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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

The empire in 661, when it reached its greatest extent

Civil administration

Military administration

Briefly-controlled areas

The Tang dynasty (/tɑːŋ/, [tʰǎŋ]; Chinese: 唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilisation, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivalled that of the Han dynasty.

The Li family founded the dynasty after taking advantage of a period of Sui decline and precipitating their final collapse, in turn inaugurating a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty was formally interrupted during 690–705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Wu Zhou dynasty and becoming the only legitimate Chinese empress regnant. The An Lushan rebellion (755–763) led to devastation and the decline of central authority during the latter half of the dynasty. Like the previous Sui dynasty, the Tang maintained a civil-service system by recruiting scholar-officials through standardised examinations and recommendations to office. The rise of regional military governors known as jiedushi during the 9th century undermined this civil order. The dynasty and central government went into decline by the latter half of the 9th century; agrarian rebellions resulted in mass population loss and displacement, widespread poverty, and further government dysfunction that ultimately ended the dynasty in 907. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Strait of Malacca to the west, the Singapore Strait to the south along with the Riau Islands in Indonesia, the South China Sea to the east, and the Straits of Johor along with the State of Johor in Malaysia to the north.

Singapore's history dates back at least eight hundred years, having been a maritime emporium known as Temasek and subsequently a major constituent part of several successive thalassocratic empires. Its contemporary era began in 1819, when Stamford Raffles established Singapore as an entrepôt trading post of the British Empire. In 1867, Singapore came under the direct control of Britain as part of the Straits Settlements. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942 and returned to British control as a separate Crown colony following Japan's surrender in 1945. Singapore gained self-governance in 1959 and, in 1963, became part of the new federation of Malaysia, alongside Malaya, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Ideological differences led to Singapore's expulsion from the federation two years later; Singapore became an independent sovereign country in 1965. After early years of turbulence and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation rapidly developed to become one of the Four Asian Tigers. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Soegijapranata in 1960

Albertus Soegijapranata, SJ (Indonesian: [alˈbərtʊs suˈɡijapraˈnata]; Perfected Spelling: Albertus Sugiyapranata; 25 November 1896 – 22 July 1963), better known by his birth name Soegija, was a Jesuit priest who became the Apostolic Vicar of Semarang and later its archbishop. He was the first native Indonesian bishop and known for his pro-nationalistic stance, often expressed as "100% Catholic 100% Indonesian".

Soegija was born in Surakarta, Dutch East Indies, to a Muslim courtier and his wife. The family moved to nearby Yogyakarta when Soegija was still young; there he began his education. Known as a bright child, around 1909 he was asked by Father Frans van Lith to enter Xaverius College, a Jesuit school in Muntilan, where Soegija slowly became interested in Catholicism. He was baptised on 24 December 1910. After graduating from Xaverius in 1915 and spending a year as a teacher there, Soegija spent two years at the on-site seminary before going to the Netherlands in 1919. He began his two-year novitiate with the Society of Jesus in September 1920 in Grave, and finished his juniorate there in 1923. After three years studying philosophy at Berchmann College in Oudenbosch, he was sent back to Muntilan as a teacher for a further two years. In 1928, he returned to the Netherlands to study theology at Maastricht, where he was ordained by Bishop of Roermond Laurentius Schrijnen on 15 August 1931; Soegija then added the word "pranata" to the back of his name. He was then sent back to the Indies to preach and became a parochial vicar at the parish in Kidul Loji, Yogyakarta, and in 1934 he was given his own parish in Bintaran. There he focused on creating a sense of Catholicism within the native community, emphasising the need for strong bonds between Catholic families. Soegijapranata was consecrated as the vicar apostolic of the newly established Apostolic Vicariate of Semarang in 1940. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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Featured picture

Burj Khalifa

Credit: Donaldytong

The Burj Khalifa (known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration) is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's tallest structure. With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding antenna, but including a 242.6 m spire) of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009, surpassing Taipei 101, the holder of that status since 2004. (Full article...)

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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

9 November 2024 – Insurgency in Balochistan: At least 26 people are killed and over 62 others are injured after a suicide bombing targeting people attending a train at a rail station in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. Fourteen soldiers are among the fatalities. The Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility. (Al Jazeera)
8 November 2024 – November 2024 Amsterdam attacks, Antisemitism in Europe: Pro-Palestinian locals attack supporters of Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. after a match with AFC Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands, following instances of anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab chants and vandalism by Maccabi ultras. At least 30 people are injured, with five hospitalized, and 62 people are arrested. Dutch authorities condemn the attacks as antisemitic with the government of Amsterdam subsequently banning protests and demonstrations in the city for three days. (CNN) (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
8 November 2024 –: At least two people are killed and twelve others are missing when a fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Jeju Island, South Korea. (The Korea Herald)
8 November 2024 – Security incidents involving Donald Trump, Iranian interference in the 2024 United States elections: The U.S. Justice Department announces that they have formally charged an Afghan national who confessed to a murder-for-hire plan linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting president-elect Donald Trump. (CNN)
7 November 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip; Siege of North Gaza, Refugee camp airstrikes in the Israel–Hamas war

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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

150pxThe view of Nanga Parbat, taken 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the base camp.

Credit: Waqas.usman

Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters (26,660 ft).

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