Section 3 - What is the internet?

The Internet is a worldwide system of computers joined by a common set of networking and software protocols. Each computer in this global system of computers has its own unique address - the Internet Protocol (IP) address. Created in 1983, the Internet has grown beyond its mainly government and academic beginnings into an increasingly commercial and popular medium. By the mid-1990s the Internet connected millions of computers throughout the world.

We often hear the Internet referred to as the "information superhighway" and this analogy describes the Internet accurately. Think of the Internet as a huge mass transit system with a few main subway lines that intersect at certain points. Connecting to the main subway lines are commuter rails, bus lines, and ferry boats that spread out and crisscross the area. The main lines carry the bulk of the traffic and are collectively known as the Internet backbone. The biggest networks in the system form this backbone, which is owned by the major Internet Service Providers (ISPs).