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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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Skyline of Durgam Cheruvu Bridge and HITEC City

Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies 650 km² (250 sq mi) on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of 536 m (1,759 ft), much of Hyderabad is situated on hilly terrain around artificial lakes, including the Hussain Sagar lake, predating the city's founding, in the north of the city centre. According to the 2011 census of India, Hyderabad is the fourth-most populous city in India, with a population of 6.9 million residents within the city limits and 9.7 million residents in the metropolitan region, making it the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in India.

The Qutb Shahi dynasty's Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah established Hyderabad in 1591 to extend the capital beyond the fortified Golconda. In 1687, the city was annexed by the Mughals. In 1724, Asaf Jah I, the Mughal viceroy, declared his sovereignty and founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty, also known as the Nizams. Hyderabad served as the imperial capital of the Asaf Jahis from 1769 to 1948. As the capital of the princely state of Hyderabad, the city housed the British Residency and cantonment until Indian independence in 1947. Hyderabad was annexed by the Indian Union in 1948 and continued as a capital of Hyderabad State from 1948 to 1956. After the introduction of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, Hyderabad was made the capital of the newly formed Andhra Pradesh. In 2014, Andhra Pradesh was split to form the state of Telangana, and Hyderabad became the joint capital of the two states until 2024. Since 1956, the city has housed the Rashtrapati Nilayam, the winter office of the president of India. (Full article...)

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Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region on the east coast of the Black Sea. It is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia and is generally regarded as part of Europe. It is bordered to the north and northeast by Russia; to the west by the Black Sea, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. It has a population of 3.9 million, of which over a third live in Tbilisi, the capital and largest city. Georgians, who are native to the region and constitute the majority of the population, are ethno-linguistically distinct from their neighboring nations and primarily speak Georgian, a Kartvelian language that has no relation to any other language family in the world.

Georgia has been inhabited since prehistory and is known for hosting the world's earliest known sites of winemaking. The classical era saw the emergence of several kingdoms, such as Colchis and Iberia, that formed the nucleus of the modern Georgian state. In the early 4th century, Georgians officially adopted Christianity, which contributed to their unification under the Kingdom of Georgia. Georgia reached its Golden Age during the High Middle Ages under the reigns of King David IV and his great-granddaughter Tamar. Beginning in the 15th century, the kingdom declined and disintegrated under relentless attacks from hostile empires like the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia. Georgia requested support from the Russian Empire, which ended up gradually annexing the country starting in 1801. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Gold dinar minted by the Umayyads in 695, which likely depicts Abd al-Malik.

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (July/August 644 or June/July 647 – 9 October 705), was the fifth Umayyad caliph, ruling from April 685 until his death in October 705. A member of the first generation of born Muslims, his early life in Medina was occupied with religious pursuits. He held administrative and military posts under Caliph Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680), founder of the Umayyad Caliphate, and his own father, Caliph Marwan I (r. 684–685). By the time of Abd al-Malik's accession, Umayyad authority had collapsed across the Caliphate as a result of the Second Fitna and had been reconstituted in Syria and Egypt during his father's reign.

Following a failed invasion of Iraq in 686, Abd al-Malik focused on securing Syria before making further attempts to conquer the greater part of the Caliphate from his principal rival, the Mecca-based caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. To that end, he concluded an unfavorable truce with the reinvigorated Byzantine Empire in 689, quelled a coup attempt in Damascus by his kinsman, al-Ashdaq, the following year, and reincorporated into the army the rebellious Qaysi tribes of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) in 691. He then conquered Zubayrid Iraq and dispatched his general, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to Mecca where he killed Ibn al-Zubayr in late 692, thereby reuniting the Caliphate under Abd al-Malik's rule. The war with Byzantium resumed, resulting in Umayyad advances into Anatolia and Armenia, the destruction of Carthage and the recapture of Kairouan, the launchpad for the later conquests of western North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, in 698. In the east, al-Hajjaj had become Abd al-Malik's viceroy and firmly established the caliph's authority in Iraq and Khurasan, stamping out opposition by the Kharijites and the Arab tribal nobility by 702. Abd al-Malik's final years were marked by a domestically peaceful and prosperous consolidation of power. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 2Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 4Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established the Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 5Korean 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 6The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 7Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 8Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 9Some 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 10Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 12The 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 13Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 14The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 15Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 18A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 20The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 21Byzantine and Sasanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 22The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 23The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 25Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 26The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 27Detail 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 28Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 29Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 30Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 31A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 32Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 33Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34The Battle of Chinkiang of the First Opium War (from History of Asia)
Image 35Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 36Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 37The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 38Expansion of the Mongol Empire 1206–1294 (from History of Asia)
Image 39Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 40the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 41The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 42Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 43A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (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 45Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 46Map of the Qing Empire in 1832 (from History of Asia)
Image 47Hinduism 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 48East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 50Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)

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Featured picture

Inle Lake

Credit: Jakub Hałun

Inle Lake is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Taunggyi District of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 km²), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m), but during the rainy season this can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m).

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Did you know...

... that an Indian sugar-factory timekeeper founded a library with more than two million books?
... that an Olympic wrestler from the Philippines became a mayor in Southern California?
... that a 17th-century painting depicts an Indian emperor shooting arrows at a personification of poverty?
... that medicine dean Sjahriar Rasad was accused of being involved in a conspiracy to assassinate Indonesian president Sukarno?
... that to protest changes to the flight route M503, Taiwan cancelled 176 flights between China and Taiwan?
... that the Indian emperor Jahangir was so amazed by the emaciated condition of a dying nobleman that he ordered a court artist to create a painting of him?
... that Japanese singer Cindy was once said to have an "angel voice"?
... that the Chinook Indian Nation became a federally recognized tribe in 2001, but had its status revoked the following year?
... that the works of both Dutch and indigenous Indonesian artists have been classified as Mooi Indië?
... that the DJ NewJeansNim has been credited with reviving interest in Buddhism among South Korean youths?

Updated: 1:05, 6 October 2026

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In the news

6 October 2026 – 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)
5 October 2026 – Yemeni civil war: 2026 Yemen offensives, Operation Dawn of Yemen; The Presidential Leadership Council launches a large-scale military operation against Houthis in Yemen, with the aim to capture all Houthi-controlled territories. (Al Arabiya) (Al Jazeera) (TRT World); Turkey and Pakistan agree to deploy troops under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement to help Saudi and Yemeni forces remove the Houthi regime from power in Sanaa. (Al Jazeera); A Yemeni government offensive pushes the Houthis back from the Bab al-Mandab Strait. (Reuters)

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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: Kanō Eitoku

Birds and flowers of the four seasons (紙本墨画花鳥図, shihon bokuga kachōzu), part of the Paintings on room partitions in the abbot's quarters (hōjō) (方丈障壁画, hōjō shōhekiga) of Jukō-in (聚光院) of Daitoku-ji (大徳寺), Kyoto, Japan. Ink on paper. This picture shows four of 16 panels on fusuma (sliding doors) in the ritual room (室中). The paintings have been designated as National Treasures of Japan in the category paintings.

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