The Arab League is the informal name of the League of Arab States — an association of mainly Arab-speaking countries that aims to co-ordinate their policies, and promote their common interests. Established in 1945, it had 22 members in 2011: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.