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

Asia shares the landmass of Eurasia with Europe, and of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. In general terms, it is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. The border of Asia with Europe is a historical and cultural construct, as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them. 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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Featured article

A partially unrolled scroll. opened from left to right to show a portion of the scroll with widely spaced vertical lines of cursive Mongol script. Imprinted over two of the lines is an official-looking square red stamp with an intricate design. — 1305 letter (a roll measuring 302 by 50 centimetres (9.91 by 1.64 ft)) from the Ilkhan Mongol Öljaitü to King Philip IV of France, suggesting military collaboration.

Several attempts at a Franco-Mongol alliance against the Islamic caliphates, their common enemy, were made by various leaders among the Frankish Crusaders and the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Such an alliance might have seemed an obvious choice: the Mongols were already sympathetic to Christianity, given the presence of many influential Nestorian Christians in the Mongol court. The Franks—Western Europeans, and those in the Levantine Crusader states—were open to the idea of support from the East, in part owing to the long-running legend of the mythical Prester John, an Eastern king in an Eastern kingdom who many believed would one day come to the assistance of the Crusaders in the Holy Land. The Franks and Mongols also shared a common enemy in the Muslims. However, despite many messages, gifts, and emissaries over the course of several decades, the often-proposed alliance never came to fruition.

Contact between Europeans and Mongols began around 1220, with occasional messages from the papacy and European monarchs to Mongol leaders such as the Great Khan, and subsequently to the Ilkhans in Mongol-conquered Persia. Communications tended to follow a recurring pattern: the Europeans asked the Mongols to convert to Western Christianity, while the Mongols responded with demands for submission and tribute. The Mongols had already conquered many Christian and Muslim states in their advance across Asia, and after destroying the Nizaris of Alamut and the Muslim Abbasid and Ayyubid dynasties, for the next few generations fought the remaining Islamic power in the region, the Egyptian Mamluks. Hethum I, king of the Christian state of Cilician Armenia, had submitted to the Mongols in 1247, and strongly encouraged other monarchs to engage in a Christian–Mongol alliance, but was only able to persuade his son-in-law, Prince Bohemond VI of the Crusader state of Antioch, who submitted in 1260. Other Christian leaders such as the Crusaders of Acre were more mistrustful of the Mongols, perceiving them as the most significant threat in the region. The Barons of Acre therefore engaged in an unusual passive alliance with the Muslim Mamluks, allowing Egyptian forces to advance unopposed through Crusader territory to engage and defeat the Mongols at the pivotal Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world and seventh most densely populated with a population of 173,562,364 in an area of 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq mi). Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the north, west, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast. To the south, it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. To the north, it is separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor, and from China by the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial, and cultural centre. Chittagong is the second-largest city and the busiest port. The official language is Bengali, with Bangladeshi English also used in government.

Bangladesh is part of the historic and ethnolinguistic region of Bengal, which was divided during the Partition of British India in 1947 as the eastern enclave of the Dominion of Pakistan, from which it gained independence in 1971 after a bloody war. The country has a Bengali Muslim majority. Ancient Bengal was known as Gangaridai and was a stronghold of pre-Islamic kingdoms. The Muslim conquest after 1204 led to the sultanate and Mughal periods, during which an independent Bengal Sultanate and wealthy Mughal Bengal transformed the region into an important centre of regional affairs, trade, and diplomacy. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked the beginning of British rule. The creation of Eastern Bengal and Assam in 1905 set a precedent for the emergence of Bangladesh. The All-India Muslim League was founded in Dhaka in 1906. The Lahore Resolution in 1940 was supported by A. K. Fazlul Huq, the first Prime Minister of Bengal. The present-day territorial boundary was established with the announcement of the Radcliffe Line. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Narayan in 1974

Ram Narayan (IPA: [raːm naːˈɾaːjəɳ]; 25 December 1927 – 9 November 2024), often referred to with the title Pandit, was an Indian musician who popularised the bowed instrument sarangi as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani classical music and became the first internationally successful sarangi player.

Narayan was born near Udaipur and learned to play the sarangi at an early age. He studied under sarangi players and singers and, as a teenager, worked as a music teacher and travelling musician. All India Radio, Lahore, hired Narayan as an accompanist for vocalists in 1944. Narayan relocated to Delhi following the partition of India in 1947, but, wishing to go beyond accompaniment and frustrated with his supporting role, moved to Mumbai in 1949 to work in Indian cinema. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 2Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3Hinduism expansion in Asia, from its heartland in Indian Subcontinent, to the rest of Asia, especially Southeast Asia, started circa 1st century marked with the establishment of early Hindu settlements and polities in Southeast Asia. (from History of Asia)
Image 4Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 5The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 6Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7The 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 8Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 9Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 10A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 12Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 13Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 14The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 16A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17The 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 18The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 20The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 21Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 22Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 23Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 24India'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 25The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 26the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 27Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 28Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 29East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 30The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 31Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 32A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 33Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 34A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 35Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 36The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 37Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 38Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 39Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 40The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 42The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 43Korean 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 44Detail 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 45The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 46Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 47Detail 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 48Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 49Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 50Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51Some 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 52Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 53Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 55Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 56British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 57The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 58Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 59Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 60Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 61Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 62Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 63The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 64Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 65Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 66Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 67The 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 68The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 69Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)

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Featured picture

Yerevan

Credit: Սէրուժ Ուրիշեան (Serouj Ourishian)

Mount Ararat and the Yerevan skyline. The Opera house is visible in the center.

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Did you know...

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

Updated: 6:33, 14 February 2024

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In the news

20 November 2024 – Capital punishment in Indonesia: Philippine president Bongbong Marcos confirms the return to the Philippines of Mary Jane Veloso, who has been on death row in Indonesia in 14 years, after the government of Indonesia implemented a policy for the repatriation of foreign prisoners. (South China Morning Post)
19 November 2024 – Israel–Hezbollah conflict: 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon; Three Lebanese soldiers are killed and eight other people are injured in an Israeli airstrike in Sarafand, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera) (Times of Israel)
19 November 2024 – Hong Kong 47: Forty-five pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are sentenced to prison terms of between four and 10 years over an unofficial primary held in 2020. (Reuters)
18 November 2024 – Israel–Hezbollah conflict: 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon; Hezbollah launches more than 100 missiles at Israel, including Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring dozens of others. (The Times of Israel)

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Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: Bluemangoa2z

The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.

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