The Western Bloc (a play on "Eastern Bloc" - the Soviet-aligned European states in the Cold War) is a term applied to a group of Western Antarctic nations - Maudland, New Swabia, and Santiago (and occasionally including Ognia and Kerguelen); as well as the close relationship they have developed over the years. The term first appeared in the 1980s, but was not commonly used until the 1990s. It should be noted that "Western Bloc" also refers to the US-aligned states during the Cold War; though terms such as "NATO" and "the Free World" were preferred for these countries.