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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

The Battle of Musa Qala (also Qaleh or Qal'eh) was a British-led military action in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, launched by the Afghan National Army and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) against the Taliban on 7 December 2007. After three days of intense fighting, the Taliban retreated into the mountains on 10 December. Musa Qala was officially reported captured on 12 December, with Afghan Army troops pushing into the town centre.

The operation was codenamed snakepit (Pashto: Mar Kardad). Senior ISAF officers, including U.S. general Dan K. McNeill, the overall ISAF commander, agreed to the assault on 17 November 2007. It followed more than nine months of Taliban occupation of the town, the largest the insurgents controlled at the time of the battle. ISAF forces had previously occupied the town, until a controversial withdrawal in late 2006. (Full article...)

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Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in the eastern part of Arabian Peninsula in West Asia. Situated near the western shore of the Persian Gulf, the country comprises a small archipelago of 33 natural islands and an additional 50 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which makes up around 80 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population is 1,588,670 as of 2024, of whom 739,736 (46.6% of the population) are Bahraini nationals, and 848,934 are expatriates (53.4% of the population). Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi) and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.

The area that straddles the present-day territory of Bahrain was once the site of the ancient Dilmun civilisation. It has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century. Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam, during the lifetime of Muhammad in 628. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled by Shah Abbas the Great of the Safavid Iran. In 1783, the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur. It has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Roshan in 2016

Hritik Rakesh Nagrath (born 10 January 1974), known professionally as Hrithik Roshan (Hindi: [ˈɾɪt̪ɪk ɾoːʃən]), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to as the millennial superstar, he has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including six Filmfare Awards, of which four were for Best Actor. Starting from 2012, he has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 several times based on his income and popularity.

Roshan has frequently collaborated with his father, Rakesh Roshan. He made brief appearances as a child actor in several films in the 1980s and later worked as an assistant director on four of his father's films. His first leading role was in the box-office success Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), for which he received several awards. Performances in the 2000 terrorism drama Fiza and the 2001 ensemble family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham consolidated his reputation but were followed by several poorly received films. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 2Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 3India'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 4Some 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 5The 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 6A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 8Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 9The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 10Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 12Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south. (from History of Asia)
Image 13Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 14Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 15Korean 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 16A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 18Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 19Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 20The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 21Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 23Expansion of the Delhi Sultanate (from History of Asia)
Image 24Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 26The Battle of Chinkiang of the First Opium War (from History of Asia)
Image 27Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 29The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 30Detail 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 31Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 32Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 33A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 35Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 36Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 37Expansion of the Mongol Empire 1206-1294 (from History of Asia)
Image 38Political map of the world in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 39Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 40Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 44Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established the Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 45The 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 46The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 47Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 48The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 49Map of the Qing Empire in 1832 (from History of Asia)
Image 50Hinduism 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)

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Featured picture

Malé

Credit: Shahee Ilyas

An aerial photo of Malé, the capital of the Republic of Maldives. Malé is located on Malé Island in the Kaafu Atoll, but administratively it is not considered part of Kaafu. The island is heavily urbanised, with the city, one of the most densely populated in the world, taking up essentially its entire landmass.

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Did you know...

... that Reine Abbas chose the name Wixel Studios, a blend of "Weird Pixel", in recognition of being one of the only gaming studios in Lebanon?
... that during his tenure as Indonesia's deputy ambassador to Singapore, Andradjati spent most of his time in Changi Airport?
... that the Japanese manga series Mink featured futuristic technology even though its creator was unfamiliar with computers?
... that The Penguin History of Modern China profiled the Christian general whose army moved to the beat of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"?
... that the Japanese vegetable nozawana got its name from skiers visiting Nozawaonsen who were impressed by the area's pickled turnip?
... that in Vladivostok, the Korean enclave Shinhanchon served as a hub of the Korean independence movement?
... that the Indian emperor Jahangir commissioned a painting depicting his superiority over his rival, the Shah of Iran?
... that members of Stop The Game campaigned against a planned UEFA Nations League fixture between Ireland and Israel by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch?
... that the female founder of a dervish group in Afghanistan was forced to flee the country in 2021?
... that Shohei Ohtani married "a normal Japanese woman" who used to play professional basketball?

Updated: 1:05, 9 August 2026

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In the news

8 August 2026 – 2026 Iran war: 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis; The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company says that one of their vessels was attacked by a missile while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz during the early hours. No injuries were reported. (Khaleej Times); Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr says that Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts sanctions against the country, ends the naval blockade, and halts military action against the country. (Al Jazeera)
8 August 2026 – 2026 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, which encompass the entirety of Okinawa Prefecture and parts of Kagoshima Prefecture. Additionally, China shuts down ports and ferry routes in preparation for the typhoon. (The Japan Times)
8 August 2026 –: Satellite images show that the British-sanctioned oil tanker Caroline Bezengi, believed to be part of the Russian shadow fleet, which was carrying 1 million barrels of oil, is leaking oil and sinking further off the coast of Oman, after a explosion was reported on the vessel on June 8. The oil leaks have reportedly reached the shore of Al-Qibliyah Island. (AP) (Arab News)
7 August 2026 – Middle Eastern crisis: 2026 Iran war

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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: 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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