Portal:Asia

The Asia Portal

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 kilometers, 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 civilizations. 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. It is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East–West cultural, linguistic, and ethnic differences, some of which vary on a spectrum rather than with a sharp dividing line. 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.

China and India alternated in being the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power and attracted many to the east, and for many the legendary wealth and prosperity of the ancient culture of India personified Asia, attracting European commerce, exploration and colonialism. The accidental discovery of a trans-Atlantic route from Europe to America by Columbus while in search for a route to India demonstrates this deep fascination. The Silk Road became the main east–west trading route in the Asian hinterlands while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, as well as many other religions. (Full article...)

Featured article

B-29 Superfortress bombers dropping incendiary bombs on Yokohama in May 1945

During World War II, Allied forces conducted air raids on Japan from 1942 to 1945, causing extensive destruction to the country's cities and killing between 241,000 and 900,000 people. During the first years of the Pacific War these attacks were limited to the Doolittle Raid in April 1942 and small-scale raids on military positions in the Kuril Islands from mid-1943. Strategic bombing raids began in June 1944 and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. Allied naval and land-based tactical air units also attacked Japan during 1945.

The United States Army Air Forces campaign against Japan began in earnest in mid-1944 and intensified during the war's last months. While plans for attacks on Japan had been prepared prior to the Pacific War, these could not begin until the long-range Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber was ready for combat. From June 1944 until January 1945, B-29s stationed in India staged through bases in China to make a series of nine raids on targets in western Japan, but this effort proved ineffective. The strategic bombing campaign was greatly expanded from November 1944 when bases in the Mariana Islands became available as a result of the Mariana Islands Campaign. Initial attempts to target industrial facilities using high-altitude daylight "precision" bombing were largely ineffective. From February 1945, the bombers switched to low-altitude night firebombing against urban areas as much of the manufacturing process was carried out in small workshops and private homes: this approach resulted in large-scale urban damage and high civilian casualties. Aircraft flying from Allied aircraft carriers and the Ryukyu Islands also frequently struck targets in Japan during 1945 in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan scheduled for October 1945. During early August 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were struck and mostly destroyed by atomic bombs. (Full article...)

List of Featured articles

Selected Country

Japan (Japanese: 日本, [ɲihoɴ] ^ⓘ, Nippon or Nihon, and formally 日本国, Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku) is an island country in East Asia. It is in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands, with the five main islands being Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the country's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Japan has over 125 million inhabitants and is the 11th most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its highly urbanized population on narrow coastal plains. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Japan has the world's highest life expectancy, although it is experiencing a population decline due to its very low birth rate. (Full article...)

List of selected countries

Featured biography

Bust of Shen at the Beijing Ancient Observatory

Shen Kuo (Chinese: 沈括; 1031–1095) or Shen Gua, courtesy name Cunzhong (存中) and pseudonym Mengqi (now usually given as Mengxi) Weng (夢溪翁), was a Chinese polymath, scientist, and statesman of the Song dynasty (960–1279). Shen was a master in many fields of study including mathematics, optics, and horology. In his career as a civil servant, he became a finance minister, governmental state inspector, head official for the Bureau of Astronomy in the Song court, Assistant Minister of Imperial Hospitality, and also served as an academic chancellor. At court his political allegiance was to the Reformist faction known as the New Policies Group, headed by Chancellor Wang Anshi (1021–1085).

In his Dream Pool Essays or Dream Torrent Essays (夢溪筆談; Mengxi Bitan) of 1088, Shen was the first to describe the magnetic needle compass, which would be used for navigation (first described in Europe by Alexander Neckam in 1187). Shen discovered the concept of true north in terms of magnetic declination towards the north pole, with experimentation of suspended magnetic needles and "the improved meridian determined by Shen's [astronomical] measurement of the distance between the pole star and true north". This was the decisive step in human history to make compasses more useful for navigation, and may have been a concept unknown in Europe for another four hundred years (evidence of German sundials made circa 1450 show markings similar to Chinese geomancers' compasses in regard to declination). (Full article...)

List of Featured biographies

General images

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

Image 1The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 2Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 3Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 4Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 6Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 8Projected GDP of 7 largest economies in 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 9Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 10Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 12Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 13Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 14Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 17The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 18Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 20The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 21The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 23British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 24The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 26The 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 27Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28Hinduism 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 29The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 30Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 32The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 33Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 34Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 35A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 36Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 37A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 38Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 39The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 40Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 41Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 42Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 43The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 44East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 45The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 46Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 47Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 48Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 49The 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 50Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 52Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 53Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 54The 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 55Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 56Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 57Korean 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 58Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 59The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 60Some 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 61India'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 62Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 63Detail 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 64Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 65Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 66Detail 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 67A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)

Featured picture

Scene from the Ramayana

Ramayana

Credit: Sahibdin

A scene from the Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic. Depicted here are several stages of the War of Lanka, with the monkey army of the protagonist Rama (top left, blue figure) fighting the demon army of the king of Lanka, Ravana, to save Rama's kidnapped wife Sita. The three-headed figure of the demon general Trisiras occurs in several places – most dramatically at the bottom left, where he is shown beheaded by Hanuman.

Did you know...

... that the album series Jingle Cats spawned Jingle Dogs, Jingle Babies, and a Japanese video game in which "the object is to breed and care for cats, which begin to sing when they're done copulating"?
... that fourteenth-century Buddhist monk Tuệ Tĩnh is referred to as a founding father of traditional Vietnamese medicine?
... that Indian cricketer Mukundrao Pai's altercation with a British army major, J. G. Greig, resulted in the Bombay Quadrangular introducing neutral umpires in 1916?
... that the Central Asian Orogenic Belt is a leading laboratory of geologically recent crustal growth?
... that eight years after the U.S. Army canceled the M8 Armored Gun System, the 82nd Airborne Division requested that prototypes from the program be sent to Iraq?
... that medieval Muslim historians blamed al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah for the loss of much of Palestine to the crusaders but, in reality, he played no role in the Fatimid government during that period?
... that the Akademia Nasionala del Ladino in Israel is dedicated to preserving the Judaeo-Spanish language?
... that the Kokawa-dera Engi Emaki, a 12th-century Japanese painted handscroll, was partly burned in a fire, and also partly damaged at the edges?
... that the calling patterns of the Japanese tree frog have been used in wireless network design, furthering an area of science known as swarm intelligence?
... that despite losing almost one thousand men capturing Malacca in 1641, the Dutch East India Company did not invest much time or energy into it afterward?

Updated: 6:33, 15 January 2024

In the news

15 January 2024 – Palestinian political violence: A woman is killed and 18 are severely injured in a stabbing and vehicle-ramming attack by two Palestinian illegal workers from Hebron in Ra'anana, Israel. (Haaretz)
15 January 2024 – Spillover from the 2023 Israel–Hamas war: Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war; The Iranian-backed Houthi movement launch an attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged, United States-owned and operated bulk carrier Gibraltar Eagle. (AP)
15 January 2024 – Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present): An Israeli woman and her son are killed by an anti-tank missile which penetrated their home in Yuval in the Galilee near the Israel-Lebanon border. (BBC News)
15 January 2024 – 2023–24 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season: Cyclone Belal hits the Indian Ocean with flooding affecting Réunion and Mauritius. (BBC News
15 January 2024 – Foreign relations of Taiwan, Foreign relations of Nauru, One-China policy: Nauru withdraws recognition of Taiwan and establishes relations with China. (Reuters)

More current events...

Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Surroundings

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

Selected panorama

150pxTaj Mahal world heritage site in Agra, India.

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.

Topics

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Commons
Free media repository
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals
Wikidata
Free knowledge base
Wikinews
Free-content news
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations
Wikisource
Free-content library
Wikiversity
Free learning tools
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus

More portals

Discover Wikipedia using portals

Shortcuts to this page: Asia portal • P:ASIA

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.