ASEAN Countries Facts

Official Name: Brunei Darussalam

Capital City : Bandar Seri Begawan

Independence: 1/January/1984 (from British)

Type of Government: Constitutional Sultanate

Head of the State: Sultan Sir Hassanal Bolkiah (since 5/October/1967)

Head of the Government: Sultan Sir Hassanal Bolkiah (since 5/October/1967)

Size of the Country: 5,770 sq km (land: 5,270 sq km & water: 500 sq km)

Population: 374, 577

Language: Malay (official), English, Chinese

Religion: Muslim (official) - 67%, Buddhist - 13%, Christian - 10%, Others - 10%

Natural Resources: Petroleum, Natural Gas, Timber

5 Major Countries Export from Brunei: Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Australia, U.S.A

5 Major Countries Import to Brunei: Singapore, Malaysia, U.K, Japan, China

GDP and GNP:

Official Name: Union of Burma

Capital City: Rangoon (Yangon)

Independence: 4/January/1948 (From British)

Type of Government: Military Junta

Head of the State: Sr. Gen. Than Shwe (since 23/April/1992)

Head of the Government: Acting Prime Minister, Gen. Thein Sein (since 18/May/2007)

Size of the Country: 678, 500 sq km (Land: 657, 740 sq km & Water: 20, 760 sq km)

Population: 47, 373, 958

Language: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own language

Religion: Buddhist - 89%, Christian - 4%, Muslim - 4%, Animist - 1%, Other - 2%

Natural Resources: Petroleum, Timber, Tin, Antimony, Zinc, Copper, Tungsten, Lead, Coal, Some Marble, Limestone, Precious Stone, Natural Gas, HydroPower

5 Major Countries Export from Burma: Thailand, India, China, Japan

5 Major Countries Import to Burma: China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Singapore

GDP and GNP



Official Name: Kingdom of Cambodia

Capital City: Phnom Penh

Independence: 9/November/1953

Type of Government: Multiparty Democracy under a Constitutional Monarchy

Head of the State: King Norodom Sihamoni (since 29/Oktober/2004)

Head of the Government: Kev Put Reaksmei (since 24/Oktober/2006)

Size of the Country: 181, 040 sq km (Land: 176, 520 sq km & Water: 4,520 sq km)

Population: 13, 995, 904

Language: Khmer (Official) - 95%, English, French

Religion: Theravada Buddhist - 95%, Others - 5%

Natural Resources: Oil, Gas, Timber, Gemstones, some Iron Ore, Manganese, Phosphates, HydroPower potential

5 Major Countries Export from Cambodia: U.S.A, Germany, U.K

5 Major Countries Import to Cambodia: Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore

GDP and GNP:




Official Name: Republic of Indonesia

Capital City: Jakarta

Independence: 17/August/1945

Type of Government: Republic

Head of the State: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (since 20/Oktober/2004)

Head of the Government: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (since 20/Oktober/2004)

Size of the Country: 1, 919, 440 sq km (Land: 1, 826, 440 sq km & Water: 93,000 sq km)

Population: 234, 693, 997

Language: Bahasa Indonesia (Official), English, Dutch, Local Dialects (i.e Javanese)

Religion: Muslim - 86.1%, Protestant - 5.7%, Roman Catholic - 3%, Hindu - 1.8%, Others - 3.4%

Natural Resources: Petroleum, Tin, Natural Gas, Nickle, Timber, Bauxite, Copper, Fertile soils, Gold, Silver

5 Major Countries Export from Indonesia: Japan, Singapore, U.S.A, South Korea, China

5 Major Countries Import to Indonesia: Singapore, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand

GDP and GNP:

Official Name: Lao People's Democratic Republic

Capital City: Vientiane

Independence: 19/July/1949 (from French)

Type of Government: Communist State

Head of the State: President Lt. Gen. Choummali Saignason (since 8/June/2006)

Head of the Government: Prime Minister Bouasane Bouphavanh (since 8/June/2006)

Size of the Country: 236, 800 sq km (Land: 230, 800 sq km & Water: 6, 000 sq km)

Population: 6, 521, 998

Language: Lao (Official), French, English and various ethnic languages

Religion: Buddhist - 65%, Animist 32.9%, Christian - 1.3%, Others - 0.8%

Natural Resources: Timber, HydroPower, Gypsum, Tin, Gold, Gemstones

5 Major Countries Export from Laos: Thailand, Vietnam, China, Malaysia

5 Major Countries Import to Laos: Thailand, China, Vietnam

GDP and GNP:

Official Name: Malaysia

Capital City: Kuala Lumpur

Independence: 31/August/1957 (From British)

Types of Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Head of the State: Yand DiPerTuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin (since 13/December/2006)

Head of the Government: Prime Minister Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi (since 31/October/2003)

Size of the Country: 329, 750 sq km (Land: 328, 550 sq km & Water: 1,200 sq km)

Population: 24, 821, 286

Language: Bahasa Malaysia (Official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkein, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Penjabi, Thai

Religion: Muslim - 60.4%, Buddhist - 19.2%, Christian - 9.1%, Hindu - 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other Traditional Chinese Religions - 2.6%, Others - 1.5%, None - 0.8%

Natural Resources: Tin, Petroleum, Timber, Copper, Iron Ore, Natural Gas, Bauxite

5 Major Countries Export from Malaysia: U.S.A, Singapore, Japan, China, Thailand

5 Major Countries Import to Malaysia: Japan, U.S.A, China, Singapore, Taiwan

Official Name: Republic of the Philippines

Capital City: Manila

Independence: 12/June/1898 (from Spain) ; 4/July/1946 (from U.S.A)

Types of Government: Republic

Head of the State: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (since 21/January/2001)

Head of the Government: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (since 21/January/2001)

Size of the Country: 300,000 sq km (Land: 298, 170 sq km & Water: 1, 830 sq km)

Population: 91, 077,287

Language: Filipino (Official based on Tagalog) and English (Official)

Religion: Roman Catholic - 80.9%, Muslim - 5%, Evangelical - 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo - 2.3%, Hiligaynon Aglipayan - 7.5%, Bikol - 6%, Waray - 3.4%, Others 25.3%

Natural Resources: Timber, Petroleum, Nickle, Cobalt, Silver, Gold, Salt, Copper

5 Major Countries Export from Philippines: China, U.S.A, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong

5 Major Countris Import to Philippines: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan

GDP and GNP:

Offficial Name: Republic of Singapore

Capital City: Singapore

Independence: 9/August/1965 (from Malaysia Federation)

Types of Government: Parliamentary Republic

Head of the State: President S R Nathan (since 1/September 1999)

Head of the Government: Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong (since 12/August/2004)

Size of the Country: 692.7 sq km (Land: 682.7 sq km & Water: 10 sq km)

Population: 4, 553, 009

Language: Mandarin, English, Malay, Hokkein, Cantonese, Teochew, Tamil, Other Chinese Dialects

Religion: Buddhist - 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist - 8.5%, Hindu - 4%, Catholic - 4.8%, Christian - 9.8%, Other - 0.7%, None - 14.8%

Natural Resources: Fish, Deep Water Ports

5 Major Countries Export from Singapore: Malaysia, U.S.A, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia

5 Major Countries Import to Singapore: Malaysia, U.S.A, China, Japan, Indonesia

GDP and GNP:

Official Name: Kingdom of Thailand

Capital City: Bangkok

Independence: 1238 (traditional founding state, never been colonized

Types of the Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Head of the State: King Phumiphon Adunyadet (since 9/June/1946)

Head of the Government: Interim Prime Minister Surayut Chulanon (since 1/October/2006)

Size of the Country: 514, 000 sq km (Land: 511, 770 sq km & Water: 2, 230 sq km)

Population: 65, 068, 149

Language: Thai, English (secondary language for the elite), ethnic and regional dialects

Religion: Buddhist - 94.6%, Muslim - 4.6%, Christian - 0.7%, Other - 0.1%

Natural Resources: Tin, Rubber, Natural Gas, Tungsten, Tantalum, Lead, Timber, Fish, Gypsum, Lignite, Fluorite

5 Major Countries Export from Thailand: Japan, China, U.S.A, Malaysia, Singapore

5 Major Countries Import to Thailand: U.S.A, Japan, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong

GDP and GNP:

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Capital City: Hanoi

Independence: 2/September/1945 (from French)

Types of Government: Communist State

Head of the State: President Nguyen Minh Triet (since 27/June/2006)

Head of the Government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (since 27/June/2006)

Size of the Country: 329, 560 sq km (Land: 325, 360 sq km & Water: 4,200 sq km)

Population: 85, 262, 356

Language: Vietnamese (Official), English, French, Chinese, Khemer and Mountain Area Languages (Mon-Khemr and Malayo-Polynesian)

Religion: Buddhist - 9.3%, Catholic - 6.7%, Hoa-Hao - 1.5%, Cao Dai - 1.1%, Protestant - 0.5%, Muslim - 0.1%, None - 80.8%

Natural Resources: Phosphate, Coal, Manganese, Bauxite, Chromate, Offshore Oil and Gas Deposits, Forests, HydroPower

5 Major Countries Export from Vietnam: U.S.A, Japan, Australia, China, Germany

5 Major Countries Import to Vietnam: China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia

GDP and GNP:

ASEAN: The First Step

On Aug 1967, 5 representatives from 5 different countries in South East Asia sat down together and signed a document. On that day, the 5 representatives which are the Foreign Minister of Indonesia (Adam Malik), Malaysia (Tun Abdul Razak), Singapore (S. Rajaratnam), Thailand (Thanat Khoman) and Philippines (Narciso R. Ramos) have agreed that they have found an association consists of South East Asian countries, that will later on develop help the members in terms of cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields such as to promote peace, stability and to abide the rule of law and justice according to UN charter.

It is called as ASEAN because it represents the consensus of opinion, the collective will or voice of South East Asia countries. ASEAN also can be unique in terms of relation because the members wanted to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation. Meaning that, the members will help the other member who is in a state of trouble without putting a favour or price to be pay for it. This is because, through this body, all the countries can enjoy prosperity, promote peace, stability and freedom throughout the regions. As a consequence, we can see that in South East Asia, there is no war or conflict between the members, unlike other parts throughout the globe, we can see a lot of people dying and there have war-thorn happens everyday but we can't see here in South East Asia because all the leaders agreed that they will chair a meeting among them, to negotiate or to discuss issues if there rise a conflict between them.

Unlike other bodies such as United Nations which has its own charter (UN), ASEAN doesn't have its own charter. Meaning that it does not have its own legal framework to set up rules or law if there have a conflict or problem between the members. Although it doesn't have any charter to govern its members, yet we still can see that they (the members) can avoid or settle a crisis by championing the idea of consensus. According to Malaysia Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar (The Star, Sat 28 July 07, p.21) "I am in favour of consensus. I believe if the overwhelming majority has agreed, then the others should come along. So it will be total consensus, you achieve both - everyone agrees and you have unanimity." By championing this idea, all the members will agree upon it because there is no bias or favour against them. All of them will be treated fair and equal.

From general view, we will have a clear picture that ASEAN main objective is to provide security needs for its members. This is because, prior to ASEAN, the South East Asia countries witnessed cold war between America and Soviet Union. These two big power wanted to dominate the world and by doing so, they spread their ideology and try to influence others to follow them, South East Asia also included. By having ASEAN as their body, all members agreed that no matter what they will try to curb the Soviet Union from bringing its ideology - the Communism to South East Asia by closing its relation with the Communist power and tying its relation with the West.

State needs good economy to generates or to provides basic needs for its citizen. In order to have a strong economy, State must produced its sources and then exported it to other countries that have a relation with it. ASEAN also not only to provide security needs but also to produce strong economy among the members. As we can see, South East Asia have a lot of natural resources. Not only oil as their main export but they also produce and export other things such as rubber, timber, paddy, electronic product, Labors (i.e Doctors, Lecturers, Skill Workers etc) and so on.

Each countries have its own advantage in generating its economy. Like for example, Thailand and Malaysia produce paddy but Thailand produces more than of Malaysia and Malaysia simply famous for its rubber for tyres. So in ASEAN, all the members have agreed that if one can produce something and can export it to other regions, other state should not be rival or try to compete the former. For example, if Thailand produces rice, Malaysia can't simply produces rice although it have its own rice, Malaysia have to respect Thailand because it can produce not only for its people but to others, so Malaysia on the other hand have to export other things that she have like for example rubber. By doing this, all members have equal chance in economic growth and best of all, there is no fierce rival or competition among them.

40 years have passed and we witnessing a tremendous growth in economic and social development in South East Asia countries. Most of these countries in this region have improved and changed rapidly compare to 40 years ago. We can see a lot of skyscrappers, tall building, better education such as schools, Universities, colleges and so on. People around these regions have a better life compare to 40 years ago, they have and can afford to buy car, house and other needs such as to send their children to school or to provide basic needs for themselves. Much have changed since ASEAN came in 1967. Without the 5 representatives from the 5 countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillippines, Thailand and Singapore) concerning on the future of South East Asia, can we be like this till now? Can we uphold their legacy and work together with our neighbors without thinking our interest needs as they did during their time? I hope we can do that and try to make it better for our next generation.