ASEAN.

ASEAN is a group of counties encompassing 3 million sq. km with 333 million inhabitants, of whom approximately 65% are literate. The group was formed August 8, 1967, and includes Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Malay, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Chinese, and English are spoken by Malay, Thai, Chinese, Indian, and other ethnic groups who variously are of the Islamic, Buddhist, Christian, Taoist, and Hindu faiths. Life expectancy is approximately 85 years, with the marked exception of Indonesia. The gross domestic product is $303 billion, growing at a rate of 7.6%. Per capita income is $950. The group's natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, timber, tin, nickel, copper, iron, bauxite, and other minerals. The agricultural products rice, rubber, cassava, sugar, coffee, corn, pineapple, bananas, coconuts, and palm oil, as well as electronics, petroleum, textiles, minerals, chemicals, food processing, wood products, fabricated steel, and ships are areas of economic production. Machinery and other capital goods, chemicals, oil, and food are imported, and office machinery and electronics, petroleum, textiles, telecommunications equipment, natural rubber, processed seafood and fruits, wood products, tin, palm oil, sugar, and coffee are exported. In-depth information is also given on the people and history, intraregional and international cooperation, political conditions, the economy, defense, foreign relations, and relations with the US.