What are RIRs (Regional Internet Registries)?

RIRs, or Regional Internet Registries, are five subsidiary organizations that allocate and manage domains in cooperation with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

The five RIRs and their respective regions are:

ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) – United States, Canada, Antartica, and parts of the Caribbean.

RIPE NCC (Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre) – Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and West Asia.

LACNIC (Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre) – Latin America and the Caribbean (most of it).

APNIC (Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre) – East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.

AFRINIC (African Network Information Centre) – Africa.