cf-domain Domain

The domain extension .cf is the country-specific top-level domain of the Central African Republic, a landlocked state in Central Africa with about 4.6 million inhabitants. Due to its inland location, the country's transport infrastructure is inadequate and there is a shortage of qualified workers, which made it difficult for the country to develop well during colonial times. The country's most important economic sector is agriculture, in which 60 percent of the population works. Yams, cassava, millet and maize are for the country's own consumption, while cotton, coffee and tobacco are mainly exported. Diamonds and timber are also important export goods. Tourism is not developed here and the industry contributes only 15 percent to GDP. Most people in the country have no direct access to the WWW. Of the approximately 4.6 million inhabitants, many are illiterate.

Award guidelines

The .cf domain extension was launched on 24 April 1996. It is administered by the Societe Centrafricaine de Telecommunications (short: SOCATEL), a company with headquarters in Bangui. For a long time the domain extension was not used. Active use only began on 1 May 2013, as a campaign for trademark owners. However, any natural person or legal entity may register a .cf domain, without having to have a residence or registered office in the Central African Republic.

Meaning

The national, as well as the international importance of the domain ending .cf is very low. Because of the high number of illiterate people in the country, there is hardly any interest from private parties to register a domain with this ending or the WWW at all. There are therefore only a few registrations of websites with .cf as ending, which are registered to private persons. There is also a lack of national and international companies that invest time and money in a website with the .cf extension. This domain ending is mainly interesting for all organisations and companies that are active in the Central African Republic and represent this to the outside world.