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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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A cat-sized primate with a dark stripe down its back is held in a gloved hand against the chest — Slow lorises, such as this Bengal slow loris (*Nycticebus bengalensis*) were once considered common, but are now recognized as threatened species.

Slow lorises are nocturnal strepsirrhine primates in the genus Nycticebus that live in the rainforests of South and Southeast Asia. They are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation from deforestation, selective logging, and slash-and-burn agriculture, as well as by collection and hunting for the wildlife trade, including the exotic pet trade, and for use in traditional medicine and as bushmeat. Because of these and other threats, all five species of slow loris are listed as either "Vulnerable" or "Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their conservation status was originally listed as "Least Concern" in 2000 because of imprecise population surveys and the frequency in which these primates were found in animal markets. Because of their rapidly declining populations and local extinctions, their status was updated and in 2007 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) elevated them to Appendix I, which prohibits international commercial trade. Local laws also protect slow lorises from hunting and trade, but enforcement is lacking in most areas.

Traditional beliefs regarding slow lorises have been part of the folklore of Southeast Asia for at least several hundred years. Their remains are buried under houses and roads to bring good fortune, and every part of their body is used in traditional medicine to make products ranging from love potions to unproven cures for cancer, leprosy, epilepsy, and sexually transmitted diseases. The primary users of this traditional medicine are urban, middle-aged women who are reluctant to consider alternatives. (Full article...)

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Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a sovereign, doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, Tajikistan to the southeast, Afghanistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the south-west. It is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, the other being Liechtenstein. The country has a population of more than 39 million, making it the most populous country in Central Asia. Uzbekistan is a member of the Organisation of Turkic States. Uzbek (written in both Cyrillic and Latin scripts), spoken by the Uzbek people who form more than 89% of the population, is the official language of the country. Russian and Tajik are significant minority languages, with Russian serving as a lingua franca. Tajik is primarily spoken by Tajiks living in the southern parts of the country, such as Samarkand and Bukhara.

The first recorded settlers in Uzbekistan were Eastern Iranian nomads, known as Scythians, who founded kingdoms in Khwarazm, Sogdiana, and Bactria in the 8th–6th centuries BC, as well as in Fergana and Margiana in the 3rd century BC – 6th century AD. The area was incorporated into the Achaemenid Empire and, after a period of Greco-Bactrian rule, was part of the Sasanian Empire until the Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century. The early Muslim conquests and the subsequent Samanid Empire resulted in the spread of Islam among the local people. During this period, cities began to grow rich from the Silk Road, and became a centre of the Islamic Golden Age. The local Khwarazmian Empire was destroyed in the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, leading to a dominance by Mongol peoples. Timur in the 14th century established the Timurid Empire. The Timurid capital of Samarkand became a centre of science under the rule of Ulugh Beg, giving birth to the Timurid Renaissance. The territories of the Timurid dynasty were conquered by Turko-Mongol Shaybanids in the 16th century. Most of Central Asia was gradually incorporated into the Russian Empire during the 19th century, with Tashkent becoming the political centre of Russian Turkestan. In 1924, national delimitation created the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic as a republic of the Soviet Union. During the Soviet era, Uzbekistan became a leading producer of farm products such as cotton and melons, while also making significant advances in science and technology. It declared independence as the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1991 following the Soviet collapse. (Full article...)

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Tata in 2005

Ratan Naval Tata (28 December 1937 – 9 October 2024) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He served as the chairman of Tata Group and Tata Sons from 1991 to 2012, and he held the position of the interim chairman from October 2016 to February 2017. In 2000, he received the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour in India, followed by the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian honour, in 2008.

Ratan Tata was the son of Naval Tata, who was adopted by Ratanji Tata, son of Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group. He graduated from Cornell University College of Architecture with a bachelor's degree in architecture. He had also attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program in 1975. He joined the Tata Group in 1962, starting on the shop floor of Tata Steel. He later succeeded JRD Tata as chairman of Tata Sons upon the latter's retirement in 1991. During his tenure, the Tata Group acquired Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus, in an attempt to turn Tata from a largely India-centric group into a global business. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 2Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 4The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 5The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 6Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 7Political map of the world in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 8Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south. (from History of Asia)
Image 9The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 10Expansion of the Delhi Sultanate (from History of Asia)
Image 11Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 12the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 13Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 14Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 16Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 18Some 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 19Korean 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 20Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 21Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 22Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 23Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 26The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 28The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 29The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 30Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 31A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 32The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 33Hinduism 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 34Byzantine and Sasanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 35The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 36The 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 37Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 38The 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 39A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 40Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 42East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 44Expansion of the Mongol Empire 1206–1294 (from History of Asia)
Image 45Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 46Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 47Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 48Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 50Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)

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Masada

Credit: Photograph: Andrew Shiva

An aerial view of Masada, an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel. Found atop an isolated rock plateau, it overlooks the Dead Sea. The first fortifications on the mountain were built by Alexander Jannaeus, and significantly strengthened by the Roman client king Herod between 37 and 31 BCE. During the First Jewish–Roman War of 66–73 CE, the fortress was besieged, falling only after the 960 Sicarii defending it committed mass suicide. Masada is among the more popular tourist attractions in Israel, and in 2001 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Did you know...

... that Vietnam's K50 Waterfall is named after its height?
... that a game journalist called Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop "as Japanese as tempura"?
... that Notre Dame's win in the 2025 Orange Bowl American football game made Marcus Freeman the first Asian and first Black head coach to earn a spot in an FBS national championship game?
... that tokoyama (traditional Japanese hairdressers) working in kabuki are divided into specialties named after the floors of the Kabuki-za?
... that All Nations Baptist Church in New York City is primarily associated with ethnic Koreans of the former Soviet Union?
... that North Korean archaeological papers, inspired by the state ideology of Juche, often contain nationalist elements?
... that a 14th-century biography retells the travels of a monk who was possibly "the first traveller from China to the Atlantic"?
... that being outranked by Bishop Thomas Agni of Lentini so infuriated the future Pope Urban IV that he left Palestine and went to Rome?
... that the Indian government declared Vishwasrao Chowgule to be the wealthiest person in India in 1976 based on wealth-tax statistics?
... that slipper lamps produced in the Umayyad era sometimes carried bilingual inscriptions with "The Light of Christ" in Greek, alongside "God" (Allah) in Arabic?