"The Iranian government, which presides over one of the most educated and connected populations in the Middle East, is building an Internet all its own. Observers expect it will be fully operational as soon as next year. Iran’s so-called national or halal Internet will be a kind of anti-Internet—a self-contained loop within Iran’s borders featuring only regime-approved Iranian sites, and cut off from the World Wide Web."

Fascinating concept: an Internet that is not connected to The Internet.

Perhaps the ULTIMATE in curation. :P

The Great Firewall of China doesn't hide a separate Chinese Internet too, does it?

Not sure. But some interesting recent discussion about Chinese Internet here:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/467/americans-in-china?act=1

Fascinating.

Btw, I never realized that Iran and China are trade partners dating back to 200 BC.