Why can't a string be nil in Go? : <p>The program <a href="https://play.golang.org/p/2gLydmLeHf" rel="noreferrer">available on The Go Playground</a> reads</p>

<pre><code>package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    var name string = nil
    fmt.Println(name)
}
</code></pre>

<p>and yields an error</p>

<pre><code>prog.go:6: cannot use nil as type string in assignment
</code></pre>

<p>I understand <a href="https://tour.golang.org/basics/12" rel="noreferrer"><code>""</code> is the "zero value" for strings</a>. I don't understand why I cannot assign <code>nil</code> to my <code>string</code>.</p>
