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

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

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

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Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. The term ukiyo-e (浮世絵) translates as 'picture[s] of the floating world'.

In 1603, the city of Edo (Tokyo) became the seat of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate. The chōnin class (merchants, craftsmen and workers), positioned at the bottom of the social order, benefited the most from the city's rapid economic growth. They began to indulge in and patronize the entertainment of kabuki theatre, geisha, and courtesans of the pleasure districts. The term ukiyo ('floating world') came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted ukiyo-e works were popular with the chōnin class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with them. (Full article...)

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Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of 1,564,116 square kilometres (603,909 square miles), with a population of just 3.3 million, making it the world's most sparsely populated sovereign state. Mongolia is the world's largest landlocked country that does not border a closed sea, and much of its area is covered by grassy steppe, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city, is home to roughly half of the country's population.

The territory of modern-day Mongolia has been ruled by various nomadic empires, including the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, the Rouran, the First Turkic Khaganate, the Second Turkic Khaganate, the Uyghur Khaganate and others. In 1206, Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous land empire in history. His grandson Kublai Khan conquered China proper and established the Yuan dynasty. After the collapse of the Yuan, the Mongols retreated to Mongolia and resumed their earlier pattern of factional conflict, except during the era of Dayan Khan and Tumen Zasagt Khan. In the 16th century, Tibetan Buddhism spread to Mongolia, being further led by the Manchu-founded Qing dynasty, which absorbed the country in the 17th century. By the early 20th century, almost one-third of the adult male population were Buddhist monks. After the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, and achieved actual independence from the Republic of China in 1921. Shortly thereafter, the country became a satellite state of the Soviet Union. In 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was founded as a socialist state. After the anti-communist revolutions of 1989, Mongolia conducted its own peaceful democratic revolution in early 1990. This led to a multi-party system, a new constitution of 1992, and transition to a market economy. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Zenobia as empress on the obverse of an antoninianus (AD 272)

Septimia Zenobia (Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡡𐡶𐡦𐡡𐡩‎, Bat-Zabbai; c. 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city, Odaenathus. Her husband became king in 260, elevating Palmyra to supreme power in the Near East by defeating the Sasanian Empire of Persia and stabilizing the Roman East. After Odaenathus' assassination, Zenobia became the regent of her son Vaballathus and held de facto power throughout his reign.

In 270, Zenobia launched an invasion that brought most of the Roman East under her sway and culminated with the annexation of Egypt. By mid-271 her realm extended from Ancyra, central Anatolia, to Upper Egypt, although she remained nominally subordinate to Rome. However, in reaction to the campaign of the Roman emperor Aurelian in 272, Zenobia declared her son emperor and assumed the title of empress, thus declaring Palmyra's secession from Rome. The Romans were victorious after heavy fighting; the empress was besieged in her capital and captured by Aurelian, who exiled her to Rome, where she spent the remainder of her life. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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Featured picture

Indonesian rupiah

Banknotes: Bank of Indonesia

The rupiah is the national currency of Indonesia. Introduced in 1946 by Indonesian nationalists fighting for independence, the currency replaced a version of the Netherlands Indies gulden which had been introduced during the Japanese occupation in World War II. In its early years the rupiah was used in conjunction with other currencies, including a new version of the gulden introduced by the Dutch. Since 1950, it has had a lengthy history of inflation and revaluation. As of August 2018, the currency—which is issued and controlled by the Bank of Indonesia—is trading for more than 14,600 rupiah to the United States dollar.

This note, denominated 2,000 rupiah, is part of the 2009 series. It depicts Prince Antasari, a National Hero of Indonesia, on its obverse, and a traditional Dayak dance on its reverse.

See other denominations: Rp 1,000, Rp 5,000, Rp 10,000, Rp 20,000, Rp 50,000, Rp 100,000

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Did you know...

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

Updated: 6:33, 14 February 2024

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In the news

23 April 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: Israel–Hezbollah conflict; An Israeli Air Force airstrike kills two people and injures six others in Hanine, Lebanon. (Reuters); Nasser Hospital mass graves, Nasser Hospital siege; United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk calls for an international investigation after hundreds of bodies are discovered in mass graves near the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. (The New York Times)
23 April 2024 – North Korea and weapons of mass destruction: North Korea claims that it tested a new command-and-control system in a simulated nuclear counterstrike. (CNN)
23 April 2024 – 2024 Lumut mid-air collision: Two Royal Malaysian Navy helicopters collide in mid-air during a rehearsal parade in Lumut, Malaysia, killing all ten people on board. (CNA)

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Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Surroundings

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

200pxAlong the River During the Qingming Festival

Credit: Zhang Zeduan

Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a painting from China's Song Dynasty that captures the daily life of people from the period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng. As an artistic creation, the piece has been revered, and court artists of subsequent dynasties have made several re-interpretive replicas. The painting is famous because of its geometrically accurate images of boats, bridges, shops, and scenery. Because of its fame, it has been called "China's Mona Lisa".

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