Why are Standard iterator ranges [begin, end) inst

Question

Why does the Standard define end() as one past the end, instead of at the actual end?

Answer 1

Why does the Standard define end() as one past the end, instead of at the actual end?

Because:

1. It avoids special handling for empty ranges. For empty ranges, begin() is equal to end() &
2. It makes the end criterion simple for loops that iterate over the elements: The loops simply continue as long as end() is not reached.