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_without_New_Guinea.svg) Asia (/ˈeɪʒə/ ⓘAY-zhə,UK also/ˈeɪʃə/AY-shə) is the largestcontinent 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 thehuman population, was the site of many of thefirst civilisations. Its 4.7 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the world's population. Asia shares thelandmass ofEurasia withEurope, and ofAfro-Eurasia with both Europe andAfrica. In general terms, it is bounded on the east by thePacific Ocean, on the south by theIndian Ocean, and on the north by theArctic Ocean. The border of Asia with Europe is ahistorical and cultural construct, as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them. A commonly accepted division places Asia to the east of theSuez Canal separating it from Africa; and to the east of theTurkish straits, theUral Mountains andUral River, and to the south of theCaucasus Mountains and theCaspian andBlack 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 inclassical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflectsEast–West cultural differences, some of which vary on a spectrum. (Full article...) Featured articleMysore (/maɪˈsɔːr/ ⓘmy-SOR),officiallyMysuru (Kannada:[ˈmaɪˈsuːɾu]ⓘ), is a city in thesouthern Indian state ofKarnataka. It is the headquarters ofMysore district andMysore division. As the traditional seat of theWadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore for almost six centuries (1399 to 1947). Known for itsheritage structures, palaces (such as the famousMysore Palace), and itsculture, Mysore has been called the "City of Palaces", the "Heritage City", and the "Cultural capital of Karnataka". It is thesecond-most populous city in the state and one of thecleanest cities in India according to theSwachh Survekshan. Mysore is situated at the foothills of theChamundi Hills. At an altitude of 770 m (2,530 ft) abovemean sea level, the city of Mysore is geographically located at 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is about 140 km (87.0 mi) southwest of the state's capital,Bangalore, and spreads across an area of 156 km2 (60 sq mi) (city and neighbouring census towns). The population of the city combined with its neighbouring towns in its metropolitan area is about 1,288,000 in 2023. (Full article...) Selected Country India, officially theRepublic of India, is a country inSouth Asia. It is theseventh-largest country by area; themost populous country since 2023; and, since its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by theIndian Ocean on the south, theArabian Sea on the southwest, and theBay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders withPakistan to the west;China,Nepal, andBhutan to the north; andBangladesh andMyanmar to the east. In theIndian Ocean, India is nearSri Lanka and theMaldives; itsAndaman and Nicobar Islands share amaritime border with Myanmar,Thailand, andIndonesia. Modern humans arrived on theIndian subcontinent fromAfrica no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, predominantly in isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse.Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of theIndusriver basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into theIndus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE, anarchaic form ofSanskrit, anIndo-European language, haddiffused into India from the northwest.Its hymns recorded theearly dawnings ofHinduism in India. India's pre-existingDravidian languages were supplanted in the northern regions. By 400 BCE,caste had emerged within Hinduism, andBuddhism andJainism had arisen, proclaimingsocial orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knitMaurya andGupta Empires. Widespread creativity suffused this era, but the status of women declined, anduntouchability became an organised belief. InSouth India, theMiddle kingdoms exported Dravidian language scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms ofSoutheast Asia. (Full article...) Featured biography Antiochus XII's portrait on the obverse of atetradrachm, wearing the royaldiadem Antiochus XII Dionysus Epiphanes Philopator Callinicus (Ancient Greek:Ἀντίοχος Διόνυσος Ἐπιφανής Φιλοπάτωρ Καλλίνικος; between 124 and 109 BC – 82 BC) was aHellenisticSeleucid monarch who reigned asKing of Syria between 87 and 82 BC. The youngest son ofAntiochus VIII and, most likely, his Egyptian wifeTryphaena, Antiochus XII lived during a period of civil war between his father and his uncleAntiochus IX, which ended with the assassination of Antiochus VIII in 96 BC. Antiochus XII's four brothers laid claim to the throne, eliminated Antiochus IX as a claimant, and waged war against his heirAntiochus X. By 87 BC, only two claimants remained, both brothers of Antiochus XII:Demetrius III andPhilip I. The realm of Demetrius III was initially centered in Damascus but later extended over most of Syria. Demetrius III was defeated by Philip I and went into exile inParthia, allowing Antiochus XII to gain control of Damascus while Philip I remained in the Syrian capitalAntioch. Antiochus XII consolidated his territory within inner Syria and did not seek to expand into the territories of Philip I, who attempted to annex Damascus but was repulsed. Antiochus XII focused his attention on Syria's southern reaches into which theJudaeans andNabataeans sought to expand. (Full article...) General imagesThe following are images from various Asia-related articles on Wikipedia.
Featured picture Credit: Sergey Pesterev Gosaikunda is an alpine freshwateroligotrophiclake inNepal'sLangtang National Park, located at an altitude of 4,380 m (14,370 ft) in theRasuwa District with a surface of 13.8 ha (34 acres). Did you know...
Updated: 1:05, 23 November 2025 In the news
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Baalbek is a town in theBeqaa Valley ofLebanon situated east of theLitani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of theRoman period, when Baalbek, then known asHeliopolis, was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire. TopicsCategories Select [►] to view subcategories Associated WikimediaThe followingWikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
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