What type of IP address allows for a large number of devices but is limited in geographic location?

A private IP address is designed for use within a specific network and is not routable on the public internet. This characteristic allows numerous devices within a limited geographic area—such as a home, office, or organization—to communicate with each other without the risk of IP address conflicts. The designated ranges for private IP addresses, specified by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), enable them to support a significant number of devices, while they remain isolated from direct internet access.

In contrast, public IP addresses are assigned to devices directly reachable over the internet, which limits the number of devices per geographic location due to the finite number of available public addresses. Static and dynamic IP addresses refer to the method of assignment rather than the address type itself; static IP addresses are manually configured and remain constant, while dynamic IP addresses are assigned by a DHCP server and may change periodically.