The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian states which promotes Pan-Asianism and intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and socio-cultural integration amongst its members and Asian states. Since its formation on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the organization's membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Its principal aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members, alongside the protection of regional stability and the provision of a mechanism for
member countries to resolve differences peacefully. ASEAN is an official United Nations Observer, as well as an active global partner. Communication by members across nations takes place in English.
ASEAN covers a land area of 4.4 million square kilometers, 3% of the total land area of Earth. ASEAN territorial waters cover an area about three times larger than its land counterpart, making it particularly important in terms of sea lanes and fisheries. Member countries have a combined population of approximately 640 million people, 8.8% of the world's population, more than EU28, though in terms of land, a bit smaller. In 2015, the organization's combined nominal GDP had grown to more than USD $2.8 trillion. If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the sixth largest economy in the world, behind the USA, China, Japan, France, and Germany. ASEAN shares land borders with India, China, Bangladesh, East Timor and Papua New Guinea, and maritime borders with India, China, Palau and Australia. Both East Timor and Papua New Guinea is backed by certain ASEAN members for their membership in the organization.
