What is SAARC?

Introduction

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional association of nations in the region of South Asia, a landmass encompassing the area between the Middle East and South-East Asia, south of the Himalayas.

SAARC was established in 1985 in the Bangladesh city of Dhaka and features countries with vastly different population sizes, political structures and religious beliefs. Following the formal inclusion of Afghanistan in 2007, the SAARC organisation consists of eight countries:

 

Afghanistan                            Bangladesh

       

        

Bhutan                            India                   

            The Maldives                  Nepal

   

Pakistan                          Sri Lanka