A region-wide organization consisting of 35 member states chartered on April 30, 1948. The concept of an inter-American system began in the mid 19th Century when most of the Americas broke away from colonial parents. A rudimentary confederacy was established as the International Union of American Republics from October 1889 to April 1890, which led to the establishment of the short-lived International Union of American Republics. Today, the OAS constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere.
