Assen, Netherlands

ASEAN (UK: ASS-ee-an, US: AH-see-ahn, AH-zee-an), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration between its members and countries in the Asia-Pacific. The union has a total area of 4,522,518 km2 (1,746,154 sq mi) and an estimated total population of about 668 million. ASEAN's primary objective was to accelerate economic growth and through that social progress and cultural development. A secondary objective was to promote regional peace and stability based on the rule of law and the principle of UN Charter. With some of the fastest growing economies in the world, ASEAN has broadened its objective beyond the economic and social spheres.