| Continent: Asia Population: 3,879,000.000 Surface: 43,820,000(km2) / 16,920,000 (mi2) Highest Point: Mount Everest (8,848m / 29,029f) Lowest Point: Dead Sea (-422m / 1,384f) | |
Asia is the largest continent on Earth, with a surface area of 43.810.000 square kilometers. That is 8,6% of the total Earth surface and 29,4% of the total Earth’s land area. The continent has over 3,97 billion inhabitants, which is 61% of the total world population. In the west, the continent is bounded by Europe and Africa. In the north by the Arctic Ocean, in the east and south east by the Pacific Ocean and in the south by the Indian Ocean. Asia and Europe are sometimes taken together as one continent called Eurasia. Because there is not an ocean between them. But when they are considered separate continents, the European-Asian border is formed by the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Ural river, the Greater Caucasus mountain range and a couple other water divides and straits. | |
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The Asian population consists of roughly three races: Indo-Europeans, Mongols (including the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans), Malaysians. The major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Shintoism) all arose in Asia. Most Asians are poor farmers that cultivate rice, wheat, tea and cotton. China, India and South Korea are developing their industries, but the only truly industrialized nation is Japan. Great cultures developed in Asia. Like those of Mesopotamia, Babylon and China. In the fifteenth century, Europeans started to visit and trade with Asia. At the end of last century, most of Asia was under European control, until Japan took South East Asia by force in the Second World War. After 1945 most European colonies became independent states. The far north of the continent is close to the north pole, while the south is at the equator. Therefore a diversity of climates can be found in Asia. Siberia, in the north, is cold and consists of mostly treeless tundra’s while Indonesia, in the south, has a tropical climate. Those different climates imply different sceneries. There are relaxing tropical beaches and deserts. But also jungles and icy regions. Natural attractions are the highest point of the world – the Mount Everest, the world’s lowest point – the shores of the Dead Sea and the largest and deepest lake of the world – the Caspian and Lake Baikal, respectively. Also seven of the twelve longest rivers in the world flow through Asia. Cultural attractions are the Great Wall of China and the temples of Angor Wat in Cambodia. Some cities are declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites, like Hoi An and Hue in Vietnam, Luang Prabang in Laos and Ayudhya in Thailand. The monuments and architecture in these cities make them well worth a visit. Sri Lanka has holy caves and temple ruins. Also the historical remains of more recent events can be viewed. Like the Vietcong tunnels (Cu Chi), the Killing Fields in Cambodia and The JEATH museum at the bridge over the river Khwae Yai (Kwai in the movie), where Dutch prisoners of war were forced to work. | |
CountriesAfghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (People`s Republic of ), Chinese Taipei, Cyprus, Georgia, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea (Democratic People`s Republic of), Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People`s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, | |