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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 kilometres, 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 civilisations. 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 its boundary with 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 from the Mongol Ilkhan Öljaitü to King Philip IV of France suggesting military collaboration, on a roll measuring 302 cm × 50 cm (9.91 ft × 1.64 ft)

Several attempts at a military alliance between the Frankish Crusaders and the Mongol Empire against the Islamic caliphates, their common enemy, were made by various leaders among them during 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 among the most densely populated with a population of over 171 million within 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. It has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal to its south and is separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor, and from China by the Indian state of Sikkim to its north. 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 of the country.

The territory of modern Bangladesh was a stronghold of many Buddhist and Hindu dynasties in ancient history. Following the Muslim conquest in 1204, the region saw Sultanate and Mughal rule. During the Mughal period, particularly under the Bengal Subah, the region emerged as one of the most prosperous and commercially active parts of the empire, known for its thriving textile industry and agricultural productivity. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked the beginning of British colonial rule for the following two centuries. In the aftermath of the Partition of British India in 1947, East Bengal became the eastern and most populous wing of the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan and was later renamed to East Pakistan. Following over two decades of political repression and systematic racism from the West Pakistan-based government, East Pakistan experienced a civil war in 1971; ultimately leading to a war for independence. The Mukti Bahini, with assistance from Indian forces, waged a successful armed revolution; and at the expense of a genocide, Bangladesh became a sovereign nation on 16 December 1971. Post-Independence, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the country until his assassination in 1975. Presidency was later transferred to Ziaur Rahman, who himself was assassinated in 1981. The 1980s was dominated by the dictatorship of Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who was overthrown in a mass uprising in 1990. Following the democratisation in 1991, the "Battle of the Begums" between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina defined the country's politics for the next three decades. Hasina was overthrown in a student–led mass uprising in August 2024, and an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. (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 in Lahore hired Narayan as an accompanist for vocalists in 1944. Narayan relocated to Delhi following the partition of India in 1947, and 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 1The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 2Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 4A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 6The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 7Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 8Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 9Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 10Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 12Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 13The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 14India'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 15Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 16A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17The 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 18A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 20Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 21The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 22Detail 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 23Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25The 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 26Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 29Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 30Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 31Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 32Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 33Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 34Korean 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 35Hinduism 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 36Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 37Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 38The 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 39British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 40Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 44Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 45Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 46The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 47East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 49Detail 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 50Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 52The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 53A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 54The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 55the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 56Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 57The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 58Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 59Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 60The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 61Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 62Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 63Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 64Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 65Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 66Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 67The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 68Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 69Some 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)

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Featured picture

Mount Everest

Credit: Luca Galuzzi

The north face of Mount Everest, as seen from Tibet. Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, as measured by the height of its summit above sea level, which is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). In 1865, Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society upon recommendation of Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India at the time.

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Did you know...

... that Hong Kong actress and beauty pageant winner Louisa Mak is a Cambridge law graduate?
... that interfaith greetings in Indonesia include phrases from Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism?
... that Singaporean swimmer Marc Tay served in the Gulf War as an eye surgeon?
... that Mohammad Bhar, a Palestinian man with Down syndrome and autism, died following a dog attack in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war?
... that North Korean child prodigy Ri Jong-yol defected to South Korea after winning silver at the 2016 International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong?
... that a popular vote declared sobá, an adaption of Okinawa soba introduced by Japanese immigrants, to be the most representative dish of the Brazilian city of Campo Grande?
... that abused Overseas Filipino Workers accused the former chargé d'affaires of the Philippine embassy in Damascus of neglecting them while he was regularly partying with handsome Syrians?
... that Japanese electronic musician Camellia began producing music at the age of ten using his mother's computer?
... that in 2010 the Indonesian National Armed Forces brought a retired brigadier general before a military tribunal over a land dispute?
... that in the 1920s, Australian journalist E. George Marks predicted military conflict in the Pacific between Japan and the United States?

Updated: 21:05, 24 June 2025

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In the news

25 June 2025 – Gaza war: Israeli forces kill at least 31 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, with at least 10 of those killed while seeking aid. (Al Jazeera); Seven Israeli soldiers are killed in Khan Yunis when an explosive device affixed to their armored vehicle detonated. (AP)
24 June 2025 – Middle Eastern crisis: Iran–Israel war; Airstrikes during the Iran–Israel war; Israel continues to launch airstrikes on Iran while Iran launches a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel despite the United States claiming a ceasefire had been reached between the warring sides. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian); Nine people are killed in an Israeli airstrike on residential units in Gilan, Iran. The attack also injured 33 people, including 16 women and children, with five requiring hospital treatment. (Al Jazeera)

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Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: Benh Lieu Song

The Ratchaprasong and Sukhumvit skylines of Bangkok, the capital of and largest city in Thailand, with Lumphini Park in the center, as viewed from the Sathon District. Known in Thai as Krung Thep ("city of angels"), it became the capital in 1768 after the destruction of Ayutthaya by Burmese invaders.