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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 kilometres, 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 civilisations. 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. 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.

Since the concept of Asia derives from the term for the eastern region from a European perspective, Asia is the remaining vast area of Eurasia minus Europe. Therefore, Asia is a region where various independent cultures coexist rather than sharing a single culture, and the boundary between Europe is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East–West cultural differences, some of which vary on a spectrum. (Full article...)

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Nathu La(Tibetan: རྣ་ཐོས་ལ་, Wylie: Rna thos la, THL: Na tö la, Sikkimese: རྣ་ཐོས་ལ་) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong Country in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim. But minor touch of Bengal in South Asia. The pass, at 4,310 m (14,140 ft), connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok to the villages and towns of the lower Chumbi Valley.

The pass was surveyed by J. W. Edgar in 1873, who described the pass as being used for trade by Tibetans. Francis Younghusband used the pass in 1903–04, as did a diplomatic British delegation to Lhasa in 1936–37, and Ernst Schäfer in 1938–39. In the 1950s, trade in the Kingdom of Sikkim used this pass. Diplomatically sealed by China and India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the pass saw skirmishes between the two countries in coming years, including the clashes in 1967 which resulted in fatalities on both sides. Nathu La has often been compared to Jelep La, a mountain pass situated at a distance of 3 miles (4.8 km). (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic under a transitional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is the capital and largest city. With a population of 25 million across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), it is the 57th-most populous and 87th-largest country.

The name "Syria" historically referred to a wider region. The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization. Damascus was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate and a provincial capital under the Mamluk Sultanate. The modern Syrian state was established in the mid-20th century after centuries of Ottoman rule, as a French Mandate. The state represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Syrian provinces. It gained de jure independence as a parliamentary republic in 1945 when the First Syrian Republic became a founding member of the United Nations, an act which legally ended the French Mandate. French troops withdrew in April 1946, granting the nation de facto independence. The post-independence period was tumultuous, with multiple coup attempts between 1949 and 1971. In 1958, Syria entered a brief pan-Arab union with Egypt, which was terminated following a 1961 coup d'état. The 1963 coup d'état carried out by the military committee of the Ba'ath Party established a one-party state, which ran Syria under martial law from 1963 to 2011. Internal power-struggles within Ba'athist factions caused further coups in 1966 and 1970, the latter of which saw Hafez al-Assad come to power. Under Assad, Syria became a hereditary dictatorship. Assad died in 2000, and he was succeeded by his son, Bashar. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Jinnah in 1945

Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947 and then as Pakistan's first governor-general until his death.

Born at Wazir Mansion in Karachi, Jinnah was trained as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in London, England. Upon his return to India, he enrolled at the Bombay High Court, and took an interest in national politics, which eventually replaced his legal practice. Jinnah rose to prominence in the Indian National Congress in the first two decades of the 20th century. In these early years of his political career, Jinnah advocated Hindu–Muslim unity, helping to shape the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the All-India Muslim League, in which Jinnah had also become prominent. Jinnah became a key leader in the All-India Home Rule League, and proposed a fourteen-point constitutional reform plan to safeguard the political rights of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent. In 1920, however, Jinnah resigned from the Congress when it agreed to follow a campaign of satyagraha, which he regarded as political anarchy. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 2Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 3The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 4The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 5Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 6East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 8Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 9India'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 10Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11Some 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 12The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 13Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 14Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 15Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 16Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 18Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 19Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 20Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 23Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 26The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 27Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 28Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 29Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 30Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 31The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 32The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 33Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 34The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 35Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 36The 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 37the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 38The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 39Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 40The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 41Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 44The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 45The 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 46Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 47Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48The 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 49A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 50Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 51Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 52Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 53Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 55Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 56British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 57Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (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 59Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 60A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 61The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 62A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 63The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 64Detail 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 65Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 66Korean 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 67Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 68Detail 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 69Hinduism 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)

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Featured picture

Ramayana

Credit: Sahibdin

A scene from the Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic. Depicted here are several stages of the War of Lanka, with the monkey army of the protagonist Rama (top left, blue figure) fighting the demon army of the king of Lanka, Ravana, to save Rama's kidnapped wife Sita. The three-headed figure of the demon general Trisiras occurs in several places – most dramatically at the bottom left, where he is shown beheaded by Hanuman.

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Did you know...

... that Karl Malte von Heinz designed the Vatican, Pakistani, Yugoslav and Thai diplomatic missions in India?
... that Dan Blumenthal, a senior defense official in the Bush administration, believes that China has "three roads" to gain control of Taiwan?
... that Margaret Cooper wrote that the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service was providing "the experience of a lifetime" to the young women she recruited during the Second World War?
... that Chekri Ganem's play Antar was described as the most significant display of Arab nationalism organized outside the Arab world?
... that Iraqi poet Kazim al-Samawi spent more than half his life in political exile and was called "The Sheikh of the Exiles"?
... that the success of the book Fifth Chinese Daughter led to the U.S. State Department translating the book into various Asian languages and sending its author on a speaking tour across Asia?
... that anti-Korean sentiment, due to South Korea's economic growth, motivated Djuna to write the sci-fi novel Counterweight?
... that Andrew J. Evans Jr. was the highest-ranking United States Air Force prisoner during the Korean War?
... that the Japanese manga series Minato's Laundromat originated as a story titled Wash My Heart! that was posted on Pixiv?
... that zanana can refer to a nagging wife in Egypt, or to Israeli drones flying overhead in Gaza?

Updated: 21:05, 13 March 2025

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In the news

14 March 2025 –: At least two people are killed and one other is injured in a landslide at a salt mine in Karak District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Aaj News)
13 March 2025 – Syrian civil war: Western Syria clashes; 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites, March 2025 Western Syria clashes; The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documents four additional sectarian reprisal massacres of mainly-Alawite minority communities that killed 93 civilians, increasing the death toll of the series of massacres in western Syria to 1,476 civilian deaths since March 6. (SOHR); Spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community Hikmat al-Hajari rejects any deal with the new Ahmed al-Sharaa-headed transitional government, accusing it of being "extremist in every sense of the word" and refusing to "recognize a terrorist" in reference to the concurrent sectarian massacres of Syrian Alawites. (Rudaw) (The Jerusalem Post)
13 March 2025 – Gaza war: The United Nations Human Rights Council accuses Israel of committing genocidal acts and other war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, including committing gender-based violence (sexual assault) against prisoners and the systematic destruction of healthcare systems in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses the reports and accusations, calling them biased and "antisemitic". (DW) (Reuters)

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Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: Rangan Datta Wiki

The Buriganga River flows past the southwest outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Its average depth is 7.6 metres (25 ft) and its maximum depth is 18 metres (58 ft).

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