.org is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) used on the Internet's Domain Name System.
It may be pronounced as "dot org" or "dot O-R-G", depending entirely on user preference.
.org was one of the original top-level domains, established in January 1985, and was originally intended for use by organizations which did not meet the requirements for the other gTLDs.
Nowadays, however, anyone can register a .org domain. For a long time .org was the TLD usually recommended for use by individuals, although .name and .info are now alternatives.
Although organizations anywhere in the world can register .org domains, many countries have a second-level domain with a similar purpose under their own ccTLD. Such second-level domains are usually of the form .org.xx or .or.xx, where xx is the ccTLD. Australia (.org.au), the United Kingdom (.org.uk), Mexico (.org.mx), New Zealand (.org.nz), People's Republic of China (.org.cn), Japan (.or.jp) and South Korea (.or.kr) are all examples.
The .org TLD is sometimes associated with the open source/free software movement, as opposed to the .com domains of corporations. While it is true that many open source projects use a .org domain (OpenOffice.org even has it in the product name), most .org domains do not qualify for this generalization.
