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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 is part of 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. As continents are no natural formation its borders, particularly the land 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 its boundary with 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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Featured article

View of the destroyed city

Quneitra (also Al Qunaytirah, Qunaitira, or Kuneitra; Arabic: ٱلْقُنَيْطِرَة or ٱلْقُنَيطْرَة, al-Qunayṭrah or al-Qunayṭirah pronounced [æl qʊˈneɪ̯tˁ(ɨ)rɑ]) is the largely destroyed and abandoned capital of the Quneitra Governorate in south-western Syria. It is situated in a high valley in the Golan Heights at 1,010 metres (3,313 feet) above sea level. Since 1974, pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 350 and the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, the city is inside the UN-patrolled buffer zone.

Quneitra was founded in the Ottoman era as a way station on the caravan route to Damascus and subsequently became a garrison town of some 20,000 people. In 1946, it became part of the independent Syrian Republic within the Riff Dimashq Governorate and in 1964 became the capital of the split Quneitra Governorate. On 10 June 1967, the last day of the Six-Day War, Quneitra came under Israeli control. It was briefly recaptured by Syria during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, but Israel regained control in its subsequent counter-offensive. The city was almost completely destroyed by Israel before it withdrew in June 1974. Syria later refused to rebuild the city and actively discouraged resettlement in the area. Israel was heavily criticized by the United Nations for the city's destruction, while Israel has also criticized Syria for not rebuilding Quneitra. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as the occupied Palestinian territories. The territories share the vast majority of their borders with Israel, with the West Bank bordering Jordan to the east and the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt to the southwest. It has a total land area of 6,020 square kilometres (2,320 sq mi) while its population exceeds five million. Its proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, while Ramallah serves as its de facto administrative center. Gaza City was its largest city prior to evacuations in 2023.

Situated at a continental crossroad, the Palestine region was ruled by various empires and experienced various demographic changes from antiquity to the modern era. It was treading ground for the Nile and Mesopotamian armies and merchants from North Africa, China and India. The region has religious significance. The ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict dates back to the rise of the Zionist movement, supported by the United Kingdom during World War I. The war saw Britain occupying Palestine from the Ottoman Empire, where it set up Mandatory Palestine under the auspices of the League of Nations. Increased Jewish immigration led to intercommunal conflict between Jews and Palestinian Arabs, which escalated into a civil war in 1947 after a proposed partitioning by the United Nations was rejected by the Palestinians. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Mukerji in 2018

Rani Mukerji (Hindustani pronunciation: [raːni mʊkʰərdʒi]; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility in a range of genres from romantic comedies to crime dramas, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a National Film Award and eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and highest-paid actresses of the 2000s. Born into the Mukherjee-Samarth family, Mukerji dabbled with acting as a teenager by starring in her father Ram Mukherjee's Bengali-language film Biyer Phool and in the social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat (both 1996). Mukerji had her first commercial success with the action film Ghulam and breakthrough with the romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (both 1998). Following a brief setback, the year 2002 marked a turning point for her when she was cast by Yash Raj Films as the star of the drama Saathiya.

Mukerji established herself by starring in several commercially successful romantic films, including Chalte Chalte (2003), Hum Tum, Veer-Zaara (both 2004), and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), and the crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli (2005). She also gained praise for playing an abused wife in the political drama Yuva (2004) and a deaf and blind woman in the drama Black (2005). Mukerji's collaborations with Yash Raj Films from 2007 and 2010 produced several unsuccessful films and led critics to bemoan her choice of roles. This changed when she played a headstrong journalist in the biographical thriller No One Killed Jessica (2011). Further success came with the thrillers Talaash (2012), Mardaani (2014) and Mardaani 2 (2019), the comedy-drama Hichki (2018), which emerged as Mukerji's highest-grossing release, and the drama Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway (2023) for which she received the National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 2The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 3Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 4Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 5Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 6Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7The 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 8Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 9Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 10Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11Detail 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 12Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 13Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 14The 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 15Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 16The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 17Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 18The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 19Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 20Hinduism 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 21Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 23Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24Some 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 25Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 26The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 27Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 28British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 29A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 30A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 32Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 33Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34The 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 35Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 36India'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 37The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 38Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 39Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 40The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 41Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42Detail 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 43Korean 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 44The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 45The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 46The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 47Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 50Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 51The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 52Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 53Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 55The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 56A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 57The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 58Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 59Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 60Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 61The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 62Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 63East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 64the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 65The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 66Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 67Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 68Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 69Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)

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Featured picture

Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral

Credit: Diego Delso

Ceiling of the Sioni Cathedral, a Georgian Orthodox cathedral in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. The cathedral is situated in historic Sionis Kucha (Sioni Street) in downtown Tbilisi. It was initially built in the 6th and 7th centuries. Since then, it has been destroyed by foreign invaders and reconstructed several times. The current church is based on a 13th-century version with some changes from the 17th to 19th centuries. The Sioni Cathedral was the main Georgian Orthodox Cathedral and the seat of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia until the Holy Trinity Cathedral was consecrated in 2004..

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Did you know...

... that an Israeli diplomat was assassinated in Ankara just two days after diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey were fully established?
... that May You Stay Forever Young is the first Hong Kong film to be banned following the amendment of the Film Censorship Ordinance?
... that Ngiam Tong Dow negotiated Singapore's first and largest purchase of gold from South Africa in 1968 by comparing two halves of a United States one-dollar bill?
... that a Japanese town used its COVID-19 relief funds to build a statue of a squid?
... that the director of House of Ashes included both American and Iraqi protagonists because he felt that movies about conflicts tend to dehumanise people?
... that Oh Hee-ok was the last surviving female Korean independence activist?
... that according to Indian chef Imtiaz Qureshi, who is credited with reviving the cooking tradition of dum pukht, all biryanis are pulaos?
... that in the Russian Far East, there is a population of North Koreans in Kamchatka that now aligns itself with South Korea?
... that the first Indian-American mayor of Fremont, California, succeeded its first female and first Asian-American mayor?
... that nearing the end of his tenure as mayor of Tegal, Indonesia, Adi Winarso took part in a talkshow with his former political competitors?

Updated: 23:05, 5 August 2025

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In the news

5 August 2025 – 2025 Uttarakhand flash flood: At least four people are killed and around 100 others are reported missing after a massive cloudburst triggers flash floods in Dharali village, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India. (NDTV) (Hindustan Times)
5 August 2025 – Australia–Japan relations, Australian general purpose frigate program: Australian defence minister Richard Marles announces that the country will purchase eleven Mogami-class frigates from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to upgrade its Navy as the New FFM. (DW)
4 August 2025 – Gaza war: At least 74 Palestinians are killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes, including ten seeking aid, and another five Palestinians die of starvation. (Reuters) (Channel 4 News); Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip; Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that the Israeli government has decided to completely militarily occupy the Gaza Strip and fully eliminate Hamas, and tells Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir to resign. (Euronews)
4 August 2025 – 2025 Cambodia–Thailand border conflict, Cambodia–Thailand relations: Delegates from Cambodia and Thailand meet in Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair seat, to negotiate a long-term ceasefire at their border following clashes that killed dozens of people and displaced over 270,000 others. (AP)

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Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: Benh LIEU SONG

The Central Area of Singapore surrounded by the perimeter of five planning areas: the Marina Bay, the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South and Straits View. The area surrounding the bay itself, also called Marina Bay, is a 360 hectare extension to the adjacent CBD. It is also the new downtown of Singapore built on reclaimed land.