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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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The Anbar campaign consisted of fighting between the United States military, together with Iraqi security forces, and Sunni insurgents in the western Iraqi governorate of Al Anbar. The Iraq War lasted from 2003 to 2011, but the majority of the fighting and counterinsurgency campaign in Anbar took place between April 2004 and September 2007. Although the fighting initially featured heavy urban warfare primarily between insurgents and U.S. Marines, insurgents in later years focused on ambushing the American and Iraqi security forces with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), large scale attacks on combat outposts, and car bombings. Almost 9,000 Iraqis and 1,335 Americans were killed in the campaign, many in the Euphrates River Valley and the Sunni Triangle around the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

Al Anbar, the only Sunni-dominated province in Iraq, saw little fighting in the initial invasion. Following the fall of Baghdad it was occupied by the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division. Violence began on 28 April 2003 when 17 Iraqis were killed in Fallujah by U.S. soldiers during an anti-American demonstration. In early 2004 the U.S. Army relinquished command of the governorate to the Marines. By April 2004 the governorate was in full-scale revolt. Savage fighting occurred in both Fallujah and Ramadi by the end of 2004, including the Second Battle of Fallujah. Violence escalated throughout 2005 and 2006 as the two sides struggled to secure the Western Euphrates River Valley. During this time, Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) became the governorate's main Sunni insurgent group and turned the provincial capital of Ramadi into its stronghold. The Marine Corps issued an intelligence report in late 2006 declaring that the governorate would be lost without a significant additional commitment of troops. (Full article...)

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Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. A federal constitutional monarchy, it consists of 13 states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia on Mainland Southeast Asia and East Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Peninsular Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Thailand, as well as maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia; East Malaysia shares land borders with Brunei and Indonesia, and maritime borders with the Philippines and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur is the country's national capital, largest city, and the seat of the legislative branch of the federal government, while Putrajaya is the federal administrative capital, representing the seat of both the executive branch and the judicial branch of the federal government. With a population of over 34 million, it is the world's 43rd-most populous country.

The country has its origins in the Malay kingdoms, which, from the 18th century on, became subject to the British Empire, along with the British Straits Settlements protectorate. During World War II, British Malaya, along with other nearby British and American colonies, was occupied by the Empire of Japan. Following three years of occupation, Malaya was briefly unified as the Malayan Union in 1946 until 1948 when it was restructured as the Federation of Malaya. The country achieved independence on 31 August 1957. On 16 September 1963, independent Malaya united with the then British crown colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to become Malaysia. In August 1965, Singapore was separated from the federation and became an independent country. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Persian painting Mukhtar al-Thaqafi

Al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd al-Thaqafi (Arabic: الْمُخْتَار ٱبْن أَبِي عُبَيْد الثَّقَفِيّ, romanized: al-Mukhtār ibn Abī ʿUbayd al-Thaqafī; c. 622 – 3 April 687) was a pro-Alid revolutionary based in Kufa, who led a rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate and Zubayrid Caliphate during the Second Fitna, ruling over most of Iraq and parts of northwestern Iran for eighteen months. Born in Ta'if, Mukhtar moved to Iraq at a young age and grew up in Kufa. Following the death of Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the hands of the Umayyad army in the Battle of Karbala in 680, Mukhtar captured Kufa in October 685 after expelling its governor Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and killed several figures responsible for Husayn's death, including Umar ibn Sa'd, Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, and Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan. He then allied with the rival caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr in Mecca, but the alliance was short-lived. Mukhtar returned to Kufa where he declared Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya the Mahdi and the Imam, a son of Ali and brother of Husayn, and called for the establishment of an Alid caliphate. Hostile relations with Ibn al-Zubayr ultimately led to Mukhtar's death by the forces of the Zubayrid governor of Basra, Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr, following a four-month siege.

Although Mukhtar was ultimately defeated, his movement had far-reaching consequences. After his death, his followers formed a distinct Shia sect known as the Kaysanites. It developed a number of distinctive theological doctrines and played an important role in the development of later Shia thought. Mukhtar raised the social status of mawali (non-Arab local converts to Islam) and they became an important political entity. The mawali and Kaysanites went on to play a significant role in the Abbasid Revolution sixty years later. Mukhtar was important as an early proponent of treating Arab and non-Arab Muslims on an equal footing. He is a controversial figure among Sunni Muslims; condemned by them as a false prophet, but revered by Shia Muslims because of his support for the Alids. Modern historians' views range from regarding him as an ambitious opportunist to a sincere revolutionary. His shrine in the Great Mosque of Kufa is a destination for Shia pilgrims. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 2Some 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 3The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 4Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5The 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 6Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 8Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 9Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 10Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 11Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 12The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 13Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 14A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established the Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 18Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19Hinduism 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 20Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22Map of the Qing Empire in 1832 (from History of Asia)
Image 23Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 24Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 25The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 26the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 27Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 28Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 29The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 30Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 32The 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 33Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south. (from History of Asia)
Image 34Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 35A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 36The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 37Detail 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 38India'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 39Expansion of the Delhi Sultanate (from History of Asia)
Image 40East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 43Political map of the world in 1860 (from History 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 45Byzantine and Sasanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 46Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 47Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 48Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 50The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)

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Featured picture

Adivasi

Credit: PICQ

An Adivasi (indigenous) woman from the Kutia Khond tribal group in the Indian state of Orissa. Khonds were known for their human sacrifices, which were intended to further the fertilization of the earth.

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Did you know...

... that Dutch East India Company officials considered the inhabitants of the Bungku Kingdom to be "the fiercest of all Malukan peoples"?
... that Mary Kahil, an Egyptian Christian mystic, cofounded one of the earliest women's movements in the Arab world?
... that Trump wrote a letter to Ali Khamenei in an effort to initiate new nuclear negotiations with Iran?
... that Singapore does not officially recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, but still voted in favour of Palestine's full membership of the United Nations?
... that only broken Japanese can be used on the social networking application Tsuita?
... that Masoud El Amaratly, one of Iraq's most popular folk singers in the 1920s (recording featured), was a mustarjil?
... that the first Japan Cup was won by an American second-rate mare?
... that Marshallese chief Kabua Kabua was described as "probably the only person ever to serve as a judge under both the Japanese and U.S. judicial systems"?
... that British opera singer Suzannah Clarke performed annually in North Korea?
... that the Republic of China produced coins featuring emperor Yuan Shikai for decades after his demise?

Updated: 1:05, 7 October 2026

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In the news

6 October 2026 – Middle Eastern crisis: Yemeni civil war; 2026 Yemen offensives; The Houthis launches missiles against the airports of Najran and Jizan, in Saudi Arabia, causing material damages and wounding three people. (Al Jazeera); Israeli defense minister Israel Katz says that the military has killed 4,000 militants who took part in the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. (The Jewish Chronicle)
6 October 2026 – Somali Civil War: Four Indonesian seamen return home after Puntland maritime police rescued 17 crew members from the hijacked oil tanker MT Honour 25. Somali pirates had held the crew for more than five months and killed five members. (AFP)
6 October 2026 –: Indonesia halts a program to clear millions of hectares of forest for rice cultivation after achieving rice self-sufficiency, and plans instead to increase yields on existing farmland through improved agricultural methods. (AFP via CNA)

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Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

Credit: KennyOMG

The Indus River (locally called Sindhu) is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Manasarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, towards the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Kashmir and the Hindukush ranges, and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh.