NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

NATO was found in the Year 1949, at the start there were 12 countries and then another 16 countries joined. There were

more than 60 world leaders, including US president BARACK OBAMA and British Prime Minister DAVID CAMERON, Chancellor ANGELA MERKEl of Germany at the meeting.

There were nearly 10,000 police officers from forces across England and Wales on duty as part of a major security operation. NATO leaders will spend the next two days discussing the most important things in the world right now: like the problems in Ukraine, Iraq

and Afghanistan. They'll also talk about spending on the armed forces.

Although Nato has carried out millatary operations in the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East, its primary aim is defence.

If there is an attack on one member country it is deemed to be an attack on all.

Nato has only been called on once, after the September 11

terrorist strikes on the USA in 2001.

The members of Nato are: Albania,Belguim,Bulgaria,Canada,Croatia,Czech Republic,Denmark,Estonia,France,Germany,Greece,Hungary,

Iceland,Italy,Latvia,Lithuania,Luxembourg,Netherlands,Norway,

Poland,Portugal,Romania,Slovakia,Slovenia,Spain,Turkey,United Kingdom and the United States. Three more countries are in the

process of joining these are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia.