Jan 13 (Reuters) - Leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are meeting in the Philippines to endorse a blueprint for a charter that would create a political and economic union for the 39-year-old grouping.

Here are some key facts about ASEAN:

* ASEAN's 10 members span the political and economic spectrum: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

* ASEAN's population of 537 million is greater than that of the European Union and the three countries that make up NAFTA -- the United States, Canada and Mexico.

* The combined gross domestic product is $737 billion, with a per capita income of around $1,200.

* Total trade was $759 billion (2003), about the same as Japan.

* Leaders are due to sign various declarations at the Jan. 13-14 summit, including a blueprint for a charter, advancing their economic union to 2015 from 2020, a convention on counter-terrorism and a plan for poverty alleviation and disaster prevention.

Sources: Reuters, ASEAN, ASEAN-Japan centre

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