Asia

Asia is the largest continent on Earth by area and number of people. It is mainly in the northern hemisphere. Asia is connected to Europe in the west and Africa on the south, and separated from North America at the east. Sometimes Asia and Europe are combined to form a larger continent called Eurasia. Some of the oldest human civilizations began in Asia, for example Sumer, China, and Pakistan. 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 Byzantine 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.

 Area 
Asia includes a large amount of land. Covering about 30% of the world's land area, it has more people than any other continent, with about 60% of the world's total population. Stretching from the icy Arctic in the north to the hot and steamy equatorial lands in the south, Asia contains huge, empty deserts, as well as some of the world's highest mountains and longest rivers.

Asia is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. It is separated from Europe by the Pontic Mountains and the Turkish Straits. A long, mainly land border in the west separates Europe and Asia. This line runs north–south down the Ural Mountains in Russia, along the Ural River to the Caspian Sea, and through the Caucasus Mountains to the Black Sea.

 Regions 
 East Asia
 Southeast Asia
 South Asia
 Central Asia
 West Asia
 North Asia

 List of countries in Asia 



  (geographically in Europe and Asia)








  (geographically in Europe and Asia)

  (geographically in Asia and Oceania)





  (geographically in Europe and Asia)























  (geographically in Europe and Asia)






Some countries are in both Europe and Asia, for example Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.

Related pages
 Asia Minor
 Asian Games

References