|  | 11.2 | Why Routing Protocols are Necessary
| 11.2.3 | How a default route is used
The Figure shows a use for a default route - a routing table entry that directs packets to the next hop when that hop is not explicitly listed in the routing table. You can set default routes as part of the static configuration. In this example, the company X routers possess specific knowledge of the topology of the company X network, but not of other networks. Maintaining knowledge of every other network accessible by way of the Internet cloud is unnecessary and unreasonable, if not impossible. Instead of maintaining specific network knowledge, each router in company X is informed of the default route that it can use to reach any unknown destination by directing the packet to the Internet.