Asia-Pacific

300px|thumb|Asia and the Pacific region, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

The Asia-Pacific (APAC), also known as the Indo-Pacific, is a major geopolitical and economic region of the world adjoining the western Pacific Ocean and comprising the part of the Old World located outside the EMEA region. The region's precise boundaries vary depending on context, but countries and territories in the Far East (East Asia, North Asia, and Southeast Asia) and Oceania are often included while countries in South Asia are also sometimes included. In a wider context, even countries and territories in Central Asia, West Asia and the Pacific-adjoining countries in the Americas can be included. For example, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) includes five economies (Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States) in the New World (more standardly referred to as the Western Hemisphere). 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 significant growth. Sometimes, the notion of "Asia-Pacific excluding Japan" (APEJ) is considered useful.