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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation In other languages:
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_without_national_boundaries.svg) SAARC Region | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Member states Observer states | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Headquarters | Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Official languages | English | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | South Asian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Member states | 8 members: 9 observers: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaders | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Golam Sarwar[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Establishment | 8 December 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | 5,099,611 km2 (1,968,971 sq mi) (7th) | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Water (%) | 6.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||||||||||
• 2015 estimate | 1,713,870,000[2] (1st) | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Density | 336.1/km2 (870.5/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2022 estimate | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | US$14.756 trillion[3][citation needed] (3rd) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Total | $4.359 trillion[3][citation needed] (3rd) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Currency | 8 currencies
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| Time zone | UTC+4:30 to +6 (AFT, PST, MVT, IST, SLST, NPT, BST, BTT) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Website saarc-sec | |||||||||||||||||||||
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the world's population and 5.21% (US$4.47 trillion)[3] of the global economy, as of 2021.
SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.[4] Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The organization promotes economic development and regional integration.[5] It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.[6] SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities, including the European Union. However, due to the geopolitical conflict between India and Pakistan and the situation in Afghanistan, the organization has been suspended for a long time, and India currently cooperates with its eastern neighbors through BIMSTEC.[7][8]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Sarwar to be new Saarc secretary general". The Kathmandu Post. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ "World Urbanization Prospects — Population Division". United Nations. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ a b c "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". imf.org. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- ^ Ahmad, Naveed (6 August 2016). "Rest in peace SAARC: The tug of war between India and Pakistan". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Charter of SAARC". SAARC Secretariat. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ Center, Asia Regional Integration. "South Asian Free Trade Area Free Trade Agreement". aric.adb.org. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ Longtail-e-media. "From SAARC to BIMSTEC: Neighborhood Perspective". aidiaasia.org. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ "BIMSTEC Gets a New Lease of Life". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.