WhatsApp sends messages around the world basically the same way users can send email messages around the world in the sense that the internet is involved. The main difference is that email sent via the internet is formatted for transmission using a standard called extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). WhatsApp messages are sent via a different protocol – XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol).
A protocol is a standard or a rule for how to format data to be sent over the internet. The world is connected by computers and the messages travel between computers using different means including copper and fiber-optic cables, wireless radio connections and satellite links.