Why is the period referred to as dot in a web address?

A small dot placed at the end of a line of text, such as at the end of this sentence is usually called a "full stop" in British English. The term "period" is only used in the US and Canada.

In a web address the small dot between each sections is referred to a "dot" to make it globally recognisable in English conversation. After all it is a dot.

In Morse Code, a short beep is also called a dot, whereas a long beep is called a dash.