.ven

a new top-level domain

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Some people consider Venice to be one of the most visited city in the world. In fact, however, the Venetian community extends far beyond the lagoon that the "City of Water" is known for. In fact, Venice (originally Venetia) takes its name from the population that has inhabited the surrounding territory for thousands of years, these residents currently number around 1 million.

The top-level domain .ven would serve as the Internet TLD for the Venetian community just as .cat serves the Catalonian community. Venetians are not quite defined by political boundaries because they live across different Italian regions. In fact, millions of descendants of Venetian immigrants also live in Canada, Australia and particularly Latin America where they retain their connections to their home city by still practicing Venetial traditions as well as speaking the Venetian language.

The Venetian community is also defined by its history when for centuries it was known as the Venetian Republic; its language, rich in literature and recognized by the Veneto regional government and its culture which is celebrated by several year-round events, publications and magazines written in Venetian.

Veneto.org, a non-profit organization established more than ten years ago to promote Venetian culture and heritage, is applying for ICANN's approval of .ven with the support of the Veneto regional government (the Italian region whose capital is Venice), the Venetian business community, comprised of several business associations, and other cultural organizations promoting Venetian culture and heritage. Together, these organizations hope to unite Venentian culture, language and traditions by ensuring individuals at home and abroad can experience a part of Venetian culture on the Internet.