"They are fantastically diverse. They speak hundreds of languages and dialects. They comprise scores of ethnic groups. They include highly industrialised economies and up-and coming economics. They span half of the surface of the earth and are home to two-fifth of the world's population". The group of countries referred to here belongs to:

A) SAPTA

B) APEC

C) EC

D) CIS

This MCQ is part of the UP PSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs) series, focusing on UPPSC Prelims 1998 (GS Paper I)