Facts about Asia
Asia is the largest continent, both in population and area. There are more than 60% of the world’s population.
The Countries of Asia
Of the world’s over 6 billion residents (2008) lives around 3.7 billion in Asia (2008). There are currently 46 widely recognized countries in Asia. In addition, there are seven states with parts of their territories on the continent, with Russia, Turkey and Egypt being the most famous. Whether these should be considered Asian or not is debatable.
According to Countryaah, the two largest countries by population in Asia are the giants China (about 1323 million residents (2008)) and India (1131 million residents (2008)). In addition, these are the two largest in the world. On the surface, the Russian Asian regions are the largest, but otherwise China (no. 1) and India (no. 2) (2008). Other important countries include Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Israel, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Malaysia. Here are some of countries in each part of Asia:
Tajikistan – Central Asia
Tajikistan is a country in Asia. The capital of the country is Dushanbe. Around 7.5 million Tajiks, Tajiks and residents of other nationalities live in Tajikistan. The official language is Tajik. Tajikistan covers an area of around 143,000 km² and is therefore about three times the size of the Netherlands. Neighboring countries are China, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Sri Lanka – South Asia
Sri Lanka, the tear of India, is a state in Asia. The capital is Colombo. Around 21 million Sri Lankans and residents of other nationalities live in Sri Lanka. The official languages are Sinhala and Tamil. Sri Lanka covers an area of around 66,000 km² and is therefore about twice the size of Belgium. The highest mountain in Sri Lanka is the Pidurutalagala with 2,524 meters.
Philippines – Southeast Asia
The Philippines is a state in Asia. The capital of the country is Manila. About 103 million Filipinos and Filipinos of other nationalities live in the Philippines. The official language is Filipino. The Philippines cover an area of around 300,000 km² and are about seven times the size of the Netherlands. The highest mountain in the Philippines is the Apo at 2,954 meters.
Pakistan – South Asia
Pakistan is a state in Asia. The capital of the country is Islamabad. Approximately 193 million Pakistani people and people of other nationalities live in Pakistan. The official language is Urdu. Pakistan covers an area of around 796,000 km² and is around nine times the size of the Republic of Austria. The highest mountain in Pakistan is K2 at 8,611 meters. Neighboring countries are China, India, Iran and Afghanistan.
North Korea – East Asia
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Hermit Kingdom, is a state in Asia. The capital is Pyongyang. Approximately 25 million North Koreans and residents of other nationalities live in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The official language is Korean. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea covers an area of around 123,000 km² and is thus around four times the size of Belgium. The highest mountain in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is Paektu-san at 2,744 meters. Neighboring countries are China, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea.
East Timor – Southeast Asia
East Timor is a country in Asia. The capital of the country is Dili. About 1.2 million people live in East Timor. The official languages are Tetum, Portuguese, Indonesian and English. East Timor covers an area of around 15,000 km² and is about six times the size of Luxembourg. The only neighboring country is Indonesia.
Geography of Asia
Asia is the eastern half of the huge Eurasian land mass. It is bounded from Africa via the Suez Canal and to Europe via the Ural Mountains (the most common boundary, but alternatives exist.) In the east it ends in the Pacific, in the South in the Indian Ocean and in the north in the Northern Arctic Ocean.
In addition, there are a number of major islands, such as Sri Lanka, the Indonesian Islands, the Japanese Islands and many more. The climate varies greatly from the Arctic at the top of the north to the tropical of the south. Here is the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas, and the world’s third largest river, the Yangtze.
Religions of Asia
All the major world religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, originate from Asia and are presently represented on the continent. In addition to these, there are several other major religions and philosophical systems, such as Jainism, Drusism, Taoism, Confucianism, Falu Gong, Sikhism, Shintoism and Zen.
Asia’s Economy
There are very large variations in the Asian economy. Countries like Japan belong to the world’s richest and most modern economies, while countries like Cambodia are among the world’s poorest. The largest economies are Japan, China, India and South Korea.
In recent decades, Asia has been characterized by very strong economic growth, not least in Southeast Asia and China, and several countries that, twenty years ago, belonged to the world’s poorer today are middle-income countries. The financial centers are Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong.
It exports huge quantities of raw materials, including oil, but also accounts for a very significant part of the world’s heavy industry, with China and India at the forefront. However, most of these industrial companies are based either in Japan, South Korea, Europe or the United States.
