ICANN stands for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN is a non-profit corporation located in Marina Del Rey, California tasked with managing the logistics of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and domain names.

ICANN took over these duties previously served by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). ICANN has recently renewed its agreement in the month of September '2006 with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to continue in this capacity.

Every computer must have a unique address in order to connect to the Internet issue requests and receive information within the Internet. ISPs are assigned blocks of proprietary IP addresses for their use. When a user logs on to the Internet, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns an IP address to the computer. The IPs they assign to their customers are pulled from these blocks.

In addition to every computer online having a unique address, every website must also have a unique address. The domain name is only used as a convenience because names are easier for people to remember than a string of numbers, but each name maps back to a specific IP address. ICANN is thus a Registry that maintains the records of the domain names & the IP address.

IP stands for Internet Protocol..