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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

Rioters besieging a bus in Tianshan, Ürümqi, attacking escaping Han passengers with sticks.

A series of violent riots over several days broke out on 5 July 2009 in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in northwestern China. The first day's rioting, which involved at least 1,000 Uyghurs, began as a protest, but escalated into violent attacks that mainly targeted Han people. According to Chinese state media, a total of 197 people died, most of whom were Han people or non-Muslim minorities, with 1,721 others injured and many vehicles and buildings destroyed. Many Uyghurs disappeared during wide-scale police sweeps in the days following the riots; Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented 43 cases and said figures for real disappearances were likely to be much higher.

Rioting began following the Shaoguan incident, where false accusations of rape of a Han woman by Uyghur men led to a brawl between ethnic Han and Uyghur factory workers in Shaoguan, resulting in the deaths of two Uyghurs who were both from Xinjiang. The Chinese government claimed that the riots were planned from abroad by the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and its leader Rebiya Kadeer. Kadeer denies fomenting the violence in her fight for Uyghur self-determination. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Sri Lanka, historically known as Ceylon, and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. It shares a maritime border with the Maldives in the southwest and India in the northwest.

Sri Lanka has a population of approximately 22 million and is home to several cultures, languages and ethnicities. The Sinhalese people form the majority of the population, followed by the Sri Lankan Tamils, who are the largest minority group and are concentrated in northern Sri Lanka; both groups have played an influential role in the island's history. Other long-established groups include the Moors, Indian Tamils, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and Vedda. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Colonel Lê Quang Tung (13 June 1919 – 1 November 1963) was the commander of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces under the command of Ngô Đình Nhu. Nhu was the brother of South Vietnam's president, Ngô Đình Diệm. A former servant of the Ngô family, Tung's military background was in security and counterespionage.

During the 1950s, Tung was a high-ranking official in Nhu's Cần Lao, a secret political apparatus which maintained the Ngô family's grip on power, extorting money from wealthy businessmen. In 1960, Tung was promoted directly to the rank of colonel and became the commander of the special forces. His period at the helm of South Vietnam's elite troops was noted mostly for his work in repressing dissidents, rather than fighting the Viet Cong insurgents. His best-known attack was the raid on Xá Lợi pagoda on 21 August 1963, in which hundreds died or disappeared. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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Featured picture

Dharmaraya Swamy Temple

Credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

The Dharmaraya Swamy Temple located in Bangalore is known for being the place where the Bangalore Karaga festival takes place. It is the only festival that is brought about in the temple

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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

15 November 2024 – 2024 Sri Lankan parliamentary election: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's National People's Power coalition wins a supermajority in the snap election for the Parliament. (Reuters)
14 November 2024 – Israel–Hezbollah conflict: 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon; Fifteen rescue workers are killed during an Israeli airstrike against the Regional Civil Defence Centre's headquarters in Baalbek, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
14 November 2024 – Syrian civil war: Israel's role in the Syrian civil war; Sixteen people are killed and 15 others are injured in Israeli airstrikes against residential buildings in Damascus, Syria, that Israel claims are associated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The PIJ announces that a number of its militants are among the fatalities of the Damascus' attacks. (Al Mayadeen) (Al Jazeera)
14 November 2024 – Insurgency in Balochistan: Seven people, including two soldiers, are killed in explosions in Harnai and Ziarat Districts, Balochistan, Pakistan. (TRT World)

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Major Religions in Asia

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Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

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East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: David Castor

The Taj Mahal (Hindi: ताज महल, from Persian/Urdu: تاج محل "crown of palaces") is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

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