So, what exactly is a ccTLD I hear you ask, a ccTLD is a Country Code Top-Level Domain.

A ccTLD is a domain extension which is based on the ISO 3166 Alpha 2 standard  so each country is eligible to have their ISO 2 Character Country Code such as DE (Germany) or AU (Australia) assigned as their Top Level Domain.

They can then assign domains below this as they see fit, and often ccTLD operators have very different structure for what they think is the best way to assign domains to their registrants.