You might have heard at some point that the Internet itself is run by 13 computers called root servers. These so-called root servers make up the backbone of the ‘Net, keeping it running and doing things like web browsing, email, even buying stuff online.
Well, it turns out there aren’t really 13 of them as some originally believed.
I just checked through ICANN’s blog and found an entry about that. I decided to quote a few portions about it:
There are not 13 root servers.
What there are is there are many hundreds of root servers at over 130 physical locations in many different countries.
Normally a “server” is a computer designed to handle certain technical functions, anywhere from keeping a website up to sending out email. Or in this case, to help keep the ‘Net running.
However:
when we think of servers, we probably think of physical machines that sit on a desk, or perhaps lined up in racks in a specialised computing facility. By any measure, there are not 13 servers as there is not a correlation between the number of named authorities, and the number of servers.
The reason why there’s actually more servers than originally thought can more or less be summarized in one word: redundancy. Computer systems worldwide need to be redundant to ensure continuous stability and uptime.
One other thing the author of that recent ICANN blog article mentioned:
Another thing you may hear is that some of these root servers are just copies, whilst others are the “real†name servers. The reality is that every single root server is a copy, and none of them are more special than the others. In fact, the true master server from which the copies are made is not one of the public root servers.
One of the beauties of a computer, much more a server, is that one can do exactly what another does yet won’t possibly “harm” one another. In a manner of speaking, these redundant servers act as “mirrors” for each other, doing the same functions and sharing the load together.
Of course, they can’t reveal where exactly the “true master server” for security reasons. Best to keep it that way so as to prevent any computer attacks on them.
Oh, it’s not true either that most of them are physically located in the U.S. The link gave a sort of map indicating where they are.
Well, there you go for now. So next time someone asks why there’s 13 root servers, you can safely tell them that’s bad luck. 
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