ATP - this is what? ATR - decoding. History of Asia-Pacific countries

The whole globe is divided into several large economic and political zones, one of the most influential and large of them is the APR. Explanation of the abbreviation - the Asia-Pacific region - indicates that this association includes states located along the perimeter and in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. We will tell you about how this zone differs, and what countries are included in its composition.

Geographical location and composition of the ATR

One of the largest geographical associations on the planet - the APR (decoding - the Asia-Pacific region), it covers the entire coast of the Pacific, as well as a large number of Asian countries. Geographically, the region is distinguished by the American and Asian arcs, as well as Australia and Oceania. ATP accounts for about 18.5% of all forests of the Earth. The region covers several climatic zones and is very different in terms of terrain and mineral reserves. The Asia-Pacific region traditionally includes 46 countries, three more states (Myanmar, Nepal and Mongolia) are often referred to this zone and periodically on the APR list include India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Since there is no single, approved list, the number of participants in different interpretations varies.

The history of Asia-Pacific (Asia-Pacific)

The ATR zone is part of the land that has been inhabited for a long time, but the colonization of these territories began quite recently. Therefore, the developed countries of Europe belong to this region, both to young and developing countries, as to a certain periphery of civilization. However, at the end of the 20th century the alignment of forces on the world arena was changing. The Pacific Ocean was discovered in the 16th century, and the countries of the region became known to Europeans during the next 2 centuries. The discoverers of these lands were Portuguese and Spanish navigators. In the second half of the 16th century, the British drew attention to this zone and began colonizing India. In the middle of the 17th century, Russian pioneers began to develop northern territories. Since the 18th century, all the world's largest powers began to struggle for influence in this region, the leaders became the British, followed by the French and the Russians. The British and French colonies have contributed a lot to the development of the Pacific countries. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the destiny of this geographical area has been greatly influenced by the United States. In the middle of the 19th century, there was a theory in Europe about the decline of civilization, and it was with the APR that many thinkers linked their hopes for a new world, which greatly increased the number of migrants to the countries of the region from European countries. Large colonies are created in Chile, Japan, the Philippines and other countries. The time of empires is gradually passing, but the big states of Europe are making a lot of efforts to keep their influence on the states of the region. In the middle of the 19th century, new countries emerged in the region, created on the wave of liberation from colonization, as well as as a result of economic and social development. In the 20th century, the APR became an important part of the political map of the world.

Dynamics of composition

In the middle of the 20th century, the countries belonging to the Asia-Pacific region are becoming a powerful economic and political force in the world. The initial composition is formed in the 30s of the 20th century, when, as a result of the global financial crisis, the issue of geographical associations is sharply raised in order to increase the stability and competitiveness of individual states. Japan's aggressive policy has become a catalyst for the integration processes that led to the fact that after the Second World War, the first outlines of the zone begin to take shape. Two global forces - the US and the USSR tried to recruit allies in the region. Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia and some other states are siding with America, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos are moving to the side of the Soviet Union. In the region, there is a constant redistribution of forces, new states are being created, and regimes are falling and rising. By the second half of the 20th century, the approximate outlines of the zone are being formed. It distinguishes the coasts of two Americas and Australia, the countries of Asia, not only coastal, but also located in the interior of the continent, as well as countries located on islands in the Pacific Ocean. There are 52 countries that are stable to the APR, in addition, there are states that are ranked only by some researchers and figures in this zone. However, this is an ever-expanding zone, and it's definitely not possible to answer the question of which countries are part of the APR. This is also due to the fact that there is no formal agreement between the partner countries.

Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Region

Some economists and political scientists call the 21st century the era of the Pacific. This view is due to the fact that the APR is the most actively developing region of the world. It is in the countries of this zone that the most dynamic economic growth is observed. Undoubted leaders of the region are the United States, Japan and China. Countries like India and Hong Kong are rapidly approaching them according to certain indicators. Smaller countries, of course, can not compare with the leaders in terms of their trading operations, but many of them, on their own scale, show good development results. Significant progress is being made by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Role of the region in international politics

Today, no country in the world can not but take into account the existence of the APR countries. The interpretation of this concept includes not only geographical aspects, but also political and economic characteristics. The entry into this zone of such political giants as the United States, China and Russia and their struggle to increase their importance in the region is an important phenomenon in the international sphere. But the role of ATR is not only in the distribution of spheres of influence between the largest states. It consists in the fact that countries that are claiming a new place in international politics are rapidly growing and developing here. States such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, the DPRK are increasingly declaring their role in the global world. In the region there is a constant work on regrouping forces, here unions are formed and associations appear whose tasks are to break through to the first positions in the world. Today, it is impossible to imagine a global policy without taking into account the interests of the ASEAN countries, the SCO or APEC. These organizations set the tone not only in the region, but throughout the world, they contribute to the development of small and poor states, take care of the region's security for world politics and are focused, first of all, on economic cooperation.

Economy of the Asia-Pacific Region

In the 21st century, the economy of the APR countries shows the best results, despite several financial crises, growth and development continues here. In most countries in the region, since the beginning of the 21st century, the value of GDP has increased, the predictability of the market has increased, the indicators for the level of investment and the stability of financial systems have improved. Of course, the region has difficulties, however, in general, its development looks better than in other parts of the world. In this zone, more than half of the world's population lives and there is an annual significant increase, unlike other parts of the Earth. True, while many countries can not be proud of a high standard of living, for example, in Bangladesh, people still exist at $ 1 a day. But gradually the process is improving the quality of life. The peculiarity of the APR is that all its participants are aimed at developing internal and external trade and economic ties, this is a priority for these states. Almost all countries are rapidly growing manufacturing and services that create a large number of jobs and bring investment in the region. Also, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region continue to play an important role in world agriculture and possess a large number of useful resources.

Mutual relations with Russia

For Russia, the APR is the most important region, for the role it has been fighting for many years. It is worth noting that at the end of the 20th century the country lost much of its importance for this zone and is now trying to catch up. Russia is an active participant and source of many initiatives in such organizations as the SCO, APEC, EurAsEC, CIS. But she constantly has to experience the pressure of countries such as China, Japan and the United States, who do not want to give the role of leader of the Russian Federation. Therefore, cooperation with the APR countries for Russia is one of the most important strategic tasks for the coming decades.

The main problems of the APR

Undoubtedly, the ATR is a living and dynamically developing zone and it can not but have problems. The main difficulty faced by the countries of the region, actively developing their economies, is ecology. In the APR, the number of forests is rapidly declining, water is polluted, soils are depleted. And while these problems do not find a real solution. This state of affairs poses a threat to the entire planet, since there are no separate zones in the ecological system. Another notable problem of APR is social development. In many countries, the population is growing rapidly, people are trying to move to live in cities that are not ready for such migration. The peoples of developing countries want to approach the developed countries in terms of quality of life, but there is no opportunity for this. All this is fraught with social conflicts.

Development prospects

Despite the existing difficulties, no one can deny the great prospects of the APR countries. The decipherment of this already economic concept is receiving new interpretations today. There is a redistribution of forces and from the region it is worth waiting for significant events. The prospects for the development of this zone are associated with the growing role of China, India and the countries of Oceania, which are increasingly entering into new inter-state alliances and claiming the role of leader in the region.