| Introduced | Not officially assigned |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Unassigned |
| Registry | None |
| Sponsor | None |
| Intended use | Entities connected with  Western Sahara |
| Actual use | Not available for use |
| Registration restrictions | Not available for registration |
Western Sahara is a disputed territory, and as such it has no country code top-level domain (ccTLD). .eh is reserved for this purpose, and will be assigned if the Western Sahara conflict results in an agreement between the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Morocco. IANA has not designated a ccTLD manager for the .eh domain.[1]
History
The letters .eh correspond to "Sáhara Español" (ESH, as Western Sahara was previously called Spanish Sahara) and also match Saguia el-Hamra, one of two provinces in the earlier Spanish Sahara.[2]
On August 1, 2007, an international consortium made a bid to IANA to administer the .eh domain on behalf of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Morocco, which controls most of Western Sahara, has made competing claims to the domain.[3]
On October 16, 2007, ICANN decided not to delegate .eh at all, with the explanation that:
there are currently two applicants for the delegation of the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .EH (Western Sahara). Both requests meet the technical criteria for managing a top-level domain. In cases like this, IANA has a long-standing policy of requesting that the two contesting applicants work together to find a mutual solution that will serve the needs of the local Internet community in the best possible fashion. ICANN does not see a way to approve the .EH ccTLD delegation to one of the applicants without violating its long-standing policy unless the contesting parties are able to reach an agreement.[4]
The two applicants remain armed belligerents; no such agreement has been reached and the domain remains inactive.
Publicity
On April 1, 2013 the Canadian Internet Registration Authority announced it would be releasing .eh domain names to consumers as part of an April Fools' Day joke, the TLD being a play on the stereotypical Canadian interjection "eh".[5]
References
- ↑ IANA .eh whois information
- ↑ "Western Sahara at Flags of the World". Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-07-31.
- ↑ Extensions - .eh : Desert Storm Archived 2016-03-13 at the Wayback Machine DomainesInfo, September 4, 2007
- ↑ Preliminary Report for Special Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors ICANN, October 16, 2007
- ↑ "Lululeather and .EH among Canadian twists on April Fool's Day". CBC News. 1 April 2013. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.