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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 kilometers, 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 civilizations. 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. It is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East–West cultural, linguistic, and ethnic differences, some of which vary on a spectrum rather than with a sharp dividing line. 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.

China and India traded places as the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power for much of recorded history, with the highest GDP per capita until 1500. The Silk Road became the main east–west trading route in the Asian hinterlands while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, as well as many other religions. (Full article...)

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Clockwise from top: Mysore Palace, Shivanasamudra Falls, Infosys Multiplex, Brindavan Gardens at Mandya, Somanathapura, Lalitha Mahal, St. Philomena's Cathedral and Chamundeshwari Temple.

Mysore (/maɪˈsɔːr/ ^ⓘ my-SOR), officially Mysuru (Kannada: [ˈmaɪˈsuːɾu] ^ⓘ), is the second-most populous city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore for almost six centuries (1399 to 1947). Known for its heritage structures, palaces (such as the famous Mysore Palace), and its culture, Mysore has been called the "City of Palaces", the "Heritage City", and the "Cultural Capital of Karnataka". It is one of the cleanest cities in India according to the Swachh Survekshan.

Mysore is situated at the foothills of the Chamundi Hills. At an altitude of 770 m (2,530 ft) above mean sea level, the city of Mysore is geographically located at 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is about 140 km (87.0 mi) southwest of the state's capital, Bangalore, and spreads across an area of 156 km² (60 sq mi)(City + neighbouring census towns). The population of the city combined with its neighbouring towns in its metropolitan area is about 1,288,000 in 2023. (Full article...)

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India, officially the Republic of India (ISO: Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area; the most populous country as of June 2023; and from the time of its independence in 1947, the world's most populous democracy. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, initially in varying forms of isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse, second only to Africa in human genetic diversity. Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE, an archaic form of Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, had diffused into India from the northwest. Its evidence today is found in the hymns of the Rigveda. Preserved by an oral tradition that was resolutely vigilant, the Rigveda records the dawning of Hinduism in India. The Dravidian languages of India were supplanted in the northern and western regions. By 400 BCE, stratification and exclusion by caste had emerged within Hinduism, and Buddhism and Jainism had arisen, proclaiming social orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit Maurya and Gupta Empires based in the Ganges Basin.

Their collective era was suffused with wide-ranging creativity, but also marked by the declining status of women, and the incorporation of untouchability into an organised system of belief. In South India, the Middle kingdoms exported Dravidian-languages scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms of Southeast Asia. (Full article...)

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Antiochus XII's portrait on the obverse of a tetradrachm, wearing the royal diadem

Antiochus XII Dionysus Epiphanes Philopator Callinicus (Ancient Greek: Ἀντίοχος Διόνυσος Ἐπιφανής Φιλοπάτωρ Καλλίνικος; between 124 and 109 BC – 82 BC) was a Hellenistic Seleucid monarch who reigned as King of Syria between 87 and 82 BC. The youngest son of Antiochus VIII and, most likely, his Egyptian wife Tryphaena, Antiochus XII lived during a period of civil war between his father and his uncle Antiochus IX, which ended with the assassination of Antiochus VIII in 96 BC. Antiochus XII's four brothers laid claim to the throne, eliminated Antiochus IX as a claimant, and waged war against his heir Antiochus X.

By 87 BC, only two claimants remained, both brothers of Antiochus XII: Demetrius III and Philip I. The realm of Demetrius III was initially centered in Damascus but later extended over most of Syria. Demetrius III was defeated by Philip I and went into exile in Parthia, allowing Antiochus XII to gain control of Damascus while Philip I remained in the Syrian capital Antioch. Antiochus XII consolidated his territory within inner Syria and did not seek to expand into the territories of Philip I, who attempted to annex Damascus but was repulsed. Antiochus XII focused his attention on Syria's southern reaches into which the Judaeans and Nabataeans sought to expand. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 2The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 4The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 5Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 6the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 7Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 8The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 9Detail 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 10The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 11The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 12Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 13Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 14Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 16Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 17Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 18The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 19The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 20The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 21Some 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 22Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 23A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 25Korean 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 26British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 27Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 28Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 29East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 30Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 32The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 33Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 35The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 36Projected GDP of 7 largest economies in 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 37The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 38A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 39Hinduism 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 40India's middle-class population of 300 million is growing at an annual rate of 5%. Shown here is an upmarket area in South Mumbai. (from Asian Century)
Image 41Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 42Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 43Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 44Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 45Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 46Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 47Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 50Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 51The 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 52Detail of Chinese silk from the 4th century BCE. The characteristic trade of silk through the Silk Road connected various regions from China, India, Central Asia, and the Middle East to Europe and Africa. (from History of Asia)
Image 53A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 55The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 56Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 57Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 58Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 59Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 60Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 61The 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 62Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 63Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 64The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 65Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 66The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 67The 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 68Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 69Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)

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Featured picture

Nishi people

Credit: Doniv79

The Nisi people principally inhabit the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.They inhabit the Papum Pare, East Kameng and Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, parts of upper Subansiri districts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the Darrang District and North Lakhimpur district of Assam.

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Did you know...

... that although he was a former Indonesian prime minister, Soekiman Wirjosandjojo was not arrested during a political purge as he was considered a non-threat?
... that Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, India's second Muslim president, was also the second Indian president to die in office?
... that the Empire of Japan turned a Korean royal cemetery at what is now Hyochang Park into a golf course?
... that Levantine Arabic is often written in Hebrew characters online by Bedouin, Arab Christians, and Druze in Israel?
... that Ein Samiya, which provides the water for Taybeh, the first beer brewed in Palestine, was depopulated in 2023 after harassment by neighboring Israeli settlers?
... that the popularity of "10 Minutes" by Korean singer Lee Hyori led to 2003 being dubbed the "year of Hyori" by domestic media?
... that Sun Haiyan is the first Chinese ambassador to Singapore who was not a member of the Foreign Ministry of China?
... that University of Nebraska alumnus M. Khalid Roashan helped draft the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan?
... that the Pakistani film Shehr e Tabassum was the first animated cyberpunk film to be made by an Urdu development team?
... that the Te'omim Cave in Israel was home to a Bronze Age alabaster quarry, a refuge cave during the Jewish–Roman wars, and a possible center for necromantic activity in late antiquity?

Updated: 6:33, 14 February 2024

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In the news

17 April 2024 –: Vietnam announces a $24 billion rescue for the Sai Gon Joint Stock Commercial Bank, which is currently involved in a fraud case. (Reuters)
17 April 2024 – 2024 Persian Gulf floods: The United Arab Emirates records its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, with significant flooding reported in Dubai. At least 20 people are killed by flooding in Oman and Ras Al Khaimah. (The Guardian) (Reuters)
17 April 2024 –: Hundreds of people are evacuated after the Ruang volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Reuters)
16 April 2024 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israel–Hamas war; Israel–Hezbollah conflict; The Israeli military assassinates Ismail Yusuf Baz, the commander of Hezbollah's coastal sector in Lebanon, in an airstrike. (Israel Defense Forces) (Middle East Monitor)

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Major Religions in Asia

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Central Asia and Surroundings

Indian Subcontinent

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Credit: David Castor

The Taj Mahal (Hindi: ताज महल, from Persian/Urdu: تاج محل "crown of palaces") is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

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