The United Arab Republic, commonly referred to as the UAR, is a confederal socialist republic consisting of 24 governorates, located in North and East Africa, the South Pacific Ocean, and the Middle East. At 5,296,453 sq mi (13,716,577 sq km) in total and with around 375 million people as of the last census in 2012, the United Arab Republic is the second largest country in total area and third largest in population.