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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 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 traded places as the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power for much of recorded history, with the highest GDP per capita until 1500. 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...)

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Karnataka (/kərˈnɑːtəkə/; ISO: Karnāṭaka, Kannada: [kɐɾˈnaːʈɐkɐ]), also known colloquially as Karunāḍu, is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, and renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state is bordered by the Lakshadweep Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth-largest state by population, comprising 31 districts. With 15,257,000 residents, the state capital Bangalore is the fourth-most populated city in India.

The economy of Karnataka is one of the most productive in comparison to other states in the country, with ₹20.5 trillion (US$260 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹305,000 (US$3,800). The state of Karnataka has one of the highest economic growth rates comparatively to other states in the country, with a GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) growth of 9.5% in the 2021–22 fiscal year. After Bangalore Urban, Dakshina Kannada, Hubli-Dharwad, and Belagavi districts contribute the highest revenue to the state respectively. The capital of the state, Bangalore, is known as the Silicon Valley of India, for its immense contributions to the country's information technology sector. A total of 1,973 companies in the state were found to have been involved in the IT sector as of 2007. (Full article...)

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China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the world's second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land. With an area of nearly 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third-largest country by total land area. The country is divided into 33 province-level divisions: 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two semi-autonomous special administrative regions. Beijing is the country's capital, while Shanghai is its most populous city by urban area and largest financial center.

China is considered one of the cradles of civilization: the first human inhabitants in the region arrived during the Paleolithic; by the late second millennium BCE, the earliest dynastic states had emerged in the Yellow River basin. The eighth to third centuries BCE saw a breakdown in the authority of the Zhou dynasty, accompanied by the emergence of administrative and military techniques, literature, philosophy, and historiography. In 221 BCE, China was unified under an emperor for the first time. Appointed non-hereditary officials began ruling counties instead of the aristocracy, ushering in more than two millennia of imperial dynasties including the Qin, Han, Tang, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. With the invention of gunpowder and paper, the establishment of the Silk Road, and the building of the Great Wall, Chinese culture—including languages, traditions, architecture, philosophy and technology—flourished and has heavily influenced both its neighbors and lands further afield. However, China began to cede parts of the country in the late 19th century to various European powers by a series of unequal treaties. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Unas being suckled by an unknown goddess. Egyptian Museum

Unas /ˈjuːnəs/ or Wenis, also spelled Unis (Ancient Egyptian: wnjs, hellenized form Oenas /ˈiːnəs/ or Onnos), was a pharaoh, the ninth and last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. Unas reigned for 15 to 30 years in the mid-24th century BC (circa 2345–2315 BC), succeeding Djedkare Isesi, who might have been his father.

Little is known of Unas' activities during his reign, which was a time of economic decline. Egypt maintained trade relations with the Levantine coast and Nubia, and military action may have taken place in southern Canaan. The growth and decentralization of the administration in conjunction with the lessening of the king's power continued under Unas, ultimately contributing to the collapse of the Old Kingdom some 200 years later. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 2The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 3Projected GDP of 7 largest economies in 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 4Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 6Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 8The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 9Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 10Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 11Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 12The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 13East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 14Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 15Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 16Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 17Detail 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 18Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 20A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 23The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 24the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 25Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 26A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (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 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 30Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 31The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (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 33Korean 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 34Some 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 35Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 36Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 37The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 38India'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 39The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 40A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 41Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 43Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 44Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 45Detail 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 46Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 47Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 49Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 50Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 52The 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 53Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 54Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 55The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 56Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 57The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 58Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 59The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 60Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 61Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 62The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 63Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 64The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 65Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 66The 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 67A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 68British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 69Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)

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Featured picture

Malé

Credit: Shahee Ilyas

An aerial photo of Malé, the capital of the Republic of Maldives. Malé is located on Malé Island in the Kaafu Atoll, but administratively it is not considered part of Kaafu. The island is heavily urbanised, with the city, one of the most densely populated in the world, taking up essentially its entire landmass.

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Did you know...

... that although he was a former Indonesian prime minister, Soekiman Wirjosandjojo was not arrested during a political purge as he was considered a non-threat?
... that Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, India's second Muslim president, was also the second Indian president to die in office?
... that the Empire of Japan turned a Korean royal cemetery at what is now Hyochang Park into a golf course?
... that Levantine Arabic is often written in Hebrew characters online by Bedouin, Arab Christians, and Druze in Israel?
... that Ein Samiya, which provides the water for Taybeh, the first beer brewed in Palestine, was depopulated in 2023 after harassment by neighboring Israeli settlers?
... that the popularity of "10 Minutes" by Korean singer Lee Hyori led to 2003 being dubbed the "year of Hyori" by domestic media?
... that Sun Haiyan is the first Chinese ambassador to Singapore who was not a member of the Foreign Ministry of China?
... that University of Nebraska alumnus M. Khalid Roashan helped draft the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan?
... that the Pakistani film Shehr e Tabassum was the first animated cyberpunk film to be made by an Urdu development team?
... that the Te'omim Cave in Israel was home to a Bronze Age alabaster quarry, a refuge cave during the Jewish–Roman wars, and a possible center for necromantic activity in late antiquity?

Updated: 6:33, 14 February 2024

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In the news

20 July 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip; At least 37 Palestinians are killed and 54 are injured in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, with the confirmed death toll surpassing 38,900 people. (Reuters) (Anandolu Ajansi)
20 July 2024 – Red Sea crisis: 2024 Israeli strikes on Yemen; Israeli airstrikes hit oil refineries and power stations in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, killing and wounding several people. (Al Jazeera)
20 July 2024 – 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement: The death toll from the ongoing protests in Bangladesh increases to 110 people. (Al Jazeera)
20 July 2024 – 2024 China floods: At least 12 people have died and 31 are missing after a bridge collapsed in Shanxi, China, following flash flooding. (CNN)

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Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Surroundings

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

The Indus River (locally called Sindhu) is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Manasarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, towards the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Kashmir and the Hindukush ranges, and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh.