ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was founded in 1967 “to strengthen further the existing bonds of regional solidarity and cooperation.” The ten member states of ASEAN span more than 1.7 million square miles—over half the size of the continental United States—and include a population of over 626 million people with an economy valued at about US $2.4 trillion in 2012. For more economic and demographic data on the US-ASEAN relationship, please see the data pages.