Asia

Asia is the largest continent on Earth by area and number of people.^[1] It is mainly in the northern hemisphere. Asia is connected to Europe in the west and Africa on the south. Sometimes Asia and Europe are combined to form a larger continent called Eurasia.^[2] Some of the oldest human civilizations began in Asia, for example Sumer, China, and India. Asia was the birthplace of many religions, for example Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikhism. It was also home to some large empires, for example the Persian Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Mongol Empire, and the Ming Empire. Asia has 48 countries. Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Greece have territory in both Europe and Asia.