The Structure of the Internet Flows in Cyberspace

This paper describes the structure of international Internet traffic based on data obtained from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development for July, 1998. It also describes the relationship between the structure of the Internet and international telecommunications, as well as telephone rates, language, physical location, trade blocs, international migration, student flows, and science and structural asynchrony. The results indicate that the structure of the Internet is significantly related to the structure of the international telecommunications, trade, science and student flow networks, as well language and asynchrony. In combination, only telecommunications, trade, science and asynchrony were significant, accounting for 49. 7% of the variance in the structure of the Internet.