Will sinking Tuvalu end .tv domain names? .tv is the official domain name from Tuvalu, and if you try to register .tv domain name at Godaddy, the alert box warns you that Tuvalu is sinking!
As a suggestion to why choose .TV, they remind potential domain name registrants about a sinking Tuvalu – I am confused if they want people to register to support .tv, or they are warning us about what happens to .tv if Tuvalu happens to sink one day…
Tuvalu is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean. With a population of 11,992, it is the the third-least-populated independent country in the world. At just 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi) Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world. At its highest, Tuvalu is only 4.5m above sea level, and global warming threatens to sink this small island nation following sea level rise caused by climate change. There are many reports suggesting this sinking threat.
So will .tv domain names continue to exist if Tuvalu sinks away?
Update: Apparently an old USA Today article says
VeriSign spokesman Tom Galvin tells me that a defunct country’s Internet domain lives on. For instance, you can still find addresses on .su the domain for the Soviet Union.
Anyway, as Galvin points out, Tuvalu would not necessarily cease to exist. Apparently, the laws of the sea say that a country is a country, even if underwater. Sopoaga has said in speeches, “Our sovereignty would not be threatened. Our claim would be maintained on this spot.”