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Asia ( ^ⓘ AY-zhə, UK also 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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West front

St. Michael's Cathedral (German: Kathedrale St. Michael; simplified Chinese: 圣弥爱尔大教堂; traditional Chinese: 聖彌愛爾大教堂; pinyin: Shèng Mí'ài'ěr Dàjiàotáng), also called the Zhejiang Road Catholic Church (Chinese: 浙江路天主教堂), is a Catholic church in Qingdao (Tsingtao), Shandong Province, China, and is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Qingdao (Tsingtao). It is located in the oldest part of Qingdao, at 15 Zhejiang Road (formerly Bremen Straße), on the east side of Zhongshan Road (formerly Friedrich Straße) in Shinan District. Built by German missionaries, the cathedral stands at the top of a hill in the center of the old German-built part of the city. It is the largest example of Romanesque Revival architecture in the province, resembling a German cathedral of the 12th century.

St. Michael's Cathedral is the product of a strong German presence in Shandong Province in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the mid-19th century the European powers forcibly opened China to foreign trade. The Divine Word Missionaries built a church in the Jiaozhou Bay concession in Shandong in 1902, and in 1934 erected the cathedral, which remained nominally under their administration until 1964. In 1942 it came under the control of the Japanese Army, returning to Chinese control when the Japanese left Qingdao in 1945. In the early 1950s, all foreign missionaries, including the Bishop of Qingdao, were either imprisoned or expelled from China, and during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) the cathedral was defaced and abandoned. In 1981, it was repaired by the government and reopened for services, and in 1992 it was listed as a Provincial Historic Building by the government of Shandong Province. (Full article...)

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Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It has an area of 35,808 square kilometers (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The combined territories under ROC control consist of 168 islands in total covering 36,193 square kilometers (13,974 square miles). The largest metropolitan area is formed by Taipei (the capital), New Taipei City, and Keelung. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.

Taiwan has been settled for at least 25,000 years. Ancestors of Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale Han Chinese immigration began under Dutch colonial rule and continued under the Kingdom of Tungning, the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Taiwanese history. The island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1912 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, assumed control following the surrender of Japan in World War II. With the loss of mainland China to the Communists in the Chinese Civil War, the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan in 1949 under the Kuomintang (KMT). (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Pinto in 2014

Freida Selena Pinto (born 18 October 1984) is an Indian actress who has appeared mainly in American and British films. Born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she resolved at a young age to become an actress. As a student at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai she took part in amateur plays. After graduation, she briefly worked as a model and then as a television presenter.

Pinto rose to prominence with her film debut in the drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008), winning a SAG Award and earning a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently starred in Miral (2010), Trishna (2011), and Desert Dancer (2014). She also saw commercial success with the science fiction film Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), and the epic fantasy action film Immortals (2011). Pinto's other notable roles include You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010), Love Sonia (2018), Hillbilly Elegy (2020), and Mr. Malcolm's List (2022). She also starred in the Showtime miniseries Guerrilla (2017), and had a recurring role in the Hulu series The Path (2018). (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 2Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 4Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south. (from History of Asia)
Image 5Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 6Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 7Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 8Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established the Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 9Hinduism 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 10Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11India'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 12The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 13The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 14The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 16Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 18The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 19A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 20The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 22Political map of the world in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 23The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 24Expansion of the Delhi Sultanate (from History of Asia)
Image 25Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 26A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 28A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 29Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 30Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31Map of the Qing Empire in 1832 (from History of Asia)
Image 32Detail 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 33The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 34The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 35Korean 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 36Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 37Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 38Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 39The 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 40Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 41Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 42East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43Byzantine and Sasanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 44The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 45Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 46Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 47The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 48the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 49The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 50A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 52Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 53The 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 54Expansion of the Mongol Empire 1206-1294 (from History of Asia)
Image 55Eunpyeong Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 56Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 57Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 58The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 59Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 60Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 61Some 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 62Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 63Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 64Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 65Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 66The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 67The 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 68Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)

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Featured picture

Kaohsiung Confucius Temple

Credit: Cccefalon

The Kaohsiung Confucius Temple is a temple dedicated to the memory of Confucius near Lotus Pond, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The temple was originally constructed in 1684, and renovated during the Qing dynasty. However, during the Japanese colonial period, the temple fell into disuse and disrepair. A new temple was constructed in 1976, now on the northwest corner of Lotus Pond.

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Did you know...

... that to protest changes to the flight route M503, Taiwan cancelled 176 flights between China and Taiwan?
... that some buildings in Korean Buddhist temples also enshrine an indigenous mountain god?
... that an Indian sugar-factory timekeeper founded a library with more than two million books?
... that nearly a thousand elections for local executives were held in Indonesia between 2005 and 2013, with an average of around one every three days?
... that the 2024 film 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days was filmed in Japan in March to capture both snowfalls and cherry blossoms in the same month?
... that Yamato Kochi appeared in character at New York City Subway stations to promote a Japanese film's North American debut?
... that soldiers participating in an Israeli raid in Masyaf described an explosion that destroyed a missile production facility as "a mini earthquake"?
... that Tao Siliang led efforts to promote iodized salt in China?
... that Pure Japanese was released under this English title in its native Japan?
... that New World Mall was the largest Asian shopping mall in the Northeastern United States upon its opening in 2011?

Updated: 1:05, 6 July 2026

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In the news

5 July 2026 – Middle Eastern crisis: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that there will be no reconstruction in the Gaza Strip until Hamas is disarmed and the strip is demilitarized. (Ynetnews); 2026 Lebanon war; Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon; Netanyahu says some Christian-majority villages in southern Lebanon asked to be annexed by Israel for protection from Hezbollah, while villages in the Marjayoun District deny seeking annexation. (AFP via Arab News); The Israeli military says that the Commando Brigade targeted Hezbollah operatives riding motorcycles near Nabatieh. (The Times of Israel)
5 July 2026 – Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war: 2026 Iran war fuel crisis, 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

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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: Félix Bonfils (1831–1885)

This image by the firm of Maison Bonfils depicts the city of Beirut, Lebanon, sometime in the last third of the 19th century. Maison Bonfils was the extraordinarily prolific venture of the French photographer Félix Bonfils (1831–85), his wife Marie-Lydie Cabanis Bonfils (1837–1918), and their son, Adrien Bonfils (1861–1928). The Bonfils moved to Beirut in 1867 and, over the next five decades, their firm produced one of the world's most important bodies of photographic work about the Middle East. Maison Bonfils was known for landscape photographs, panoramas, biblical scenes, and posed “ethnographic” portraits.

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