There are five regional Internet registries: • The
African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) is based in
Ebene, Mauritius and serves all of
Africa. • The
American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) is based in
Chantilly, Virginia, United States, and serves
Antarctica,
Canada, the United States, and some
Caribbean countries and territories. • The
Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) is based in
Brisbane,
Australia and serves
East,
South and
Southeast Asia and
Oceania. • The
Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC) is based in
Montevideo,
Uruguay and serves
Latin America as well as some Caribbean countries. •
Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) is based in
Amsterdam,
Netherlands and serves
Central and
West Asia,
Europe, and
Russia. Regional Internet registries are components of the Internet Number Registry System, which is described in
IETF RFC 7020, where IETF stands for the Internet Engineering Task Force. The
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) delegates Internet resources to the RIRs who, in turn, follow their regional policies to delegate resources to their customers, which include
Internet service providers and end-user organizations. Collectively, the RIRs participate in the Number Resource Organization (NRO), formed as a body to represent their collective interests, undertake joint activities, and coordinate their activities globally. The NRO has entered into an agreement with the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the establishment of the Address Supporting Organisation (ASO), which undertakes coordination of global IP addressing policies within the ICANN framework. ==Number Resource Organization==