Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. __NOEDITSECTION__ This is a list of Asian countries and dependencies Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Maldives ( or, or Maldive Islands) officially the Republic of Maldives, is an Island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Singapore Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Tajikistan (təˈdʒɪkɨstæn or /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/ Тоҷикистон tɔʤikɪsˈtɔn or, Persian تاجیکستان‎ taajikestaan officially the Republic of The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya __NOEDITSECTION__ This is a list of Asian countries and dependencies The Territory of Christmas Island is a small territory of Australia located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres (1600 mi northwest of __NOEDITSECTION__ This is a list of Asian countries and dependencies Abkhazia (Аҧсны Apsny აფხაზეთი Apkhazeti or Abkhazeti Абха́зия Abhazia) is a De facto The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west For the republic see Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh is a Region in the South Caucasus. South Ossetia ( or; Хуссар Ирыстон Xussar Iryston; Южная Осетия Yuzhnaya Osetiya; სამხრეთი ოსეთი Samxreti REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ( TRNC) (Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti KKTC) commonly called Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kıbrıs though its The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria There is a wide variety of Languages spoken throughout Asia, comprising a number of families and some unrelated isolates Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian The Burmese language (မြန်မာဘာသာ myà̃mà bàθà MLCTS: myanma bhasa) is the official Language of Burma. Dhivehi Writing Systems Dhivehi (or Divehi) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by more than about 300000 people in the Republic of Maldives where it is the Dzongkha (dz རྫོང་ཁ Wylie: rdzong-kha, Jong-kă is the national English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Filipino is the national and an Official language of the Philippines as designated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Indonesian or Bahasa Indonesia, based on the Riau version of Malay language, was declared the official language with the declaration of is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities Javanese is the language of the people in the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. Kazakh (also Qazaq and variants natively kk Qazaq tili, kk Қазақ тілі; pronounced tˈlə is a Turkic language closely related to Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. This article is mainly about the spoken Korean language See Hangul for details on the native Korean writing system The Kurdish language (Kurdish Kurdî or کوردی is a term used for the language spoken by Kurds. Kyrgyz or Kirghiz (Кыргыз тили Kyrgyz tili, قىرعىز ٴتىلى is a Turkic language, and together with Russian, an official Lao or Laotian (BGN/PCGN phasa lao IPA: pʰaːsaː laːw is a Tonal Language of the Tai-Kadai language family The Malay language ( ISO 639-1 code MS is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people and people of other ethnic groups who reside in the Marathi (mr मराठी Marāṭhī) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of what is considered western India. Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Nepal, Bhutan, and some parts of India and Myanmar (Burma The Mongolian language (mn [[ImageMonggol kelesvg 17px]] Mongɣol kele, Cyrillic: Монгол хэл Mongol khel) is the best-known member of Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Punjabi (pa ਪੰਜਾਬੀ in Gurmukhi script pa-PK {{Nastaliq پنجابی}} in Shahmukhi script Pañjābī in Transliteration) is an Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Sinhalese or Sinhala (සිංහල ISO 15919: siṁhala ˈsiŋhələ earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the language of the Sinhalese The Tajik language, or Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, (sometimes written Tadjik or Tadzhik; тоҷикӣ, tg-Latn ''tojikí'') is a modern Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Tetum (also Tetun) is an Austronesian language, a National language and one of the two Official languages of East Timor. Thai (th ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai, transliteration:; pʰāːsǎːtʰāj is the national and Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Turkmen ( Latin script: türkmen Cyrillic: түркмен ISO 639 -1 tk ISO 639-2 tuk is the name of the national language of Turkmenistan Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Uzbek ( O‘zbek tili or O'zbekcha in Latin script, Ўзбек тили in Cyrillic script; أۇزبېك ﺗﻴﻠی in Arabic Vietnamese ( tiếng Việt, or less commonly Việt ngữ) formerly known under French colonization as Annamese ( see Annam) UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time UTC+12 is a Time zone for the following locations Fiji Gilbert Islands, Kiribati Marshall Islands UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time UTC+3 is used in the following locations Moscow Time Eastern European Summer Time West Asian Summer Time UTC+330 is used in Iran ( Iran Standard Time) UTC+4 time zone is used as Moscow Summer Time Iraq Summer Time Azerbaijan Time Single zone countries UTC+430 is used in Afghanistan and in the summer as Time in Iran. UTC+451 was used in Bombay until 1955 when it closed the gap of 39 minutes behind Indian Standard Time ( UTC+530) UTC+5 is the Timezone for Pakistan Standard Time West Asia Standard Time. UTC+530 is the Timezone for Indian Standard Time Sri Lanka Time UTC+540 was a sometimes used as approximation for Nepal Time, which until 1986 was based on Kathmandu mean time which is at 85°19'E or 54116 UTC +545 has been the Timezone for Nepal since 1986. This is an approximation of Kathmandu mean time, which is 5 hours 45 minutes UTC+6 is a band of Timezones separated from the Greenwich Mean Time by 6 hours UTC+630 is used as a Time in Australia, for Cocos Islands and as a time in Burma (Myanmar. UTC+7 is a Time zone used in Laos Thailand Cambodia Vietnam UTC+720 was used as Daylight saving time in Singapore between 1933 and 1940. UTC+730 was used both as Daylight saving time as well as its Standard Time later in Singapore. UTC+8 is a band of Timezones separated from the Greenwich Mean Time by 8 hours UTC+830 was used for Changpai Time Zone. UTC+830 was Standard Time of South Korea between 1954 - 1961 UTC+845 is used as a Time in Australia (Central Western Time or CWT UTC+9 is a Time zone used for the following locations Single-zone Countries East Timor Japan (JST— Japan UTC+930 is a Time zone used for the following locations Australia (ACST&mdashAustralian Central Standard Time New South The UTC+10 Time zone covers the following locations Australia (AEST&mdash Australian Eastern Standard Time) Australian UTC+1030 is the Time zone for the following locations Lord Howe Island Standard Time ACDT&mdashAustralian Central UTC+11 is the Time zone for the following locations As standard (non-DST time Federated States of Micronesia UTC+1130 is used as a Time in Australia, for Norfolk Island. On November 2 1868, New Zealand officially adopted a standard time to be observed UTC+12 is a Time zone for the following locations Fiji Gilbert Islands, Kiribati Marshall Islands The following is a list of currently existing Internet Top-level domains (TLDs) The question of which are the World's largest cities is a complex one to which there is no single correct answer simply because there are many different ways of defining a "city" officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Seoul ( soʊl is the Capital and largest City of South Korea. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Jakarta (also DKI Jakarta) is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million The City of Manila Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions It covers 8. 6% of the Earth's total surface area (or 29. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 4% of its land area) and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population. The world population is the total number of living Humans on Earth at a given time Chiefly in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Asia is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Eurasia—with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe—lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas. Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the Northern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is North of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' Not to be confused with Land mass. A landmass is a large continuous area of land. For the superstate in George Orwell 's novel see Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST internal designation HT-7U is an experimental Superconducting Tokamak Magnetic fusion energy Riphean redirects here For the time period see Riphean stage The Ural Mountains (Ура́льские го́ры Uralskiye This article is about the terrestrial Eurasian mountain range The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged Sea. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey 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 Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major Given its size and diversity, Asia—a toponym dating back to classical antiquity—is more a cultural concept incorporating a number of regions and peoples than a homogeneous physical entity^[2][3] (see Subregions of Asia, Asian people). Toponymy refers to the scientific study of place-names ( toponyms) their origins meanings use and Typology. Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean Human geography is a branch of Geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment with particular reference to The article is about the geographic sense of the term For other uses including Regions and Regional, see Region (disambiguation. Physical geography (also known as geosystems or physiography) is one of the three major subfields of Geography. See also United Nations geoscheme for Asia Indian Subcontinent / South Asia North India Indo-Gangetic Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Definition and boundaries 2.1 Physical geography 2.2 Political geography 2.3 "Asian" as a demonym 3 Territories and regions 3.1 Country name changes 4 Economy 4.1 Trade blocs 4.2 Natural resources 4.3 Manufacturing 4.4 Financial and other services 5 Early history 6 Languages and literature 6.1 Nobel prizes 7 Beliefs 7.1 Mythology 7.2 Religions 7.2.1 Abrahamic 7.2.2 Indian 7.2.3 Other 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links

Etymology

The word Asia originated from the Ancient Greek word "Ασία", first attributed to Herodotus (about 440 BC) in reference to Anatolia or, for the purposes of describing the Persian Wars, to the Persian Empire, in contrast to Greece and Egypt. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Herodotus comments that he is puzzled as to why three women's names are used to describe one enormous and substantial land mass (Europa, Asia, and Libya, referring to Africa), stating that most Greeks assumed that Asia was named after the wife of Prometheus but that the Lydians say it was named after Asias, son of Cotys who passed the name on to a tribe in Sardis. Europa ( Greek Εὐρώπη was a Phoenician woman of high lineage in Greek mythology, from whom the name of the Continent Europe Asia or Clymene in Greek mythology was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, the wife of the Titan Iapetus, and mother of Libya is the name given to both a region of North Africa ( Ancient Libya) and a daughter of Epaphus, King of Egypt in both Greek and Roman In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Προμηθεύς "forethought" is a Titan known for his wily intelligence who stole Fire from Zeus

Even before Herodotus, Homer knew of a Trojan ally named Asios and elsewhere he describes a marsh as ασιος (Iliad 2, 461). Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the In Greek mythology, Asius refers to two people who fought during the Trojan War: Asius ( Asios) son of Hyrtacus was the leader The Greek language term may be derived from Assuwa, a 14th century BC confederation of states in Western Anatolia. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Assuwa league was a confederation of states in western Anatolia, defeated by the Hittites under an earlier Tudhaliya I around 1400 BC. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Hittite assu-—"good" is probably an element in that name.

Alternatively, the etymology of the term may be from the Akkadian word (w)aṣû(m), which means "to go outside" or "to ascend", referring to the direction of the sun at sunrise in the Middle East, and also likely connected with the Phoenician word asa meaning east. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. This may be contrasted to a similar etymology proposed for Europe, as being from Akkadian erēbu(m) "to enter" or "set" (of the sun). However, this etymology is considered doubtful, because it does not explain how the term "Asia" first came to be associated with Anatolia, which is west of the Semitic-speaking areas, unless they refer to the viewpoint of a Phoenician sailor sailing through the straits between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun

It is interesting to note, in Icelandic Saga, ancient Teutons separated Asia from Europe by the river Tanakvisl (or Vanakvisl), which flows into the Black Sea. The Teutons or Teutones (from Proto-Germanic * Þeudanōz) were mentioned as a Germanic tribe by Greek and Roman authors Eastward across the River (in Asia), so legend tells, was a land known as Asaheim or Asaland, where dwelt Odin, chief god, in his citadel named Asgard. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. ^[4] However, Aesir and all its forms are related to Sanskrit asura and Avestan ahura, the local reflexes of the name of a class of divine beings. In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal In Hinduism In Hinduism, the Asura ( Sanskrit: असुर are a group of power-seeking deities sometimes referred to as Demons or sinful For the fictional character in the Marvel Universe series see Ahura (comics; for the river see Akhurian River. In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal

Definition and boundaries

Physical geography

See also: Geography of Asia, Countries in both Asia and Europe, Geographic criteria for the definition of Europe

Medieval Europeans considered Asia as a continent – a distinct landmass. The European concept of the three continents in the Old World goes back to Classical Antiquity, but during the Middle Ages was notably due to Isidore of Sevilla (see T and O map). The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans Asians and Africans in the 15th century Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean Saint Isidore of Seville ( Spanish: es ''San Isidro'' or es ''San Isidoro de Sevilla'' Latin: latin ''Isidorus Hispalensis'' (c A T and O map or O-T or T-O map ( orbis terrae, orb or circle of the earth is a type of Medieval World map, sometimes also called The demarcation between Asia and Africa (to the southwest) is the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The boundary between Asia and Europe is conventionally considered to run through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, the Black Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Ural River to its source, and the Ural Mountains to the Kara Sea near Kara, Russia. See also [[Hellespont]] The Dardanelles ( Turkish: Çanakkale Boğazı Greek: Δαρδανέλλια Dardanellia) formerly The Sea of Marmara ( Turkish: Marmara Denizi, Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or Προποντίς, Bulgarian The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (İstanbul Boğazı (Βόσπορος is a Strait that forms the boundary between the The Ural (Урал Kazakh: Жайық, Jayıq or Zhayyq) known as Yaik before 1775, is a river flowing through The Kara Sea ( Russian: Ка́рское мо́ре is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending While this interpretation of tripartite continents (i. e. , of Asia, Europe, and Africa) remains common in modernity, discovery of the extent of Africa and Asia have made this definition somewhat anachronistic. This is especially true in the case of Asia, which would have several regions that would be considered distinct landmasses if these criteria were used (for example, Southern Asia and Eastern Asia). See also United Nations geoscheme for Asia Indian Subcontinent / South Asia North India Indo-Gangetic

In the far northeast of Asia, Siberia is separated from North America by the Bering Strait. Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving The Bering Strait (Берингов пролив Beringov proliv) is a sea Strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43' Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean (specifically, from west to east, the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal); on the east by the waters of the Pacific Ocean (including, counterclockwise, the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, and Bering Sea); and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Gulf of Aden (خليج عدن transliterated: Khalyj 'Adan Somali: Khaleejka Cadan) is located in the Arabian Sea between The Arabian Sea ( Arabic: بحر العرب transliterated: Baḥr al-'Arab Sanskrit: सिन्धु सागर transliterated: The Bay of Bengal is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The South China Sea is a Marginal sea south of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the The East China Sea is a Marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1249000 km² The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a Marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. The Sea of Japan is a Marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bordered by Japan, Korea, North Korea and Russia The Sea of Okhotsk ( Russian: Охо́тское мо́ре English Transliteration: Okhotskoye More) is a part of the western Pacific Ocean, The Bering (or Imarpik) Sea is a body of water in the Pacific Ocean that comprises a deep water basin (the Aleutian Basin) which rises through The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major Australia (or Oceania) is to the southeast. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

Some geographers do not consider Asia and Europe to be separate continents,^[5] as there is no logical physical separation between them. ^[3] Geographically, Asia is the major eastern constituent of the continent of Eurasia – with Europe being a northwestern peninsula of the landmass – or of Afro-Eurasia: geologically, Asia, Europe, and Africa comprise a single continuous landmass (save the Suez Canal) and share a common continental shelf. A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus. Afro-Eurasia or less commonly Afrasia or Eurafrasia Normally it is divided at the Suez Canal into Eurasia and Africa the former of which can be subdivided The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each Continent and associated Coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such Almost all of Europe and most of Asia sit atop the Eurasian Plate, adjoined on the south by the Arabian and Indian Plates, and with the easternmost part of Siberia (east of the Cherskiy Range) on the North American Plate. The Eurasian Plate is a Tectonic plate which includes most of the continent of Eurasia (a landmass consisting of the traditional Continents of Europe The Arabian Plate is one of three Tectonic plates (the African Arabian and Indian crustal plates) which have been moving northward over millions of The India or Indian Plate is a Tectonic plate that was originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwanaland from which it split off eventually The Chersky Range is a chain of Mountains in northeastern Siberia. The North American Plate is a Tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland and part of Siberia.

In geography, there are two schools of thought. One school follows historical convention and treats Europe and Asia as different continents, categorizing subregions within them for more detailed analysis. A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger Region or Continent and is usually based on location The other school equates the word "continent" with a geographical region when referring to Europe, and use the term "region" to describe Asia in terms of physiography. Since, in linguistic terms, "continent" implies a distinct landmass, it is becoming increasingly common to substitute the term "region" for "continent" to avoid the problem of disambiguation altogether.

Given the scope and diversity of the landmass, it is sometimes not even clear exactly what "Asia" consists of. Some definitions exclude Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Russia while only considering the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent to compose Asia,^[6][7] especially in the United States after World War II. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south ^[8] The term is sometimes used more strictly in reference to the Asia-Pacific region, which does not include the Middle East or Russia,^[9] but does include islands in the Pacific Ocean—a number of which may also be considered part of Australasia or Oceania, although Pacific Islanders are commonly not considered Asian. Asia-Pacific or APAC is the area generally regarded as encompassing Littoral East Asia, Southeast Asia and Australasia near the Australasia is a Region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Islands in the Pacific ^[10]

Political geography

"Asian" as a demonym

See also: Orientalism. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The Maldives ( or, or Maldive Islands) officially the Republic of Maldives, is an Island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام Singapore The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан Tajikistan (təˈdʒɪkɨstæn or /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/ Тоҷикистон tɔʤikɪsˈtɔn or, Persian تاجیکستان‎ taajikestaan officially the Republic of Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Orientalism refers to the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers designers and artists and can also refer to a sympathetic stance

The demonym "Asian" is often used colloquially to refer to people from a subregion of Asia instead of for anyone from Asia. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular Thus, in British English, "Asian" can mean South Asian, but may also refer to other Asian groups. British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the ^[11] In the United States, "Asian American" can mean East Asian Americans, due to the historical and cultural influences of China and Japan on the U. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. S. up to the 1960s and in preference to the terms "Oriental" and "Asiatic". The Orient is a term which simply means the " East " It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world However, the term is increasingly taken to include Southeast Asian Americans and South Asian Americans, due to the increasing numbers of them. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian ^[12]

Territories and regions

Name of region[13] and territory, with flag	Area (km²)	Population (1 July 2008 est. United Nations geoscheme, created by the United Nations Statistics Division, divides the world into 'macro-geographical Regions ( Continents and sub-regions A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger Region or Continent and is usually based on location A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common )	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Central Asia:
Kazakhstan[14]	2,346,927	15,340,533	5. List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the 7	Astana
Kyrgyzstan	198,500	5,356,869	24. Astana ( Kazakh: Астана آستانه former names include Akmola, Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, and Aqmola) is the capital Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан 3	Bishkek
Tajikistan	143,100	7,211,884	47. Tajikistan (təˈdʒɪkɨstæn or /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/ Тоҷикистон tɔʤikɪsˈtɔn or, Persian تاجیکستان‎ taajikestaan officially the Republic of 0	Dushanbe
Turkmenistan	488,100	5,179,573	9. Dushanbe (Душанбе Dushanbe; formerly Dyushambe or Stalinabad) population 661100 people (2006 census is the Capital and largest city Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. 6	Ashgabat
Uzbekistan	447,400	28,268,441	57. Ashgabat ( Aşgabat in Turkmen) (or formerly Ashkhabad or Poltoratsk is the Capital and largest city of Turkmenistan, a country in Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly 1	Tashkent
Eastern Asia:
China[15]	9,584,492	1,322,044,605	134. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES 0	Beijing
Hong Kong, China [16]	1,092	7,903,334	6,688. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders 0	—
Japan	377,835	127,288,628	336. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. 1	Tokyo
Macau, China [17]	25	460,823	18,473. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Macau topics. 3	—
Mongolia	1,565,000	2,996,082	1. Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East 7	Ulaanbaatar
North Korea	120,540	23,479,095	184. Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар is the Capital and largest city of Mongolia. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, 4	Pyongyang
South Korea	98,480	49,232,844	490. Pyongyang (pʰjʌŋjaŋ is the Capital and largest City of North Korea, located on the Taedong River, at. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː 7	Seoul
Republic of China (Taiwan)[18]	35,980	22,920,946	626. Seoul ( soʊl is the Capital and largest City of South Korea. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES 7	Taipei
Northern Africa:
Egypt[19]	980,869	81,713,517	21. Taipei ( Taiwanese Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak-chhī Jhuyin Fuhao: ㄊㄞˊ ㄅㄟˇ ㄕˋ Hakka: Thòi-pet-sṳ has been the capital of North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. 7	Cairo
Northern Asia:
Russia[20]	13,115,200	140,702,092	3. Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. North Asia or Northern Asia is sometimes defined as a Subregion of Asia consisting only of the Asian portion of Russia. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending 0	Moscow
Southeastern Asia:[21]
Brunei	5,770	381,371	60. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام 8	Bandar Seri Begawan
Cambodia	181,040	14,241,640	70. Bandar Seri Begawan, (Bandar Seri Begawan Jawi: بندر سري بگاوان) estimated population 27285 (as of 2002 is the Capital and largest The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East 6	Phnom Penh
East Timor (Timor-Leste)[22]	15,007	1,108,777	63. Phnom Penh ( Khmer: ភ្នំពេញ official Romanization Phnum Pénh; pʰnum pɯɲ is the Capital East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. 5	Dili
Indonesia[23]	1,419,588	237,512,355	159. Dili, also spelled Díli, is the Capital and largest city of Timor Leste (formerly called East Timor. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. 9	Jakarta
Laos	236,800	6,677,534	24. Jakarta (also DKI Jakarta) is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma 4	Vientiane
Malaysia	329,750	25,274,135	68. Vientiane (vjɛnˈtjɑːn Lao ວຽງຈັນ Viang-chan) is the Capital city of Laos For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and 7	Kuala Lumpur
Myanmar (Burma)	678,500	47,758,224	62. Kuala Lumpur (ˈkwɑːləlʊmˈpʊər Malay /kwɑlɑlʊmpʊ/ and locally /kwɑləlʊmpɔ/ or even /kɔlɔmpɔ/ or often abbreviated as K Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. 3	Naypyidaw[24]
Philippines	300,000	92,681,453	281. Naypyidaw ( also spelled Nay Pyi Taw) is the Capital of Burma. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP 8	Manila
Singapore	704	4,608,167	6,369. The City of Manila Singapore 0	Singapore
Thailand	514,000	65,493,298	121. Singapore The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj 3	Bangkok
Vietnam	331,690	86,116,559	246. Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (krūŋtʰêːp máhǎːnákʰɔn) or Krung Thep ( for short is the Capital, largest Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially 1	Hanoi
Southern Asia:
Afghanistan	647,500	32,738,775	42. Hanoi ( Vietnamese: Hà Nội Hán Tự: 河[[wikt 内|内]], estimated population 3398889 (2007, is the Capital of Vietnam Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, 9	Kabul
Bangladesh	144,000	153,546,901	926. } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially 2	Dhaka
Bhutan	47,000	682,321	14. Dhaka (also known as Dacca ( Bangla: ঢাকা ɖʱaka is the Capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. 3	Thimphu
India[25]	3,167,590	1,147,995,226	318. Thimphu ( is the Capital of Bhutan, and also the name of the surrounding valley and Dzongkhag India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country 2	New Delhi
Iran	1,648,195	65,875,223	42	Tehran
Maldives	300	379,174	1,067. New Delhi (नई दिल्ली ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ نئی دلی is the Capital city of India. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of The Maldives ( or, or Maldive Islands) officially the Republic of Maldives, is an Island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching 2	Malé
Nepal	140,800	29,519,114	183. Overview Although Malé is geographically located in Male' Atoll Kaafu Atoll, administratively it is not considered part of it Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. 8	Kathmandu
Pakistan	803,940	167,762,049	183. Kathmandu (काठमांडौ येँ is the Capital and the largest city of Nepal. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and 7	Islamabad
Sri Lanka	65,610	21,128,773	298. |name = Islamabad|native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = Capital City |total_type Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island 4	Colombo
Western Asia:
Armenia[26]	29,800	2,968,586	111. Colombo ( Sinhala:, ˈkoləmbə Tamil: கொழும்பு is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia (largely overlapping with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani 7	Yerevan
Azerbaijan[27]	46,870	3,845,127	82. Yerevan (Երևան Երեւան or Երեվան ˌjɛrəˈvɑːn sometimes written as Erevan, Iravan, Erewan, Ayrivan, and Erivan Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South 0	Baku
Bahrain	665	718,306	987. Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf 1	Manama
Cyprus[28]	9,250	792,604	83. Manama ( Arabic: المنامة, Transliteration: Al-Manāmah) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain with Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía 9	Nicosia
Gaza[29]	363	1,537,269	3,315. Nicosia, known locally as Lefkosia (Λευκωσία Lefkoşa is the Capital and largest city of Cyprus. The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west 7	Gaza
Georgia[30]	20,460	4,630,841	99. Gaza (غزة, עַזָּה ʕazzā is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories. Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between 3	Tbilisi
Iraq	437,072	28,221,181	54. Tbilisi (ˌtbiˈliːsi in Georgian: თბილისი is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. 9	Baghdad
Israel	20,770	7,112,359	290. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. 3	Jerusalem[31]
Jordan	92,300	6,198,677	57. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern 5	Amman
Kuwait	17,820	2,596,561	118. Amman (ɑˈmɑːn sometimes spelled Ammann ( Arabic عمان ʿAmmān) is the Capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed 5	Kuwait City
Lebanon	10,452	3,971,941	353. Kuwait City ( Arabic: مدينة الكويت Transliteration: Madīnat al-Kūwait) is the Capital and largest Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية 6	Beirut
Oman	212,460	3,311,640	12. Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast 8	Muscat
Qatar	11,437	928,635	69. Muscat ( Arabic: مسقط) is the Capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Oman. Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated 4	Doha
Saudi Arabia	1,960,582	23,513,330	12. Doha (الدوحة or Ad-Dōḥah) is the Capital city of Qatar. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi 0	Riyadh
Syria	185,180	19,747,586	92. Riyadh ( الرياض Ar-Riyāḍ) is the Capital of Saudi Arabia and its largest city Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية 6	Damascus
Turkey[32]	756,768	71,892,807	76. Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches 5	Ankara
United Arab Emirates	82,880	4,621,399	29. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after İstanbul. 5	Abu Dhabi
West Bank[29]	5,860	2,611,904	393. The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria 1	—
Yemen	527,970	23,013,376	35. Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya 4	Sanaá
Total	43,810,582	4,050,404,193	89. 07

See Also: List of Asian countries by population

Country name changes

The names of quite a few Asian countries have changed during the last century. This is a list of Asian countries by Population. It is sourced from the global List of countries by population as of December 2007

Previous Name	Year	Current Name
East Pakistan	1971	Bangladesh, People's Republic of
Kampuchea, Democratic	1975	Cambodia, Kingdom of
Portuguese Timor	1975	East Timor, Democratic Republic of
Dutch East Indies	1949	Indonesia, Republic of
Persian Empire	1935	Iran, Republic of
Transjordan	1946	Jordan, Kingdom of
Kirghizia (USSR)	1991	Kyrgyzstan, Republic
Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore	1963	Malaysia
Burma	1989	Myanmar, Union of
Muscat	1971	Oman, Sultanate of
West Pakistan	1971	Pakistan, Republic of
Hejaz-Nejd, The Kingdom of	1932	Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
Aden	1970	South Yemen, People's Republic of
Ceylon	1972	Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of
Formosa, Republic	1945	Taiwan
Tajik S.S.R	1991	Tajikistan, Republic of
Siam	1939	Thailand, Kingdom of
Ottoman Empire	1923	Turkey, Republic of
Turkmen SSR (USSR)	1991	Turkmenistan
Trucial Oman & Trucial States	1971	United Arab Emirates
French Indo-China	1949	Vietnam, Socialist Republic of
Yemen, People's Democratic & Southern Yemen	1970	Yemen, Republic of

Economy

Economy of Asia
During 2003 unless otherwise stated

Population:	3,958,768,100 (2006 Estimate)
GDP (PPP):	US$18. East Pakistan ( Bengali: পূর্ব পাকিস্তান Purbo Pakistan, Urdu: مشرقی پاکستان Mashriqi Pakistan) was ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Democratic Kampuchea (កម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ (Kampuchéa Démocratique Vietnamese: Kampuchea Dân chủ) was a The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Portuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. See http//enwikipediaorg/wiki/WikipediaFootnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the tags and the template below The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Emirate of Transjordan ( Arabic: ar إمارة شرق الأردن) was a former Ottoman territory incorporated into the British Mandate of Palestine Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан The Federation of Malaya (Persekutuan Tanah Melayu was a federation of 11 states formed on January 31 1948 from the nine Malay states and the British Sabah is a Malaysian state located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the Island of Borneo. Singapore For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Muscat ( Arabic: مسقط) is the Capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Oman. Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast West Pakistan was the popular and sometimes official (1955&ndash1970 name of the western wing of Pakistan until 1971 when the eastern wing became independent Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and al-Hejaz (also Hijaz, Hedjaz; الحجاز al-Ḥiǧāz, literally "the barrier" is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia Nejd or Najd (literally "highland" نجد) is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Aden (ˈeɪdən Arabic: عدن) is a city in Yemen, 170 kilometers east of Bab-el-Mandeb. The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Democratic Yemen, South Yemen or Yemen (Aden was a Socialist republic in present-day southern and Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Республикаи Советии Социалистии Тоҷикистон Respublikai Sovetii Sotsialistii Tocikiston; Таджикская Tajikistan (təˈdʒɪkɨstæn or /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/ Тоҷикистон tɔʤikɪsˈtɔn or, Persian تاجیکستان‎ taajikestaan officially the Republic of The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Түркменистан Совет Социалистик Республикасы Türkmenistan Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasy; Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. First French interventions See also France-Vietnam relations France-Vietnam relations started as early as the 17th century with the mission of the Jesuit Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Democratic Yemen, South Yemen or Yemen (Aden was a Socialist republic in present-day southern and Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 077 trillion
GDP (Currency):	$8. 782 trillion
GDP/capita (PPP):	$4,518
GDP/capita (Currency):	$2,143
Millionaires:	2. This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the 0 million (0. 05%)
Most numbers are from the UNDP from 2002, some numbers exclude certain countries for lack of information.
See also: Economy of the world - Economy of Africa - Economy of Asia - Economy of Europe - Economy of North America - Economy of Oceania - Economy of South America

Main article: Economy of Asia

Asia has the third largest nominal GDP of all continents, after North America and Europe, but the largest when measured in PPP. The world economy can be evaluated in various ways depending on the model used and this valuation can then be represented in various ways (for example in 2006 US dollars) The economy of Africa consists of the Trade, Industry, and resources of the peoples of Africa. Economic development Ancient and medieval times Asia was relatively rich in the ancient times Economic development Pre-1945 Industrial growth Prior to World War II, Europe's major financial and industrial states were the United Kingdom, The economy of North America comprises more than 514 million people in 23 sovereign states and 15 dependent territories Economic Development Future As the worlds regions become increasingly interlinked to form trade blocs the future which entails Oceania could lead to either increased unity Economic development As of early 2007 South America is experiencing great economic development with Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay Economic development Ancient and medieval times Asia was relatively rich in the ancient times The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. As of 2007, the largest national economy within Asia, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), is that of China followed by that of India, Japan and South Korea. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː However, in nominal (exchange value) terms, they rank as follows: Japan, China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Indonesia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Since the 1960s, South Korea had maintained the highest economic growth rate in Asia, nicknamed as an Asian tiger, becoming a newly industrialized country in the 1980s and a developed country by the 21st century. The term Four Asian Tigers or East Asian Tigers refers to the Economies of South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore The category of newly industrialized country ( NIC) is a socioeconomic classification applied to several countries around the world by Political scientists The term developed country, or advanced country, is used to categorize countries with developed Economies in which the tertiary and quaternary sectors In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the economies of the PRC^[33] and India have been growing rapidly, both with an average annual growth rate of more than 8%. Other recent very high growth nations in Asia include the Philippines, Pakistan, Vietnam, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and mineral-rich nations such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast

Historically, Japan has had the largest economy in Asia and second-largest of any single nation in the world, after surpassing the Soviet Union (measured in net material product) in 1986 and Germany in 1968. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. (NB: A number of supernational economies are larger, such as the EU, NAFTA or APEC). The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Japan's GDP was almost as large (current exchange rate method) as that of the rest of Asia combined. In 1995, Japan's economy nearly equalled that of the USA to tie as the largest economy in the world for a day, after the Japanese currency reached a record high of 79 yen. Economic growth in Asia since World War II to the 1990s had been concentrated in the four countries of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore located in the pacific rim, known as the Asian tigers, which have now all received developed country status, having the highest GDP per capita in Asia. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Pacific Rim refers to the countries and cities located around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term Four Asian Tigers or East Asian Tigers refers to the Economies of South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore

It is forecast that the People's Republic of China will surpass Japan to have the largest nominal and PPP-adjusted GDP in Asia within a decade. India is also forecast to overtake Japan in terms of Nominal GDP by 2020. ^[34] In terms of GDP per capita, both nominal and PPP-adjusted, South Korea will become the second wealthiest country in Asia by 2025, overtaking Germany, UK and France and 25 years later, surpass Japan, becoming the wealthiest country in Asia. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Trade blocs

• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
• Asia-Europe Economic Meeting
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations
• Gulf Cooperation Council
• Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement
• Commonwealth of Independent States
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Natural resources

Asia is the largest continent in the world by a considerable margin, and it is rich in natural resources, such as petroleum forests, fish, water, and metal. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly referred to as ASEAN, ˈɑːsiːɑːn AH-see-ahn in English (the Official language The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf ( CCASG; مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC) is an economic and political organization of eight countries in Southern Asia. "The world " is a proper noun for the planet Earth envisioned from an Anthropocentric or Human Worldview, as a place Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit A forest is an area with a high density of Trees There are many definitions of a forest based on various criteria

Manufacturing

Manufacturing in Asia has traditionally been strongest in East and Southeast Asia, particularly in mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. Singapore Japan and South Korea continue to dominate in the area of multinational corporations, but increasingly mainland China, Taiwan, and India are making significant inroads. Multinational corporation ( MNC) or transnational corporation ( TNC) is a Corporation or enterprise that manages Production or delivers Many companies from Europe, North America, South Korea and Japan have operations in Asia's developing countries to take advantage of its abundant supply of cheap labour and relatively developed infrastructure.

Financial and other services

Asia has four main financial centres: India, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Singapore officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Call centres and business process outsourcing (BPOs) are becoming major employers in India and the Philippines due to the availability of a large pool of highly-skilled, English-speaking workers. A call centre or call center (see spelling differences) is a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by Business process outsourcing ( BPO) contains the transmission of processes along with the associated operational activities and responsibilities to a third party with at least An Anglophone (or anglophone) is someone who speaks the English language. The increased use of outsourcing has assisted the rise of India and the People's Republic of China as financial centres. Outsourcing is Subcontracting a process such as product design or Manufacturing, to a Third-party company Due to its large and extremely competitive information technology industry, India has become a major hub for outsourcing. Information technology ( IT) as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA is "the study design development implementation support

Early history

Main article: History of Asia

The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions: East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, linked by the interior mass of the Central Asian steppes. The history of Asia can be seen as the collective history of several distinct peripheral coastal regions East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south In physical Geography, a steppe ( German, from степь - "a flat and arid land" степ - /stɛp/ тал - tal дала - /dɑlɑ/ pronounced

The coastal periphery was home to some of the world's earliest known civilizations, each of them developing around fertile river valleys. The civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and the Huanghe shared many similarities. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho ( Hatan Gol Queen river) is the second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the These civilizations may well have exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Other innovations, such as writing, seem to have been developed individually in each area. Cities, states, and empires developed in these lowlands.

The central steppe region had long been inhabited by horse-mounted nomads who could reach all areas of Asia from the steppes. The earliest postulated expansion out of the steppe is that of the Indo-Europeans, who spread their languages into the Middle East, South Asia, and the borders of China, where the Tocharians resided. The Tocharians were the Tocharian -speaking inhabitants of the Tarim basin, making them the easternmost speakers of an Indo-European language in antiquity The northernmost part of Asia, including much of Siberia, was largely inaccessible to the steppe nomads, owing to the dense forests, climate, and tundra. In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons These areas remained very sparsely populated.

The center and the peripheries were mostly kept separated by mountains and deserts. The Caucasus and Himalaya mountains and the Karakum and Gobi deserts formed barriers that the steppe horsemen could cross only with difficulty. The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East The Karakum Desert, also spelled Kara-Kum and Gara Gum (“Black Sand” ( Turkmen: Garagum, Russian: Каракумы) The Gobi (Говь Govi or Gov', "gravel-covered plain" Chinese: zh-t 戈壁(沙漠 Gēbì (Shāmò) While the urban city dwellers were more advanced technologically and socially, in many cases they could do little in a military aspect to defend against the mounted hordes of the steppe. However, the lowlands did not have enough open grasslands to support a large horsebound force; for this and other reasons, the nomads who conquered states in China, India, and the Middle East often found themselves adapting to the local, more affluent societies.

Languages and literature

Main article: Languages of Asia

Asia is home to several language families and many language isolates. There is a wide variety of Languages spoken throughout Asia, comprising a number of families and some unrelated isolates List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family A language isolate, in the absolute sense is a Natural language with no demonstrable genealogical (or "genetic" relationship with other living languages that is Most Asian countries have more than one language that is natively spoken. For instance, according to Ethnologue, more than 600 languages are spoken in Indonesia, more than 415 languages spoken in India, and more than 100 are spoken in the Philippines. Ethnologue Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics a Christian The People's Republic of China has many languages and dialects in different provinces.

Nobel prizes

The polymath Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet, dramatist, and writer from Santiniketan, now in West Bengal, India, became in 1913 the first Asian Nobel laureate. A polymath ( Greek polymathēs, πολυμαθής "having learned much" is a person whose knowledge is not restricted to one subject area The term Bengali literature refers to literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and Indian province of West Bengal A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Santiniketan ( Bangla: শান্তিনিকেতন Shantiniketôn) is a small town West Bengal ( Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo poʃtʃim bɔŋgo is a state in eastern India. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature He won his Nobel Prize in Literature for notable impact his prose works and poetic thought had on English, French, and other national literatures of Europe and the Americas. The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred The term English literature refers to Literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by Writers not necessarily from This article is a general introduction to French literature For detailed information on French literature in specific historic periods see the separate historical articles in the The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America He is also the writer of the national anthems of Bangladesh and India.

Tagore is said to have named another Bengali Indian Nobel prize winner, the 1998 laureate in Economics, Amartya Sen. Amartya Kumar Sen CH (Hon (অমর্ত্য কুমার সেন Ômorto Kumar Shen) (born 3 November 1933) is an Indian Sen's work has centered around global issues including famine, welfare, and third-world development. Amartya Sen was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge University, UK, from 1998-2004, becoming the first Asian to head an 'Oxbridge' College.

Other Asian writers who won Nobel Prizes include Yasunari Kawabata (Japan, 1966), Kenzaburo Oe (Japan, 1994), Gao Xingjian (People's Republic of China, 2000) and Orhan Pamuk (Turkey, 2006). was a Japanese Short story writer and novelist whose spare lyrical subtly-shaded prose won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968 the first Japanese author is a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature. His works strongly influenced by French and American literature and Literary theory, engage with political social Gao Xingjian (pron káu ɕĭŋ tɕiɛ̂n; Wade-Giles: Kao Hsing-chien born January 4 1940 is a French Chinese émigré Novelist Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born on 7 June 1952 in Istanbul) generally known simply as Orhan Pamuk, is a Turkish Novelist and professor of Comparative

Also, Mother Teresa of India and Shirin Ebadi of Iran were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially for the rights of women and children. Mother Teresa, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, (born August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997) was an Albanian ref>Spink Shirin Ebadi (شیرین عبادی - Širin Ebâdi; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian Lawyer, Human rights activist Ebadi is the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the prize. Another Nobel Peace Prize winner is Aung San Suu Kyi from Myanmar for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under a military dictatorship in Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi ( àunsʰánsṵtʃì born 19 June 1945 in Rangoon, is a pro- Democracy activist and leader of the National League for Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. She is a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma), and a noted prisoner of conscience. She is a Buddhist and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

Other Asian Nobel Prize winners include Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Venkata Raman, Abdus Salam, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Robert Aumann, Menachem Begin, Aaron Ciechanover,Avram Hershko, Daniel Kahneman, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Yaser Arafat, and Kim Daejung, all of whom are Israelis except Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Venkata Raman (who are both Indian), Abdus Salam (who is Pakistani), Yaser Arafat (who is Palestinian), and Kim Daejung (who is from South Korea). Padma Vibhushan Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, FRS ( Tamil: சுப்பிரமணியன் சந்திரசேகர் English ˌtʃʌndrəˈʃeɪkɑr( Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, FRS (சந்திரசேகர வெங்கடராமன ( 7 November 1888 &ndash 21 November Abdus Salam ( Urdu: محمد عبد السلام) ( January 29, 1926; Jhang Punjab &ndash November 21, Shmuel Yosef Agnon ( Hebrew: שמואל יוסף עגנון, August 8, 1887 - February 17, 1970) was a Nobel Prize Robert John Aumann ( Hebrew name: Yisrael Aumann he ישראל אומן (born June 8, 1930) is an Israeli Mathematician and a (מְנַחֵם בְּגִין Mieczysław Biegun Менахем Вольфович Бегин 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992 was the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel Aaron Ciechanover (אהרן צ'חנובר (born October 1, 1947) is an Israeli biologist, and Nobel laureate in Chemistry Avram Hershko (אברהם הרשקו (born 31 December 1937) is an Israeli biochemist and Nobel laureate in Chemistry Daniel Kahneman (דניאל כהנמן (born 5 March 1934 is an Israeli American psychologist and Nobel laureate, notable for his work on (שמעון פרס born Szymon Perski on August 2 1923, is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Kim Dae-jung (Born December 3, 1925, kim tɛdʑuŋ is a former South Korean president and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics.

In 2006 Dr. Mohammad Yunus from Bangladesh and the Grameen Bank he established to lend money to poor people especially women in Bangladesh was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Mohammad Yunus can refer to Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Bangladesh 's Grameen Bank Mohammad Yunus (diplomat The Grameen Bank (গ্রামীণ ব্যাংক is a Microfinance organization and Community development bank started in Bangladesh that Dr. Yunus received his Ph. D. in economics from Vanderbilt University, United States. He is internationally known for the concept of micro credit which allows poor and destitutes with little or no collateral to borrow money. The borrowers typically pay back money within specified period of time and the incidence of default is very low.

Beliefs

Mythology

See also: List of Asian mythology

Asian mythology is diverse. This is a list of mythologies native to Asia Arabian mythology Balinese mythology Buddhist mythology Chinese mythology The story is first found in Mesopotamian mythology, in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian Akkadian Assyrian and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Ancient Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literary fiction. Hindu mythology tells about an avatar of God Vishnu in the form of a fish who warned Manu of a terrible flood. Hindu mythology is the large body of Mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific This article concerns the Hindu avatar For the ancient kingdom see Matsya Rajya. For other uses of Manu see Manu In Hinduism, Manu is a title accorded the progenitor of mankind, first king to rule In ancient Chinese mythology, Shan Hai Jing, the Chinese ruler Da Yu, had to spend 10 years to control a deluge which swept out most of ancient China and was aided by the goddess Nüwa who literally fixed the broken sky through which huge rains were pouring. Chinese mythology is a collection of Cultural history, Folktales, and Religions that have been passed down in oral or written form Shan Hai Jing ( is a Chinese classic text that is at least 2000 years old Yǔ ( (21st century BCE born Sì Wénmìng) often regarded with legendary status as Yu the Great (大禹 Dà-Yǔ) was the first ruler and founder of In Chinese mythology, Nüwa ( Traditional Chinese: 女媧 Simplified Chinese: 女娲 Pinyin: nǚwā also Nügua is mythological character The story is also found in the Bible and Qur'an. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran

Religions

See also: Eastern philosophy

Asian philosophical traditions originated in India and China and cover a large spectrum of philosophical thoughts and writings. Eastern philosophy refers very broadly to the various philosophies of Asia, including Indian philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Persian Indian philosophy includes Hindu philosophy and Buddhist philosophy. The term Indian philosophy (Sanskrit Darshanas) may refer to any of several traditions of philosophical thought that originated in the Indian subcontinent Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit ''{{IAST|āstika}}'') schools of thought or darshanas (literally "views" Sankhya Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in Metaphysics, phenomenology, Ethics, and Epistemology. They include elements of nonmaterial pursuits, whereas another school of thought from India, Cārvāka, preached the enjoyment of material world. Cārvāka is a system of Indian philosophy that assumed various forms of philosophical skepticism and religious indifference Also Methidistism and protestism is popular among Koreans

Abrahamic

Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam originated in West Asia. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia (largely overlapping with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia. The world's largest Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in Indonesia. South Asia (mainly Pakistan, India and Bangladesh) holds 30% of Muslims. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially There are also significant Muslim populations in China, Iran, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia and most of West Asia and Central Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south In the Philippines and East Timor, Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion; it was introduced by the Spaniards and the Portuguese, respectively. East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. In Armenia, Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion. Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Various Christian denominations have adherents in portions of the Middle East, as well as China and India. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Judaism, one of the smaller yet oldest of the Abrahamic faiths, is practiced primarily in Israel (which has either the largest or second largest Jewish population in the world), though small communities exist in other countries, such as the Bene Israel in India. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Bene Israel ( Hebrew: "Sons of Israel" are a group of Jews who migrated in the nineteenth century from west Maharashtra to the nearby

Indian

The Indian religions of Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism originated in South Asia. Indian religions, also called Dharmic religions, are the related religious traditions that originated in the Indian subcontinent, namely Hinduism, Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma / Shraman Dharma (जैन धर्म is an ancient religion of India. In East Asia, particularly in China and Japan, Confucianism, Taoism, Zen Buddhism and Shinto took shape. Confucianism ( is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the fifth century B Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. is the native religion of Japan and was once its State religion. During the 20th century, in the two most populous countries of Asia, two dramatically different political philosophies took shape. Gandhi gave a new meaning to Ahinsa, and redefined the concepts of nonviolence and nonresistance. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January Ahimsa ( Devanagari: sa अहिंसा IAST ahiṃsā is a Sanskrit term meaning Non-violence (literally the avoidance of violence - Nonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of physical Violence. Nonresistance (or non-resistance) discourages physical resistance to an enemy and is a subdivision of Nonviolence.

Other

Other religions of Asia include the Zoroastrianism, Shamanism practiced in Iran and Siberia respectively, and Animism practiced in the eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia.

See also

References

• "Asia". The Columbia Gazetteer of the World Online. 2005. New York: Columbia University Press.
• World Conflicts: Asia and the Middle East [3]. Edited by Carl L. Bankston III. New York: Salem Press.

Further reading

Reference works

• Higham, Charles. Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations. Facts on File library of world history. New York: Facts On File, 2004.
• Kapadia, Feroz, and Mandira Mukherjee. Encyclopaedia of Asian Culture and Society. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 1999.
• Levinson, David, and Karen Christensen. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002.

External links

• (European Digital Archive on the Soil Maps of the World - EuDASM)
• Map Asia
• Maps of Asia from the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library
• Tips for Traveling in Asia

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