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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 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. 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 the boundary between 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...)

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1915 interpretation of Rus' Varangians and their longships in Gardariki, by Nicholas Roerich

The Caspian expeditions of the Rus' were military raids undertaken by the Rus' between the late 9th century and c. 1041 on the Caspian Sea shores, of what are nowadays Iran, Dagestan, and Azerbaijan. Initially, the Rus' appeared in Serkland in the 9th century travelling as merchants along the Volga trade route, selling furs, honey, and slaves. The first small-scale Viking raids took place in the late 9th and early 10th century. The Rus' undertook the first large-scale expedition in 913; having arrived on 500 ships, they pillaged in the Gorgan region, in the territory of present-day Iran, and more to the west, in Gilan and Mazandaran, taking slaves and goods. On their return, the northern raiders were attacked and defeated by the Khazars in the Volga Delta, and those who escaped were killed by the local tribes in the middle Volga.

During their next expedition in 943, the Rus' captured Bardha'a, the capital of Arran, in the modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan. The Rus' stayed there for several months, killing many inhabitants of the city and amassing substantial plunder. It was only an outbreak of dysentery among the Rus' that forced them to depart with their spoils. Sviatoslav, prince of Kiev, commanded the next attack, which destroyed the Khazar state in 965. Sviatoslav's campaign established the Rus's hold on the north-south trade routes, helping to alter the demographics of the region. Raids continued through the time period with the last Scandinavian attempt to reestablish the route to the Caspian Sea taking place in c. 1041 by Ingvar the Far-Travelled. (Full article...)

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Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Yerevan is the capital, largest city and financial center.

The Armenian Highlands has been home to the Hayasa-Azzi, Shupria and Nairi. By at least 600 BC, an archaic form of Proto-Armenian, an Indo-European language, had diffused into the Armenian Highlands. The first Armenian state of Urartu was established in 860 BC, and by the 6th century BC it was replaced by the Satrapy of Armenia. The Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great in the 1st century BC and in the year 301 became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. Armenia still recognises the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment. The ancient Armenian kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires around the early 5th century. Under the Bagratuni dynasty, the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was restored in the 9th century before falling in 1045. Cilician Armenia, an Armenian principality and later a kingdom, was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between the 11th and 14th centuries. (Full article...)

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Akhter Hameed Khan (Urdu: اختر حمید خان, pronounced [ˈəxt̪ər ɦəˈmiːd̪ xaːn]; 15 July 1914 – 9 October 1999) was a Pakistani-Bangladeshi development practitioner and social scientist. He promoted participatory rural development in West Pakistan, East Pakistan and other developing countries, and widely advocated community participation in development. His particular contribution was the establishment of a comprehensive project for rural development, the Comilla Model (1959). It earned him the Ramon Magsaysay Award from the Philippines and an honorary Doctorate of law from Michigan State University.

In the 1980s he started a bottom-up community development initiative of Orangi Pilot Project, based in the outskirts of Karachi, which became a model of participatory development initiatives. He also directed many programmes, from microcredit to self-finance and from housing provision to family planning, for rural communities and urban slums. It earned him international recognition and high honours in Pakistan. Khan was fluent in at least seven languages and dialects. Apart from many scholarly books and articles, he also published a collection of poems and travelogues in Urdu. (Full article...)

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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 2Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 3Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 4Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 5Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 6Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 7Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 8The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 9The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 10Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 12The 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 13Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 14Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16Detail 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 17Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 18East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 20The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 21Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 22The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 23Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 26India'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 27The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 28Political map of Asia in 1860 (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 30Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 31Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 32British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 33Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 35Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 36Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 37Hinduism 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 38Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 39Korean 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 40The 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 41Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 43Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 44the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 45A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 46Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 47Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 48The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 49A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 50Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 52Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 53Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 55Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 56Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 57Some 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 58The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 59The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 60Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 61Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 62A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 63Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 64Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 65The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 66Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 67The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 68Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 69Detail 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)

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Ascidiacea

Credit: Nick Hobgood

Nudibranch (Nembrotha lineolata) laying an egg spiral on a sea squirt (Polycarpa aurata) near Metinaro, East Timor.

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Did you know...

... that in South Africa's genocide case against Israel, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to "punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza?
... that Malinau Kota, Indonesia, with 31 percent of the population of Malinau Regency, is home to more than 70 percent of its registered restaurants?
... that a former teacher in the Philippines became a Robin Hood–like outlaw?
... that "Pantropiko" made Bini the first P-pop group to top the Billboard Philippines Songs chart?
... that Taiwanese long jumper Lin Yu-tang qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by switching out his broken track shoes between attempts?
... that the film Critical Zone was shot in secret by Ali Ahmadzadeh without permission from Iranian authorities?
... that Butt Drugs in Corydon, Indiana, had Butt Liquors and free parking in the rear?
... that in the lead-up to the 1997 Indonesian legislative election, Soewardi engaged in the "yellowization" of Central Java?
... that Dov Noy founded the Israel Folktale Archives, which have collected around 25,000 Jewish folk tales?
... that there is a dispute within the Indian communist movement on whether the Communist Party of India was founded in Tashkent in 1920 or Kanpur in 1925?

Updated: 21:05, 18 April 2025

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In the news

18 April 2025 – Red Sea crisis: US–UK airstrikes on Yemen; March–April 2025 United States attacks in Yemen; The Houthis say that American airstrikes targeted the Ras Isa port in Yemen, killing 74 people and wounding 171 others. This marks the single-deadliest known attack under President Donald Trump’s new campaign targeting the Houthis. (AP)
18 April 2025 – Persecution of Ahmadis: One man is killed in Karachi, Pakistan after a mob of radical Islamists attack the Ahmadiyya community. (DW)
18 April 2025 –: The Philippine National Police reports fifteen people, including eight minors, were killed in drownings across the Philippines during the Holy Week. (Philippine Daily Inquirer); The death toll of the capsized Hong Hai 16 three days ago off Occidental Mindoro, Philippines, rises to six. Five others are still missing. (GMA)

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Major Religions in Asia

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Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

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Selected panorama

Baalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis, was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire.