Portal:Asia

More information List of Featured articles, List of selected countries ...

Main

Geography

Projects

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...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

edit

Featured article

Eastern Hemisphere in AD 50, the middle of the first century

Between the Roman Empire and the Han dynasty, as well as between the later Eastern Roman Empire and various successive Chinese dynasties, there were (primarily indirect) contacts and flows of trade goods, information, and occasional travellers. These empires inched progressively closer to each other in the course of the Roman expansion into ancient Western Asia and of the simultaneous Han military incursions into Central Asia. Mutual awareness remained low, and firm knowledge about each other was limited. Surviving records document only a few attempts at direct contact. Intermediate empires such as the Parthians and Kushans, seeking to maintain control over the lucrative silk trade, inhibited direct contact between the two ancient Eurasian powers. In 97 AD, the Chinese general Ban Chao tried to send his envoy Gan Ying to Rome, but Parthians dissuaded Gan from venturing beyond the Persian Gulf. Ancient Chinese historians recorded several alleged Roman emissaries to China. The first one on record, supposedly either from the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius or from his adopted son Marcus Aurelius, arrived in 166 AD. Others are recorded as arriving in 226 and 284 AD, followed by a long hiatus until the first recorded Byzantine embassy in 643 AD.

The indirect exchange of goods on land along the Silk Road and sea routes involved (for example) Chinese silk, Roman glassware and high-quality cloth. Roman coins minted from the 1st century AD onwards have been found in China, as well as a coin of Maximian (Roman emperor from 286 to 305 AD) and medallions from the reigns of Antoninus Pius (r. 138–161 AD) and Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180 AD) in Jiaozhi (in present-day Vietnam), the same region at which Chinese sources claim the Romans first landed. Roman glassware and silverware have been discovered at Chinese archaeological sites dated to the Han period (202 BC to 220 AD). Roman coins and glass beads have also been found in the Japanese archipelago. (Full article...)

List of Featured articles

edit

Selected Country

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of about 52 million, of which half live in the Seoul metropolitan area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world, with other major cities being Busan, Daegu, and Incheon.

The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period. Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early seventh century BC. From the mid first century BC, various polities consolidated into the rival kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. The lattermost eventually unified most of the peninsula for the first time in the late seventh century AD, while Balhae succeeded Goguryeo in the north. The Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) achieved lasting unification and established the basis for the modern Korean identity. The subsequent Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) generated cultural, economic, and scientific achievements and also established isolationism starting from the mid-17th century. The succeeding Korean Empire (1897–1910) sought modernization and reform but was annexed in 1910 into the Empire of Japan. Japanese rule ended following Japan's surrender in World War II, after which Korea was divided into two zones: the Soviet-occupied northern zone and the United States-occupied southern zone. (Full article...)

List of selected countries

edit

Featured biography

Amir Hamzah, c. 1928–1937

Tengku Amir Hamzah (February 1911 – 20 March 1946) was an Indonesian poet and National Hero of Indonesia. Born into a Malay aristocratic family in the Sultanate of Langkat in North Sumatra, he was educated in both Sumatra and Java. While attending senior high school in Surakarta around 1930, Amir became involved with the nationalist movement and fell in love with a Javanese schoolmate, Ilik Sundari. Even after Amir continued his studies in legal school in Batavia (now Jakarta) the two remained close, only separating in 1937 when Amir was recalled to Sumatra to marry the sultan's daughter and take on responsibilities of the court. Though unhappy with his marriage, he fulfilled his courtly duties. After Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945, he served as the government's representative in Langkat. The following year he was killed in a social revolution led by the PESINDO (Pemuda Sosialis Indonesia), and buried in a mass grave.

Amir began writing poetry while still a teenager: though his works are undated, the earliest are thought to have been written when he first travelled to Java. Drawing influences from his own Malay culture and Islam, as well as from Christianity and Eastern literature, Amir wrote 50 poems, 18 pieces of lyrical prose, and numerous other works, including several translations. In 1932 he co-founded the literary magazine Poedjangga Baroe. After his return to Sumatra, he stopped writing. Most of his poems were published in two collections, Nyanyi Sunyi (1937) and Buah Rindu (1941), first in Poedjangga Baroe then as stand-alone books. (Full article...)

List of Featured biographies

edit

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

edit

Featured picture

Cappadocia

Credit: Mila Zinkova

The town of Ortahisar in Cappadocia, a region in central Turkey famous for its fairy chimneys, rock formations that may reach 40 m (130 ft) in height. Over thousands of years, wind and rain have eroded layers of consolidated volcanic ash to form the area's landscape. Early occupants of the area dug tunnels into the exposed rock face to build residences, stores, and churches, now home to Byzantine artwork.

More selected pictures

edit

Did you know...

... that there was a baseball match between the two most common surnames in Japan?
... that Draken is the tallest, fastest, and joint-steepest roller coaster in South Korea?
... that swimmer Jin Hao competed in eight events, the most of any participant, during the 2001 National Games of China, causing him to lose 4 kilograms (8.8 lb)?
... that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder and first president of Bangladesh, experienced his birthday in jail eight times?
... that anti-Korean sentiment, due to South Korea's economic growth, motivated Djuna to write the sci-fi novel Counterweight?
... that a museum in Malaysia has more than 80,000 products from McDonald's?
... that texting someone a poop emoji in Japan is a way to wish them good luck?
... that Amit Mekel served in Cairo, São Paulo, Brussels and Los Angeles, before becoming the Israeli ambassador to Paraguay?
... that wrestler Din Mohammad celebrated his gold medal at the Asian Games by riding an elephant?
... that in 2023, Chinese Coast Guardsman Wang Xiaolong was officially declared a Martyr?

Updated: 1:05, 29 March 2026

edit

In the news

28 March 2026 – Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present): 2026 Iran war; 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates; Emirates Global Aluminium reports that one of its facilities in Abu Dhabi sustained significant damage and several injuries during missile and drone attacks attributed to Iran. (AFP via The Times of Israel); Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar says that Iran has allowed 20 more ships from Pakistan to cross the Strait of Hormuz. (Arab News PK); Iraq in the 2026 Iran war; An airstrike in Kirkuk, Iraq, hits a base of the Popular Mobilization Forces, killing one member and injuring four others. (AFP via LBCI)

More current events...

edit

Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

edit

Selected panorama

Credit: Benh LIEU SONG

The Central Area of Singapore surrounded by the perimeter of five planning areas: the Marina Bay, the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South and Straits View. The area surrounding the bay itself, also called Marina Bay, is a 360 hectare extension to the adjacent CBD. It is also the new downtown of Singapore built on reclaimed land.