DNS root zone

Definition
A DNS root zone is the top-level DNS zone in a hierarchical namespace using the Domain Name System (DNS). Most commonly it refers to the root zone of the largest global network, the Internet.

Management
The US Department of Commerce NTIA exercises the ultimate authority over the DNS root zone of the Internet. The zone is managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) as the operator while a third party is contracted by the NTIA as the root zone maintainer.