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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 article Temples and pagodas in Bagan Bagan (/bəˈɡæn/bə-GAN;Burmese:ပုဂံBăgam[bəɡàɰ̃]; formerlyPagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in theMandalay Region ofMyanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of thePagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that would later constitute Myanmar. During the kingdom's height between the 11th and 13th centuries, more than 10,000Buddhist temples,pagodas andmonasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains alone, of which the remains of over 2200 temples and pagodas survive. TheBagan Archaeological Zone is a main attraction forthe country's nascent tourism industry. (Full article...) Selected Country Myanmar, officially theRepublic of the Union of Myanmar and also referred to asBurma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwestSoutheast Asia. It is the largest country by area inMainland Southeast Asia and has a population of about 55 million. It is bordered byIndia andBangladesh to the northwest,China to the northeast,Laos andThailand to the east and southeast, and theAndaman Sea and theBay of Bengal to the south and southwest. The country's capital city isNaypyidaw, while itslargest city isYangon (formerly Rangoon). Early civilisations in the area included theTibeto-Burman-speakingPyu city-states inUpper Myanmar and theMon kingdoms inLower Myanmar. In the 9th century, theBamar people entered the upperIrrawaddy valley, and following the establishment of thePagan Kingdom in the 1050s, theBurmese language andculture andTheravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country. ThePagan Kingdom fell toMongol invasions, and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by theTaungoo dynasty, the country became the largest empire in thehistory of Southeast Asia for a short period. The early 19th-centuryKonbaung dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlledAssam, theLushai Hills, andManipur as well. The BritishEast India Company seized control of the administration of Myanmar after threeAnglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century, and the country became aBritish colony. After a briefJapanese occupation, Myanmar was reconquered by the Allies. On 4 January 1948, Myanmar declaredindependence under the terms of theBurma Independence Act 1947. (Full article...) Featured biography Posthumous portrait Du Fu (Chinese:杜甫;pinyin:Dù Fǔ;Wade–Giles:Tu Fu; 712–770) was a Chinese poet of theTang dynasty, known as the "Poet-Historian" and the "Poet-Sage". Together withLi Bai, Du is regarded as one of greatest poets in Chinese history. Although he aspired to serve the state as a civil official, he never achieved political success. His life, like that of the Tang dynasty, was profoundly shaped by theAn Lushan Rebellion, and his final years were marked by hardship and displacement. Nearly fifteen hundred of Du’s poems have survived, exerting a profound influence on both Chinese and Japanese literary traditions. (Full article...) General imagesThe following are images from various Asia-related articles on Wikipedia.
Featured picture Credit: Pratheepps TheToda people are a small pastoral tribe of less than 1,000 people who reside in theNilgiri hills of SouthernIndia. Shown here is a typical Toda hut, about 3 m (10 ft.) high, 5.5 m (18 ft.) long and 2.7 m (9 ft.) wide. They are built of bamboo fastened with rattan and thatched. The hut has only a tiny (about 0.9 x 0.9 m, 3 x 3 ft.) entrance at the front, which serves as protection from wild animals. Did you know...
Updated: 1:05, 14 February 2026 In the news
Related portalsMajor Religions in Asia Middle East (West Asia) Central Asia and Caucasus Indian Subcontinent Southeast Asia East Asia Selected panorama
TheIndus River (locally calledSindhu) is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in theTibetan Plateau in the vicinity ofLake Manasarovar, the river runs a course through theLadakh region ofJammu and Kashmir, India, towards theGilgit-Baltistan region ofKashmir and theHindukush ranges, and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into theArabian Sea near the port city ofKarachi inSindh. TopicsCategories Select [►] to view subcategories Associated WikimediaThe followingWikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
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