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Asia (/ˈeɪʒə/ ^ⓘ, UK also /ˈeɪʃə/) 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, having more people than all other continents combined.

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

China and India alternated in being the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1,800 CE. China was a major economic power and attracted many to the east, and for many the legendary wealth and prosperity of the ancient culture of India personified Asia, attracting European commerce, exploration and colonialism. The accidental discovery of a trans-Atlantic route from Europe to America by Columbus while in search for a route to India demonstrates this deep fascination. The Silk Road became the main east–west trading route in the Asian hinterlands while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism (particularly East Asia) as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, as well as many other religions. (Full article...)

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Hyderabad (/ˈhaɪdərəbæd/ ^ⓘ HY-dər-ə-bad; Telugu: [ˈɦaɪ̯daraːbaːd], Urdu: [ˈɦɛːdəɾaːbaːd]) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies 650 km² (250 sq mi) on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of 542 m (1,778 ft), much of Hyderabad is situated on hilly terrain around artificial lakes, including the Hussain Sagar lake, predating the city's founding, in the north of the city centre. According to the 2011 Census of India, Hyderabad is the fourth-most populous city in India with a population of 6.9 million residents within the city limits, and has a population of 9.7 million residents in the metropolitan region, making it the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in India. With an output of US$74 billion, Hyderabad has the fifth-largest urban economy in India.

The Qutb Shahi dynasty's Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah established Hyderabad in 1591 to extend the capital beyond the fortified Golconda. In 1687, the city was annexed by the Mughals. In 1724, Asaf Jah I, the Mughal viceroy, declared his sovereignty and founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty, also known as the Nizams. Hyderabad served as the imperial capital of the Asaf Jahi's from 1769 to 1948. As capital of the princely state of Hyderabad, the city housed the British Residency and cantonment until Indian independence in 1947. Hyderabad was annexed by the Indian Union in 1948 and continued as a capital of Hyderabad State from 1948 to 1956. After the introduction of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, Hyderabad was made the capital of the newly formed Andhra Pradesh. In 2014, Andhra Pradesh was split to form the state of Telangana, and Hyderabad became the joint capital of the two states with a transitional arrangement scheduled to end in 2024. Since 1956, the city has housed the Rashtrapati Nilayam, the winter office of the president of India. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Laos (/ˈlɑːoʊs/ ^ⓘ), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR or LPDR), is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. At the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula, Laos is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Its capital and largest city is Vientiane.

Present-day Laos traces its historic and cultural identity to Lan Xang, which existed from the 13th century to the 18th century as one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Because of its central geographical location in Southeast Asia, the kingdom became a hub for overland trade and became wealthy economically and culturally. After a period of internal conflict, Lan Xang broke into three separate kingdoms: Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak. In 1893, the three kingdoms came under a French protectorate and were united to form what is now known as Laos. It was occupied by Japan during World War II and briefly gained independence in 1945 as a Japanese puppet state but was re-colonised by France until it won autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953 as the Kingdom of Laos, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. A civil war began in 1959, which saw the communist Pathet Lao, supported by North Vietnam and the Soviet Union, fight against the Royal Lao Armed Forces, supported by the United States. After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party came to power, ending the civil war and the monarchy. Laos was then dependent on military and economic aid from the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

A painting of the statue of Tiridates I in the Louvre Museum by Panos Terlemezian

Tiridates I (Parthian: 𐭕𐭉𐭓𐭉𐭃𐭕, Tīridāt; Greek: Τιριδάτης, Tiridátes) was King of Armenia beginning in 53 AD and the founder of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. His early reign was marked by a brief interruption towards the end of the year 54 and a much longer one from 58 to 63. In an agreement to resolve the Roman–Parthian conflict in and over Armenia, Tiridates I (one of the brothers of Vologases I of Parthia) was crowned king of Armenia by the Roman emperor Nero in 66; in the future, the king of Armenia was to be a Parthian prince, but his appointment required approval from the Romans. Even though this made Armenia a client kingdom, various contemporary Roman sources thought that Nero had de facto ceded Armenia to the Parthian Empire.

In addition to being a king, Tiridates I was also a Zoroastrian priest and was accompanied by other magi on his journey to Rome in 66. In the early 20th century, Franz Cumont speculated that Tiridates was instrumental in the development of Mithraism which ultimately became the main religion of the Roman Army and spread across the whole empire. Furthermore, during his reign, he started reforming the administrative structure of Armenia, a reform which was continued by his successors, and which brought many Iranian customs and offices into it. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 2Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 3Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 4Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 6Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 7Detail 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 8The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 9Expansion of Hinduism in Southeast Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 10Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History 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 12Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 13The first King of Goryeo, as known as Taejo of Goryeo (918–943) (from History of Asia)
Image 14The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 15The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 17Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 18Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 20A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Korean 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 22A map of the Bronze Age collapse, c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 23The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 24Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 25Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 26Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 28The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 29Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 30The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 31Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 32Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 33The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 35Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 36A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 37Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 38Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 39Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 40Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41Projected GDP of 7 largest economies in 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 42Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 43British troops taking Chinkiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 44The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 45The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 46Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 47A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 50Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 51Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 52India'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 53The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 54The 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 55Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 56the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 57East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 58Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 59The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 60Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 61Detail 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 62The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 63The 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 64The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 65Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 66A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 67The 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 68Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (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 a few months after Lü Peijian was appointed China's auditor general, he announced the discovery of more than US$1.6 billion worth of tax evasion, fraud, and waste?
... that comedian Atsugiri Jason became the first non-Japanese finalist on the R-1 Grand Prix in 2014?
... that a collection of kimono assembled by Nasser Khalili covers four periods of Japanese history?
... that the anandalahari is an Indian chordophone musical instrument used by religious singers of the Baul faith?
... that Liang Baibo and Yu Feng were among China's first female cartoonists?
... that the yawara is a Japanese weapon that is used for martial arts and was used by American police?
... that Gongnyong Ridge in Seoraksan National Park, South Korea, acquired its name (lit. 'Dinosaur Ridge') from its peaks looking as "vigorous and dynamic as a dinosaur rising from the ground"?
... that students participating in the 1968–69 Japanese university protests were known for ruthlessly interrogating and verbally abusing professors, sometimes for days on end?
... that the death of Uyghur writer Nurmuhemmet Tohti has been linked to mistreatment in the Xinjiang internment camps, a claim China denies?
... that Pennsylvania Treasurer-elect Stacy Garrity was nicknamed "The Angel of the Desert" in the Iraq War?

Updated: 1:33, 20 March 2022

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In the news

24 September 2023 – Terrorism in Iran: War against the Islamic State; Authorities in Iran disarm 30 explosive devices that were set to detonate simultaneously in Tehran and arrest 28 people linked to the Islamic State. (Al Arabiya)
24 September 2023 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Two Palestinians are killed when Israeli soldiers storm a refugee camp in Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
24 September 2023 – Economy of Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia announces that its gross domestic product has surpassed $1 trillion. (Al Arabiya)
24 September 2023 – 2023 Formula One World Championship: In auto racing, Red Bull wins their sixth World Constructors' Championship after Max Verstappen wins the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)
23 September 2023 – Israeli–Lebanese conflict: UNIFIL intervenes to prevent a confrontation between the Lebanese Army and the Israeli Army near the Shebaa Farms. (The Jerusalem Post)

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Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Surroundings

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: 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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