XML in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Global Syntax Structures

Every XML document is broken into two primary sections: the prolog and the document element. A few documents may also have comments or processing instructions that follow the root element in a sort of epilog (an unofficial term). The prolog contains structural information about the particular type of XML document you are writing, including the XML declaration and document type declaration. The prolog is optional, and if a document does not need to be validated against a DTD, it can be omitted completely. The only required structure in a well-formed XML document is the top-level document element itself.

The following syntax structures are common to the entire XML document. Unless otherwise noted within a subsequent reference item, the following structures can appear anywhere within an XML document.