOBS |
c5.nstld.com. |
192.26.92.34 |
AS36619 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| JOBS |
d5.nstld.com. |
192.31.80.34 |
AS36617 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| JOBS |
f5.nstld.com. |
192.35.51.34 |
AS36620 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| JOBS |
g5.nstld.com. |
192.42.93.34 |
AS36624 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| JOBS |
h5.nstld.com. |
192.54.112.34 |
AS36623 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| JOBS |
l5.nstld.com. |
192.41.162.34 |
AS36628 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| MIL |
con1.nipr.MIL. |
199.252.157.234 |
AS721 DoD Network Information Center |
United States |
| MIL |
con2.nipr.MIL. |
199.252.162.234 |
AS721 DoD Network Information Center |
United States |
| MIL |
eur1.nipr.MIL. |
199.252.154.234 |
AS721 DoD Network Information Center |
United States |
| MIL |
eur2.nipr.MIL. |
199.252.143.234 |
AS721 DoD Network Information Center |
United States |
| MIL |
pac1.nipr.MIL. |
199.252.180.234 |
AS721 DoD Network Information Center |
United States |
| MIL |
pac2.nipr.MIL. |
199.252.155.234 |
AS721 DoD Network Information Center |
United States |
| MOBI |
a0.mobi.afilias-nst.info. |
199.254.55.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| MOBI |
a2.mobi.afilias-nst.info. |
199.249.118.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| MOBI |
c0.mobi.afilias-nst.info. |
199.254.57.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| MOBI |
b0.mobi.afilias-nst.org. |
199.254.56.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| MOBI |
b2.mobi.afilias-nst.org. |
199.249.126.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| MOBI |
d0.mobi.afilias-nst.org. |
199.254.58.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| MUSEUM |
ns5.knipp.de. |
195.253.6.62 |
AS8391 Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH |
Germany |
| MUSEUM |
nic.MUSEUM. |
130.242.24.5 |
AS1653 SUNET Swedish University Network |
Sweden |
| MUSEUM |
anyc1.irondns.net. |
195.253.64.4 |
AS50611 Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH |
Germany |
| MUSEUM |
ns.icann.org. |
199.4.138.53 |
AS26710 ICANN DNS Operations Anycast |
United States |
| MUSEUM |
sns-pb.isc.org. |
192.5.4.1 |
AS3557 Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. |
United States |
| NAME |
a6.nstld.com. |
192.5.6.35 |
AS36621 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
c6.nstld.com. |
192.26.92.35 |
AS36619 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
d6.nstld.com. |
192.31.80.35 |
AS36617 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
f6.nstld.com. |
192.35.51.35 |
AS36620 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
g6.nstld.com. |
192.42.93.35 |
AS36624 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
h6.nstld.com. |
192.54.112.35 |
AS36623 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
j6.nstld.com. |
192.48.79.35 |
AS36626 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
k6.nstld.com. |
192.52.178.35 |
AS36622 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
l6.nstld.com. |
192.41.162.35 |
AS36628 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NAME |
m6.nstld.com. |
192.55.83.35 |
AS36618 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
a.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.5.6.30 |
AS36621 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
b.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.33.14.30 |
AS26415 Verisign |
United States |
| NET |
c.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.26.92.30 |
AS36619 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
d.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.31.80.30 |
AS36617 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
e.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.12.94.30 |
AS36625 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
f.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.35.51.30 |
AS36620 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
g.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.42.93.30 |
AS36624 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
h.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.54.112.30 |
AS36623 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
i.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.43.172.30 |
AS36631 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
j.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.48.79.30 |
AS36626 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
k.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.52.178.30 |
AS36622 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
l.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.41.162.30 |
AS36628 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| NET |
m.gtld-servers.NET. |
192.55.83.30 |
AS36618 VeriSign Global Registry Services |
United States |
| ORG |
a0.org.afilias-nst.info. |
199.19.56.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ORG |
a2.org.afilias-nst.info. |
199.249.112.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| ORG |
c0.org.afilias-nst.info. |
199.19.53.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ORG |
b0.org.afilias-nst.ORG. |
199.19.54.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| ORG |
b2.org.afilias-nst.ORG. |
199.249.120.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| ORG |
d0.org.afilias-nst.ORG. |
199.19.57.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| POST |
a0.post.afilias-nst.info. |
65.22.0.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| POST |
a2.post.afilias-nst.info. |
65.22.4.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| POST |
c0.post.afilias-nst.info. |
65.22.2.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| POST |
b0.post.afilias-nst.org. |
65.22.1.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| POST |
b2.post.afilias-nst.org. |
65.22.5.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| POST |
d0.post.afilias-nst.org. |
65.22.3.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| PRO |
a0.pro.afilias-nst.info. |
199.182.0.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| PRO |
a2.pro.afilias-nst.info. |
199.182.32.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| PRO |
c0.pro.afilias-nst.info. |
199.182.16.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| PRO |
b0.pro.afilias-nst.org. |
199.182.1.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| PRO |
b2.pro.afilias-nst.org. |
199.182.40.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| PRO |
d0.pro.afilias-nst.org. |
199.182.17.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| TEL |
a.dns.nic.TEL. |
194.146.106.38 |
AS8674 NETNOD Internet Exchange i Sverige AB |
Sweden |
| TEL |
b.dns.nic.TEL. |
192.36.144.116 |
AS8674 NETNOD Internet Exchange i Sverige AB |
Sweden |
| TEL |
c.dns.nic.TEL. |
204.74.112.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TEL |
d.dns.nic.TEL. |
204.74.113.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TEL |
e.dns.nic.TEL. |
199.7.66.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TEL |
f.dns.nic.TEL. |
199.7.67.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TEL |
g.dns.nic.TEL. |
192.100.59.11 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TEL |
h.dns.nic.TEL. |
198.133.199.11 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TRAVEL |
a.gtld.TRAVEL. |
156.154.100.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TRAVEL |
b.gtld.TRAVEL. |
156.154.101.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TRAVEL |
c.gtld.TRAVEL. |
156.154.102.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TRAVEL |
d.gtld.TRAVEL. |
156.154.103.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TRAVEL |
e.gtld.TRAVEL. |
156.154.104.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| TRAVEL |
f.gtld.TRAVEL. |
156.154.105.1 |
AS12008 NeuStar, Inc. |
United States |
| XXX |
a0.xxx.afilias-nst.info. |
199.115.152.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| XXX |
a2.xxx.afilias-nst.info. |
199.115.156.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| XXX |
c0.xxx.afilias-nst.info. |
199.115.154.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| XXX |
b0.xxx.afilias-nst.org. |
199.115.153.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
| XXX |
b2.xxx.afilias-nst.org. |
199.115.157.1 |
AS42 PCH PCH |
Canada |
| XXX |
d0.xxx.afilias-nst.org. |
199.115.155.1 |
AS12041 Afilias Limited |
Canada |
Scroll back up and look at the .COM hosters. All Verisign. All hosted in the USA. It also seems that Verisign controls all the Jobs! ;)
Country Code Top Level domains:
These TLDs are hosted basically all over the place. Most countries have their own nic/noc/dns .ccTLD organisation that takes care of most of the hosting.
I've put the raw text in pastebin as it is just too large!
http://pastebin.com/Pbx2T5pd
Top 25 counties running ccTLD name servers:
347 United States
100 Netherlands
83 United Kingdom
66 Canada
63 Sweden
46 France
22 Australia
20 Germany
17 New Zealand
17 Brazil
17 Austria
16 Mauritius
16 Japan
14 Switzerland
13 Taiwan
13 Mexico
12 South Africa
12 Russian Federation
11 Turkey
9 Italy
9 Hong Kong
9 Denmark
8 Norway
8 Czech Republic
7 Korea, Republic of
Verisign
The .NET and .COM name servers are all hosted in Verisign IP space. I was surprised by this as I, up until now only associated Verisign with the Certificate Business. (which has been sold to Symantec. TIL! ) Verisign is also responsible for two of the root servers.
Versign presence as NS in TLD's:
13 NET
13 COM
10 NAME
7 TV
7 JOBS
7 CC
6 EDU
2 GOV
2 .
1 ARPA
"""We provide the routing support for more than 121 million domain names ending with .com, .net, .tv, .name, .cc, .edu and .jobs—up to 77 billion DNS queries a day. More than half (56%) of the world's DNS hosts rely on the Verisign .net and .com infrastructure.""" --http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/products-and-services/domain-name-services/index.xhtml
Impressive!!
With and without the USA:
So how much of the internet would still function if I would block any of the US TLD Name Servers?
Total TLDs: 274
US presence in: 180 TLDs.
TLDs left when blocking all US Name servers: 251
So what are these TLD's that we would lose when blocking all US based name servers?
These 23 TLDs have all their Name Servers in the US.
AS
BIZ
CC
CO
COM
COOP
CX
EDU
FM
GOV
JOBS
KY
MH
MIL
NAME
NET
NF
SB
SO
TL
TRAVEL
TV
US
The bold TLDs are the ones I as a non US citizen see the most frequent.
Conclusion:
It is very interesting to see the distribution in which countries run what DNS server. As running these servers gives you both control and insight in what is being requested.
It has been said that the US controls most of the Internets Infrastructure, and that is mainly because most of the 'Internet'/Tech companies HQ's are located in the US. Think Google, Facebook, Microsoft etc. Though still most of the TLDs would work without the presence of US based servers Just that those two / three important ones would be missing is a bit of a shame ... Com, Net and Org.
Overall the top 30 countries running DNS services are:
433 United States
114 Canada
102 Netherlands
86 United Kingdom
67 Sweden
46 France
26 Germany
22 Australia
17 New Zealand
17 Japan
17 Brazil
17 Austria
16 Switzerland
16 Mauritius
13 Taiwan
13 Mexico
12 South Africa
12 Russian Federation
11 Turkey
9 Italy
9 Hong Kong
9 Denmark
8 Norway
8 Czech Republic
7 Spain
7 Korea, Republic of
7 Chile
6 Thailand
6 Sri Lanka
6 Slovakia
