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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 is part of 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. As continents are no natural formation its borders, particularly the land 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...)

Featured article

The word "Telugu" in the Telugu script

Telugu (/ˈtɛlʊɡuː/; తెలుగు, Telugu pronunciation: [ˈt̪eluɡu]) is a Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family, and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of the languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It is the fourteenth most spoken native language in the world. Modern Standard Telugu is based on the accent and dialect of erstwhile Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Coastal Andhra.

Telugu is also spoken in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and the union territories of Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also spoken by members of the Telugu diaspora spread across countries like the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Mauritius, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and others. Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the United States. It is also a protected language in South Africa and is offered as an optional third language in schools in KwaZulu-Natal province. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbekistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southwest, with a coastline along the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Astana, while the largest city and leading cultural and commercial hub is Almaty.

Kazakhstan is the world's ninth-largest country by land area and the largest landlocked country. Hilly plateaus and plains account for nearly half its vast territory, with lowlands composing another third; its southern and eastern frontiers are composed of low mountainous regions. Kazakhstan has a population of 20 million and one of the lowest population densities in the world, with fewer than 6 people per square kilometre (16 people/sq mi). Ethnic Kazakhs constitute a majority, while ethnic Russians form a significant minority. Officially secular, Kazakhstan is a Muslim-majority country with a sizeable Christian community. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Gold dinar minted in Aleppo in the name of Salih ibn Mirdas and recognizing the suzerainty of Fatimid caliph az-Zahir, 1028/29 CE

Abu Ali Salih ibn Mirdas (Arabic: ابو علي صالح بن مرداس, romanized: Abū ʿAlī Ṣāliḥ ibn Mirdās), also known by his laqab (honorific epithet) Asad al-Dawla ('Lion of the State'), was the founder of the Mirdasid dynasty and emir of Aleppo from 1025 until his death in May 1029. At its peak, his emirate (principality) encompassed much of the western Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia), northern Syria and several central Syrian towns. With occasional interruption, Salih's descendants ruled Aleppo for the next five decades.

Salih launched his career in 1008, when he seized the Euphrates river fortress of al-Rahba. In 1012, he was imprisoned and tortured by the emir of Aleppo, Mansur ibn Lu'lu'. Two years later he escaped, capturing Mansur in battle and releasing him for numerous concessions, including half of Aleppo's revenues. This cemented Salih as the paramount emir of his tribe, the Banu Kilab, many of whose chieftains had died in Mansur's dungeons. With his Bedouin warriors, Salih captured a string of fortresses along the Euphrates, including Manbij and Raqqa, by 1022. He later formed an alliance with the Banu Kalb and Banu Tayy tribes and supported their struggle against the Fatimids of Egypt. During this tribal rebellion, Salih annexed the central Syrian towns of Homs, Baalbek and Sidon, before conquering Fatimid-held Aleppo in 1025, bringing "to success the plan which guided his [Banu Kilab] forebears for a century", according to historian Thierry Bianquis. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 2Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 3The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 4Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 6Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 7Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 8The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 9Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 10The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 11The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 12Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 13Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 14Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 15Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 17East Asian cultural sphere (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 19Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture 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 21Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 23The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 24A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 26Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 27The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 28Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 29Detail 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 30The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 31Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 32Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 33The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 35British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 36The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 37Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 38Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 39Some 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 40India'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 41Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 42Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 43Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 44Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 45Detail 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 46The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 47The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 48Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 50The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 52Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 53Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 55A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 56Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 57The 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 58Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 59The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 60Korean 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 61Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 62Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 63Hinduism 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 64The 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 65The 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 66Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 67The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 68Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 69A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)

Featured picture

Nataraja

Credit: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Nataraja is a depiction of the Hindu god Shiva as the cosmic dancer Koothan who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for god Brahma to start the process of creation.

Did you know...

... that Bangladeshi singer Abanti Sithi has used plastic cups, foil paper and metal coins as musical instruments?
... that Mohammad Saifullah Ozaki, an academic in Japan born to a Hindu family in Bangladesh, became a leader in the Islamic State?
... that Singapore's first R-rated play was performed despite the police finding parts of it "offensive"?
... that El Salvador was the first country to recognize Manchukuo, apart from Japan?
... that the slave António Corea may have been the first Korean to visit Europe?
... that although Australia and New Zealand competed at the 2017 Asian Winter Games, they were ineligible to win medals?
... that the existence of Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues was accidentally leaked when it was displayed on an animator's résumé?
... that the New York City-based fashion label Sandy Liang is inspired by grandmothers in Chinatown, and often features Liang's own grandmother as a model?
... that Japanese Breakfast released versions of their song "Be Sweet" in both Korean and Simlish?
... that Wee Toon Boon remained a member of the Parliament of Singapore even after he began serving a prison sentence for corruption?

Updated: 23:05, 12 August 2025

In the news

13 August 2025 – Gaza war: Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip; Israeli forces launch a massive aerial bombardment of Gaza City, with 123 people killed in all of Gaza, amid reports that the Israeli Army is about to enter the city. (BBC News) (RTÉ News); Israeli reoccupation of the Gaza Strip; Israel's commander-in-chief Eyal Zamir approves the military occupation of the entire Gaza Strip. (The Jerusalem Post)
13 August 2025 – Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Two children and a woman are killed by a mortar in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, amidst fighting between the Pakistani military and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan fighters. (AP)
13 August 2025 – 2025 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Podul makes landfall in southern Taiwan, injuring 112 people, leaving one missing, causing hundreds of flight cancellations, thousands of evacuations, school closures and blackouts. (Al Jazeera) (Central News Agency)

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Major Religions in Asia

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Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

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East Asia

Selected panorama

The Taj Mahal (Hindi: ताज महल, from Persian/Urdu: تاج محل "crown of palaces") is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

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