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Asia (/ˈeɪʒə/ ^ⓘ AY-zhə, UK also /ˈeɪʃə/ AY-shə) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometers, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of the first civilizations. Its 4.7 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the world's population.

Asia shares the landmass of Eurasia with Europe, and of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. In general terms, it is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. The border of Asia with Europe is a historical and cultural construct, as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them. It is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East–West cultural, linguistic, and ethnic differences, some of which vary on a spectrum rather than with a sharp dividing line. A commonly accepted division places Asia to the east of the Suez Canal separating it from Africa; and to the east of the Turkish Straits, the Ural Mountains and Ural River, and to the south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black seas, separating it from Europe.

China and India traded places as the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power for much of recorded history, with the highest GDP per capita until 1500. The Silk Road became the main east–west trading route in the Asian hinterlands while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, as well as many other religions. (Full article...)

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Featured article

Former Cabanatuan POWs in celebration, January 30, 1945

The Raid at Cabanatuan (Filipino: Pagsalakay sa Cabanatuan), also known as the Great Raid (Filipino: Ang Dakilang Pagsalakay), was a rescue of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians from a Japanese camp near Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. On January 30, 1945, during World War II, United States Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrillas liberated more than 500 from the POW camp.

After the surrender of tens of thousands of American troops during the Battle of Bataan, many were sent to the Cabanatuan prison camp after the Bataan Death March. The Japanese shifted most of the prisoners to other areas, leaving just over 500 American and other Allied POWs and civilians in the prison. Facing brutal conditions including disease, torture, and malnourishment, the prisoners feared they would be executed by their captors before the arrival of General Douglas MacArthur and his American forces returning to Luzon. In late January 1945, a plan was developed by Sixth Army leaders and Filipino guerrillas to send a small force to rescue the prisoners. A group of over 100 Rangers and scouts and 200 guerrillas traveled 30 miles (48 km) behind Japanese lines to reach the camp. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning an area of 181,035 square kilometres (69,898 square miles), bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. The capital and most populous city is Phnom Penh.

In 802 AD, Jayavarman II declared himself king, uniting the warring Khmer princes of Chenla under the name "Kambuja". This marked the beginning of the Khmer Empire. The Indianised kingdom facilitated the spread of first Hinduism and then Buddhism to Southeast Asia and undertook religious infrastructural projects throughout the region. In the fifteenth century, Cambodia experienced a decline of power, and in 1863, it became a protectorate of France. After a period of Japanese occupation during the Second World War, Cambodia gained independence in 1953. The Vietnam War extended into the country in 1965 via the Ho Chi Minh and Sihanouk trails. A 1970 coup installed the US-aligned Khmer Republic, which was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. The Khmer Rouge ruled the country and carried out the Cambodian genocide from 1975 until 1979, when they were ousted in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. The Vietnamese-occupied People's Republic of Kampuchea became the de facto government. Following the 1991 Paris Peace Accords which formally ended the war with Vietnam, Cambodia was governed by a United Nations mission (1992–93). The UN withdrew after holding elections in which around 90% of the registered voters cast ballots. The 1997 coup d'état consolidated power under Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP). While constitutionally a multi-party state, CPP dominates the political system and dissolved its main opposition party in 2017, making Cambodia a de facto one-party state. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Hasekura portrayed during his mission in Rome by Archita Ricci, 1615

Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga (支倉六右衛門常長, 1571–1622) was a kirishitan Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyō of Sendai. He was of Japanese imperial descent with ancestral ties to Emperor Kanmu. Other names include Philip Francis Faxicura, Felipe Francisco Faxicura, and Philippus Franciscus Faxecura Rocuyemon in period European sources.

In the years 1613 through 1620, Hasekura headed the Keichō Embassy (慶長使節), a diplomatic mission to Pope Paul V. He visited New Spain and various other ports-of-call in Europe on the way. On the return trip, Hasekura and his companions re-traced their route across New Spain in 1619, sailing from Acapulco for Manila, and then sailing north to Japan in 1620. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Asia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 2Hinduism expansion in Asia, from its heartland in Indian Subcontinent, to the rest of Asia, especially Southeast Asia, started circa 1st century marked with the establishment of early Hindu settlements and polities in Southeast Asia. (from History of Asia)
Image 3Detail of the Dragon Throne used by the Qianlong Emperor of China, Forbidden City, Qing dynasty. Artifact circulating in U.S. museums on loan from Beijing (from Culture of Asia)
Image 4The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 5Some henges at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey were erected as far back as 9600 BC, predating those of Stonehenge, by over seven millennia. (from History of Asia)
Image 6The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 7The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 8Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 9Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 10A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 12Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 13Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 14Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 16Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 18The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 19The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 20The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 23The third Inter-Korean Summit, which was held in 2018, between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un. It was a historical event that symbolized the peace of Asia. (from History of Asia)
Image 24Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 26Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 29Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 30Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 32Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 33Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 34The Syriac Orthodox Saint Ahoadamah Church was a 7th-century church building in the city of Tikrit, one of the oldest in the world until its destruction by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 25 September 2014. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 35Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 36Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 37Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 38Korean peninsula in 476 AD. There are three kingdoms and Gaya Union in the picture. This picture shows the heyday of Goguryeo (from History of Asia)
Image 39The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 40Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 41Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 42Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 43The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 44A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 45Projected GDP of 7 largest economies in 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 46The global contribution to world's GDP by major economies from 1 AD to 2003 AD according to Angus Maddison's estimates. Before 18th century, China and India were the two largest economies by GDP output. (from Asian Century)
Image 47The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 48The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 50East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 52Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 53The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 54Detail of Chinese silk from the 4th century BCE. The characteristic trade of silk through the Silk Road connected various regions from China, India, Central Asia, and the Middle East to Europe and Africa. (from History of Asia)
Image 55Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 56The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 57Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 58Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 59the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 60Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 61Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 62Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 63Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 64British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 65Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 66India's middle-class population of 300 million is growing at an annual rate of 5%. Shown here is an upmarket area in South Mumbai. (from Asian Century)
Image 67The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 68Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 69The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)

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Featured picture

Masada

Credit: Photograph: Andrew Shiva

An aerial view of Masada, an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel. Found atop an isolated rock plateau, it overlooks the Dead Sea. The first fortifications on the mountain were built by Alexander Jannaeus, and significantly strengthened by the Roman client king Herod between 37 and 31 BCE. During the First Jewish–Roman War of 66–73 CE, the fortress was besieged, falling only after the 960 Sicarii defending it committed mass suicide. Masada is among the more popular tourist attractions in Israel, and in 2001 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Did you know...

... that although he was a former Indonesian prime minister, Soekiman Wirjosandjojo was not arrested during a political purge as he was considered a non-threat?
... that Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, India's second Muslim president, was also the second Indian president to die in office?
... that the Empire of Japan turned a Korean royal cemetery at what is now Hyochang Park into a golf course?
... that Levantine Arabic is often written in Hebrew characters online by Bedouin, Arab Christians, and Druze in Israel?
... that Ein Samiya, which provides the water for Taybeh, the first beer brewed in Palestine, was depopulated in 2023 after harassment by neighboring Israeli settlers?
... that the popularity of "10 Minutes" by Korean singer Lee Hyori led to 2003 being dubbed the "year of Hyori" by domestic media?
... that Sun Haiyan is the first Chinese ambassador to Singapore who was not a member of the Foreign Ministry of China?
... that University of Nebraska alumnus M. Khalid Roashan helped draft the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan?
... that the Pakistani film Shehr e Tabassum was the first animated cyberpunk film to be made by an Urdu development team?
... that the Te'omim Cave in Israel was home to a Bronze Age alabaster quarry, a refuge cave during the Jewish–Roman wars, and a possible center for necromantic activity in late antiquity?

Updated: 6:33, 14 February 2024

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In the news

10 May 2024 – Naxalite–Maoist insurgency: Indian security forces kill 12 Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh. (Reuters)
10 May 2024 –: At least 72 people are killed by floods in Baghlan, Afghanistan. (Al Jazeera) (VOA)
10 May 2024 – Palestine and the United Nations: Palestine 194; The United Nations General Assembly votes 143–9 with 25 abstentions to approve a resolution granting Palestine new rights and requests, and to reconsider Palestine's request to become a UN member. Countries that voted against the resolution included Israel, the U.S., Argentina, the Czech Republic, and Papua New Guinea. (AP) (The National)
10 May 2024 – Arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, 2024 Indian general election: The Supreme Court of India grants Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal interim bail for 21 days in connection with the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case, thereby permitting Kejriwal to campaign in the ongoing general election. (The Hindustan Times)
10 May 2024 – Israel–Hamas war protests: 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses

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Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Surroundings

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: Benh LIEU SONG

The Central Area of Singapore surrounded by the perimeter of five planning areas: the Marina Bay, the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South and Straits View. The area surrounding the bay itself, also called Marina Bay, is a 360 hectare extension to the adjacent CBD. It is also the new downtown of Singapore built on reclaimed land.