What are sponsored TLDs (sTLDs)?

Sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs) are a type or category of top-level domain that is distinguished by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). sTLDs are specialized domain extensions that have a sponsor behind them that represents a specific community that the domain will serve. For example, .ASIA was sponsored by the DotAsia Organization to be a regional domain for Asia and the Pacific.