The Internet is a dense network of computers spanning the entire globe. Its main purpose is to share and communicate information. Two of the most popular components of the Internet are the World Wide Web and E-mail.

Historically, the Internet was used mainly by governments and educational institutions in North America and Europe. However, since the rapid growth of the Internet in the early 1990s, its base of users has expanded to include individuals, small and large businesses, associations, schools, as well as universities and governments--in every corner of the world.

The Internet is a public network, which means no one actually owns it. Pieces of it are owned by various organizations, but no one entity or central computer controls it. The pieces are linked together in a cooperative way using commonly agreed-upon stand ards.