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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 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

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili Motang. The largest extant population lives within the Komodo National Park in Eastern Indonesia. It is the largest extant species of lizard, with the males growing to a maximum length of 3 m (10 ft) and weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb).

As a result of their size and group hunting behavior, both exceptional among reptiles, Komodo dragons are apex predators, dominating the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey consisting of small prey like invertebrates or birds for juveniles and larger mammals for adults, occasionally even attacking humans. The diet of adult Komodo dragons mainly consists of Javan rusa and feral pigs, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is its capital and most populous city with a population of 1.24 million people. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east and is narrowly separated from Pakistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor. It has a population of more than 10.9 million people.

The territory was previously home to cultures of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, including the Oxus civilisation in west, with the Indo-Iranians arriving during the Andronovo culture. Parts of country were part of the Sogdian and Bactrian civilisations, and was ruled by those including the Achaemenids, Alexander the Great, the Greco-Bactrians, the Kushans, the Kidarites and Hephthalites, the First Turkic Khaganate, the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, the Samanid Empire, the Kara-Khanids, Seljuks, Khwarazmians, the Mongols, Timurids and Khanate of Bukhara. The region was later conquered by the Russian Empire, before becoming part of the Soviet Union. Within the Soviet Union, the country's borders were drawn when it was part of Uzbekistan as an autonomous republic before becoming a constituent republic of the Soviet Union on 5 December 1929. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Kapoor in 2023

Kareena Kapoor Khan (pronounced [kəˈriːna kəˈpuːr xɑːn]; née Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. She has been known for her leading roles in Hindi cinema since 2000. Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Awards, and as of 2024, is one of Hindi cinema's highest-paid actresses.

Born into the Kapoor family, she is the daughter of actors Babita and Randhir Kapoor, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. After making her acting debut in 2000 in Refugee, Kapoor established herself the following year with several roles, including in the top-grossing drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. This was followed by a series of commercial failures and negative reviews for her repetitive roles. An against-type performance as a sex worker in the 2004 drama Chameli marked a turning point in her career. She earned critical recognition for her portrayal of a riot victim in the 2004 drama Dev and a character based on Desdemona in the 2006 crime film Omkara. Her performance as a loquacious woman in the romantic comedy Jab We Met (2007) earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. (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 2India's middle-class population of 300 million is growing at an annual rate of 5%. Shown here is the skyline in South Mumbai. (from Asian Century)
Image 3A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 4Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 6Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 7Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 8Political map of the world in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 9Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 10the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 11Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 12Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 13Detail 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 14The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 15The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17The 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 18Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 19The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 20Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 22Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 23Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History 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 25The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 26A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28Detail 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 29Hinduism 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 30Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 31Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 32The 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 33Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south. (from History of Asia)
Image 35Expansion of the Mongol Empire 1206-1294 (from History of Asia)
Image 36Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 37Korean 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 38Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 39Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 40Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 42Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 44Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 45The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 46Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 47Map of the Qing Empire in 1832 (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 49East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 50Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 51Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 52Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 53The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 55The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 56Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 57The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 58British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 59Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 60Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 61Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 62The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 63The 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 64Expansion of the Delhi Sultanate (from History of Asia)
Image 65Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 66Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 67A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 68The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 69Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)

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Featured picture

Indonesian rupiah

Banknotes: Bank of Indonesia

The rupiah is the national currency of Indonesia. Introduced in 1946 by Indonesian nationalists fighting for independence, the currency replaced a version of the Netherlands Indies gulden which had been introduced during the Japanese occupation in World War II. In its early years the rupiah was used in conjunction with other currencies, including a new version of the gulden introduced by the Dutch. Since 1950, it has had a lengthy history of inflation and revaluation. As of August 2018, the currency—which is issued and controlled by the Bank of Indonesia—is trading for more than 14,600 rupiah to the United States dollar.

This note, denominated 1,000 rupiah, is part of the 2000 series. It depicts Pattimura, a National Hero of Indonesia, on its obverse, and the islands of Maitara and Tidore on its reverse.

See other denominations: Rp 2,000, Rp 5,000, Rp 10,000, Rp 20,000, Rp 50,000, Rp 100,000

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Did you know...

... that the Japanese TV show Iron Chef gained a cult following on a San Francisco TV station before it was dubbed into English and aired on the Food Network?
... that there was a baseball match between the two most common surnames in Japan?
... that some Japanese railway companies have their own character mascots?
... that, to help the 1989 Japan Cup winner Horlicks overcome homesickness from traveling to Japan for the race, her trainer used a dressing mirror to make her believe she had a stablemate?
... that Hans Ephraimson-Abt began advocating for better support for families of aviation-accident victims after his daughter's death on Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in 1983?
... that a municipal merger in Japan failed after the merger council named the new city after an airport in a different city?
... that Amrita Sher-Gil's painting Hill Women appeared on a 1978 Indian postage stamp?
... that a Chinese art student who murdered her lover was released after only five years because the Japanese invaded?
... that the manga series Mentsuyu Hitori Meshi has recipes on cooking with mentsuyu?
... that Dutch East India Company officials considered the inhabitants of the Bungku Kingdom to be "the fiercest of all Malukan peoples"?

Updated: 1:05, 5 June 2026

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In the news

5 June 2026 – Middle Eastern crisis: 2026 Iran war; 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations; Iranian military advisor to the Supreme Leader, Mohsen Rezaee, says that negotiations are in a "deadlock" and that it is up to the United States to end it. (Al Jazeera); Naval blockade of Iran; United States Indo-Pacific Command forces intercept the stateless vessel M/T Davina in the Indian Ocean for allegedly supporting Iran. (Al Jazeera); CNN reports that Israel has deployed commandos, military, and intelligence personnel, to Azerbaijan near its border with Iran during the war and carried out a covert intel mission in doing so. (Ynetnews) (Haaretz) (Times of Israel)

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Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: Benh Lieu Song

The Ratchaprasong and Sukhumvit skylines of Bangkok, the capital of and largest city in Thailand, with Lumphini Park in the center, as viewed from the Sathon District. Known in Thai as Krung Thep ("city of angels"), it became the capital in 1768 after the destruction of Ayutthaya by Burmese invaders.