Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on the context, but it often includes countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania that border the Pacific Ocean. South Asia, Mongolia, Myanmar, and the Russian Far East are generally included in a wider Asia-Pacific region (also known as Indo-Pacific). Definition The term may include countries in North America and South America that are on the coast of the Eastern Pacific Ocean; the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, for example, includes Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. Alternatively, the term sometimes comprises all of Asia except Central Asia and Western Asia, as well as Oceania—for example, when dividing the world into large regions for commercial purposes (e.g., into APAC, EMEA, LATAM, and NA). Central Asia and Western Asia are almost never included. On the whole, there is no clear-cut definition of "Asia-Pacific", and the regions included change depending on the context. The term has become popular since the late 1980s in commerce, finance, and politics. Despite the heterogeneity of the regions' economies, most individual nations within the zone are emerging markets experiencing rapid growth (compare the acronym APEJ, "Asia-Pacific excluding Japan"). Component areas The Asia-Pacific region generally includes: Asia East Asia North Asia Russian Far East (Russia) South Asia (United Kingdom) Southeast Asia Oceania Australasia Melanesia (France) Micronesia (United States) (United States) (United States) Polynesia (United States) (France) (Chile) Salas and Gómez Island (France) (United States) (United Kingdom) (New Zealand) (United States) (France) List of inhabited countries and territories See also Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Asia Pacific Forum Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) Asia Society Asian Century East Asia Summit Eastern world East–West dichotomy Far East Free and Open Indo-Pacific Geography of Asia Indo-Pacific List of country groupings Oceania Orient Pacific Century Pacific coast Russian Far East Siberia South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Valeriepieris circle References External links APEC official website The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network (APIYN) BBC Asia-Pacific Pacific Geography of Oceania Geographical neologisms Pacific Regions of Oceania