Portal:Asia

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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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Ukiyo-e (浮世絵) 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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Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel's western coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea, its southern tip reaches the Red Sea, and to the east is Earth's lowest point near the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is the government seat and proclaimed capital, while Tel Aviv is Israel's largest urban area and economic centre.

The Land of Israel, also called Palestine or the Holy Land, was home to the ancient Canaanites and later the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and Hasmonean Judea. Located near continental crossroads, its demographics shifted under various empires. 19th-century European antisemitism fuelled the Zionist movement for a Jewish homeland, which gained British support with the 1917 Balfour Declaration. After World War I, Britain occupied the region and established Mandatory Palestine. British rule and Jewish immigration in the leadup to the Holocaust intensified Arab-Jewish tensions, which escalated into a civil war after the 1947 United Nations (UN) Partition Plan. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Hasan al-Kharrat

Abu Muhammad Hasan al-Kharrat (1861 – 25 December 1925) was a Syrian revolutionary and one of the principal rebel commanders of the Great Syrian Revolt against the French Mandate. His main area of operations was in Damascus and its Ghouta countryside. He was killed in action during the revolt and is considered a hero by Syrians.

As the qabaday (local youths boss) of the al-Shaghour quarter of Damascus, al-Kharrat was connected with Nasib al-Bakri, a nationalist from the quarter's most influential family. At al-Bakri's invitation, al-Kharrat joined the revolt in August 1925 and formed a group of fighters from al-Shaghour and other neighborhoods in the vicinity. He led the rebel assault against Damascus, briefly capturing the residence of French High Commissioner of the Levant Maurice Sarrail before withdrawing amid heavy French bombardment. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 2A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 4Detail 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 5Hinduism 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 6The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 7Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 8Expansion of the Mongol Empire 1206-1294 (from History of Asia)
Image 9Some 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 10Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 11Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 12Korean 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 13Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 14Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 16The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 17The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 18Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 19The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 20Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established the Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 22British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 23Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 24Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (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 Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 29The 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 30A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 32Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 33Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south. (from History of Asia)
Image 34Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 35A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 36Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 37Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 38Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 39The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 40Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43Expansion of the Delhi Sultanate (from History of Asia)
Image 44Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 45The 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 46The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 47The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 50Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 52Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 53Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 55Political map of the world in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 56The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 57Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 58The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 59A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 60Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 61India's middle-class population of 300 million is growing at an annual rate of 5%. Shown here is the skyline in South Mumbai. (from Asian Century)
Image 62The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 63Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 64Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 65Byzantine and Sasanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 66Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 67Map of the Qing Empire in 1832 (from History of Asia)
Image 68Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)

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Featured picture

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

Credit: 3rd Class Benjamin D. Glass

A Navy HH-60H Seahawk helicopter, assigned to the "Golden Falcons" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Two (HS-2), delivers relief supplies at a mosque in the town of Meulaboh on the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Helicopters assigned to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) and Sailors from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are supporting Operation Unified Assistance, the humanitarian operation effort in the wake of the Tsunami that struck South East Asia.

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Did you know...

... that Vietnam War prisoner Edward A. Brudno was added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial decades after his death following a Department of Defense ruling?
... that in the history of fisheries in the Philippines, the once-dominant local municipal fisheries were supplanted first by commercial fisheries, and then by aquaculture?
... that some workers in Japan pay agencies to tell their employers that they are resigning?
... that the 14th-century Barquq Castle was damaged during the Israel–Hamas war?
... that a Chinese activist jet-skied 300 kilometres (190 mi) over 14 hours to escape to South Korea?
... that Japanese surgeon Hayari Miyake cured Albert Einstein of a tropical fever?
... that Daniel van der Meulen was dispatched to Saudi Arabia to urge Arab nations not to ally with Nazi Germany?
... that in South Africa's genocide case against Israel, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to "punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza?
... that University of Indonesia dean Sahati Suharto was sued by one of her expelled students?
... that five of the six people killed in the 2011 Cullman–Arab tornado were members of the same family?

Updated: 1:05, 13 June 2026

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In the news

13 June 2026 –: Five people are killed and another is seriously injured when an Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 aircraft crashes while landing in Jorhat, Assam, India. (The Indian Express)
12 June 2026 – 2026 Iran war: 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations; 2026 Iran war ceasefire; Pakistan in the 2026 Iran war; Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says that a ceasefire deal between Iran and the United States has a "final, agreed upon text" at ending the war. (CNBC); Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that a ceasefire deal with the U.S. to extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and launch negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program has "never been closer". (Axios)

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Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: Bluemangoa2z

The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.

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