|
Shop for Gulf_Cooperation_Council at ml-shopping.com
|
 |
Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf
The Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf (Arabic: مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية), formerly named and still commonly called Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (مجلس التعاون الخليجي) is a regional organization involving the six Persian Gulf Arab States with many economic and social objectives in mind. Created May 25, 1981, the Council is comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
It should be noted that not all of countries neighboring the Persian Gulf are members of the council. Specifically, Iran (Persia) and Iraq are not members. The common and internationally recognized term "Persian Gulf" is not used in the name of the organization, as the governments of these Arab countries since 1960s refer to the Persian Gulf as the "Arabian Gulf" which is the ancient name of the present-day Red Sea (see Dispute over the name of the Persian Gulf).
Yemen is currently (as of 2006) in negotiations for GCC membership, and hopes to join by 2016. [1]
Among the stated objectives are:
- Formulating similar regulations in various fields such as economy, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, and administration
- Fostering scientific and technical progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources
- Establishing scientific research centres
- Setting up joint ventures
- Encouraging cooperation of the private sector
- Strengthening ties between their peoples
- Establishing a common currency by 2010
Comparision with other Regional blocs
href="Most active regional blocs
|
Regional
bloc 1 |
Area (km²) |
Population |
GDP (PPP) ($US) |
Member
states 1 |
| in millions |
per capita |
| EU |
3,977,487 |
460,124,266 |
11,723,816 |
25,480 |
25 |
| CARICOM |
462,344 |
14,565,083 |
64,219 |
4,409 |
14+1 3 |
| ECOWAS |
5,112,903 |
251,646,263 |
342,519 |
1,361 |
15 |
| CEMAC |
3,020,142 |
34,970,529 |
85,136 |
2,435 |
6 |
| EAC |
1,763,777 |
97,865,428 |
104,239 |
1,065 |
3 |
| CSN |
17,339,153 |
370,158,470 |
2,868,430 |
7,749 |
10 |
| GCC |
2,285,844 |
35,869,438 |
536,223 |
14,949 |
6 |
| SACU |
2,693,418 |
51,055,878 |
541,433 |
10,605 |
5 |
| COMESA |
3,779,427 |
118,950,321 |
141,962 |
1,193 |
5 |
| NAFTA |
21,588,638 |
430,495,039 |
12,889,900 |
29,942 |
3 |
| ASEAN |
4,400,000 |
553,900,000 |
2,172,000 |
4,044 |
10 |
| SAARC |
5,136,740 |
1,467,255,669 |
4,074,031 |
2,777 |
8 |
| Agadir |
1,703,910 |
126,066,286 |
513,674 |
4,075 |
4 |
| EurAsEC |
20,789,100 |
208,067,618 |
1,689,137 |
8,118 |
6 |
| CACM |
422,614 |
37,816,598 |
159,536 |
4,219 |
5 |
| PARTA |
528,151 |
7,810,905 |
23,074 |
2,954 |
12+2 3 |
Reference
blocs and
countries 2 |
Area (km²) |
Population |
GDP (PPP) ($US) |
Political
divisions |
| in millions |
per capita |
| UN |
133,178,011 |
6,411,682,270 |
55,167,630 |
8,604 |
191 |
| India |
3,287,590 |
1,102,600,000 |
3,433,000 |
3,100 |
35 |
| China |
9,596,960 |
1,306,847,624 |
7,249,000 |
5,200 |
33 |
| USA |
9,631,418 |
296,900,571 |
11,190,000 |
39,100 |
50 |
| Canada |
9,984,670 |
32,507,874 |
958,700 |
29,800 |
13 |
| Russia |
17,075,200 |
143,782,338 |
1,282,000 |
8,900 |
89 |
1 Including data only for full and most active members
2 The first two states in the World by area, population and GDP (PPP)
3 Including non-sovereign autonomous entities of other states
██ smallest value among the blocs compared
██ largest value among the blocs compared
During 2004. Source: CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database
|
See also
External links
|
| |
