geodomain

The term geodomain refers to domain names that are the same as those of geographic entities, such as cities and countries. Examples of geodomains are Atlanta.com, LosAngeles.com, Texas.com and Memphis.org. Since geographical names are limited in number, and have instant name recognition, geodomains are highly valued, with .com and .net extension geodomains valued the most highly. Geodomains tend to provide a virtual representation of the locations they serve-- for example, Hawaii.com is heavily tourism focused, while Syracuse.com and Madison.com have more local content. Collectively, geographic domain names are estimated to represent approximately over 500 million dollars a year in gross hotel bookings alone, and are a rising force in the Internet.

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Associated Cities

Associated Cities is a trade association founded in 2003. Its membership is limited to sites operating at the .com versions of city names. The association has 130 members and holds an annual event called the "Geodomain Expo." The 2007 expo was held November 16 and 17 in San Francisco and featured an auction of domain names. The 2008 GeoDomain expo was held in Chicago on July 10-12 and included many speakers and presentations, as well domain name auctions ^[1]

[edit] Highest Reported Sales

Many geodomains were reported to be sold for high amounts. Among them: ^[2]

England.com for $2,000,000 in 1999
Chinese.com $1,120,008 2007
Britain.com $1,000,000 1999
Melbourne.com $700,000 2007
Macau.com $550,000 2006
NewZealand.com $500,000 2003