Asia facts for kids
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| Area | 44,579,000 km2 (17,212,000 sq mi) (1st) |
|---|---|
| Population | 4,560,667,108 (2018; 1st) |
| Population density | 100/km2 (260/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | $39 trillion (2022 est; 1st) |
| GDP (PPP) | $72.7 trillion (2022 est; 1st) |
| GDP per capita | $8,890 (2022 est; 4th) |
| Religions |
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| Demonym | Asian |
| Countries | 49 UN members 1 UN observer 5 other states |
| Dependencies | |
| Non-UN states | |
| Languages | List of languages |
| Time zones | UTC+02:00 to UTC+12:00 |
| Internet TLD | .asia |
| Largest cities |
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| UN M49 code | 142 – Asia001 – World |
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Asia is the largest continent in the world. It is the biggest in both land area and population. Asia covers over 44 million square kilometers. This is about 30% of Earth's total land and 8% of its surface. For a long time, most of the world's people have lived here. Many of the first great civilizations started in Asia. Today, about 4.7 billion people live in Asia. This is roughly 60% of the world's population. It has more people than all other continents combined.
Asia shares a large landmass called Eurasia with Europe. It also shares Africa-Eurasia with Europe and Africa. To the east, Asia is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. The Indian Ocean is to the south, and the Arctic Ocean is to the north. The border between Asia and Europe is not a clear physical line. It is more of a historical and cultural idea. This border has changed over time.
China and India were the world's largest economies for many centuries. This was from 1 CE to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power. India was known for its wealth and attracted many explorers. The Silk Road was a key trade route across Asia. The Strait of Malacca was a major sea route. Asia has grown economically, especially East Asia. It also had strong population growth in the 20th century. Most of the world's main religions began in Asia. These include Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.
Because of its huge size and variety, the idea of Asia is more about people and cultures. It is less about just physical land. Asia is very different across its regions. This includes different groups of people, cultures, and economies. It also has many climates. These range from hot deserts to very cold polar areas.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Asia" might come from an ancient Bronze Age place. This place was called Assuwa. It was a small part of northwestern Anatolia. Some Muslims believe the name came from Queen Asiya of Ancient Egypt. She was the adoptive mother of Moses.
Later, the Romans used the term. They called a province in western Anatolia "Asia." Pliny the Elder was one of the first writers to use "Asia" for the whole continent.
Asia's Geography
Asia is the biggest continent on Earth. It covers 9% of the Earth's surface. This is 30% of all land. It also has the longest coastline, at 62,800 kilometers. Asia is usually seen as the eastern four-fifths of Eurasia. It is east of the Suez Canal and the Ural Mountains. It is south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas. The Pacific Ocean is to its east. The Indian Ocean is to its south. The Arctic Ocean is to its north.
Asia is divided into 49 countries. Five of these countries are partly in Europe. These are Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. Russia is partly in Asia. However, it is seen as a European nation culturally and politically.
The Gobi Desert is in Mongolia. The Arabian Desert covers much of the Middle East. The Yangtze River in China is the longest river in Asia. The Himalayas are the tallest mountain range in the world. They are between Nepal and China. Southern Asia has many tropical rainforests. Farther north, you can find coniferous and deciduous forests.
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Kerala backwaters
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Mongolian steppe
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South China Karst
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Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia
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Atolls of the Maldives
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Wadi Rum in Jordan
Main Regions of Asia
Asia can be divided into different regions. The UNSD (United Nations statistics agency) uses these regions for data. This helps organize information about countries and areas.
- North Asia (also known as Siberia)
- Central Asia (often called 'The 'stans' like Kazakhstan)
- Western Asia (includes the Middle East or Near East)
- South Asia (the Indian subcontinent)
- East Asia (the Far East)
- Southeast Asia (includes islands like the Malay Archipelago and mainland areas like Indochina)
Asia's Climate
Asia has many different climates. It ranges from very cold arctic weather in Siberia. It also has hot tropical weather in southern India and Southeast Asia. Some parts are very wet, like the southeast. Other parts are very dry, like the interior. Western Asia can have huge temperature changes in one day.
Monsoon winds bring a lot of rain to southern and eastern Asia. This happens in summer because of the Himalayas. Southwestern parts of the continent are very hot. Siberia is one of the coldest places in the Northern Hemisphere. It can send cold air masses to North America. The area northeast of the Philippines and south of Japan has the most tropical storms.
Climate Change Impacts
Climate change is greatly affecting many countries in Asia. Several Asian countries face extreme risks from climate change. These include Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, and China. Some changes are already happening. For example, in parts of India, temperatures rose by 0.4°C between 1901 and 2003.
The ten countries of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) are very vulnerable. These include Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. They are among the most at risk from climate change effects.
Asia's Economy
Asia has the largest economy of any continent. It is also the fastest-growing economic region. As of 2018, the biggest economies in Asia were China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Many international companies have offices in Asian cities. Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo are major business hubs.
Experts predict that India's economy will grow larger than Japan's by 2025. By 2027, Goldman Sachs believes China will have the world's largest economy. There are also several trade groups in Asia. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is one of the most developed.
Asia is very rich in natural resources. These include oil, forests, fish, water, and rice. Manufacturing is strong in East and Southeast Asia. Countries like China, Japan, and South Korea are leaders. Many companies from other parts of the world operate in Asia. They use the large supply of workers and good infrastructure.
Asia has three main financial centers. These are Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Singapore. India has become a major center for outsourcing. This is because of its strong information technology industry. Trade between Asian countries and other continents mostly happens by sea. Trade within Asia is also growing quickly.
In 2010, Asia had 3.3 million millionaires. This was just below North America. By 2011, Asia had more people with over $100 million in assets.
| Rank | Country | GDP (nominal, Peak Year) millions of USD |
Peak Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China |
18,321,197 | 2022 |
| 2 |  Japan |
6,272,364 | 2012 |
| 3 |  India |
3,468,566 | 2022 |
| 4 |  Russia |
2,288,428 | 2013 |
| 5 |  Iran |
1,973,738 | 2022 |
| 6 |  South Korea |
1,810,966 | 2021 |
| 7 |  Indonesia |
1,289,429 | 2022 |
| 8 |  Saudi Arabia |
1,010,588 | 2022 |
| 9 |  Turkey |
957,504 | 2013 |
| 10 |  Taiwan |
828,659 | 2022 |
| Rank | Country | GDP (PPP, Peak Year) millions of USD |
Peak Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
30,074,380 | 2022 |
| 2 | India |
11,665,486 | 2022 |
| 3 | Japan |
6,109,961 | 2022 |
| 4 | Russia |
4,649,674 | 2022 |
| 5 | Indonesia |
4,023,501 | 2022 |
| 6 | Turkey |
3,320,994 | 2022 |
| 7 | South Korea |
2,765,834 | 2022 |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia |
2,018,260 | 2022 |
| 9 |  Egypt |
1,661,955 | 2022 |
| 10 | Taiwan |
1,621,702 | 2022 |
Tourism in Asia
Tourism is growing fast in Asia. Many visitors come from China. In 2013, a study showed that 10 out of 20 top tourist cities were in Asia and the Pacific. For the first time, a city from Asia, Bangkok, was ranked number one. It had 15.98 million international visitors.
Asia's People
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1500 | 243,000,000 | — |
| 1700 | 436,000,000 | +0.29% |
| 1900 | 947,000,000 | +0.39% |
| 1950 | 1,402,000,000 | +0.79% |
| 1999 | 3,634,000,000 | +1.96% |
| 2016 | 4,462,676,731 | +1.22% |
| Source: "UN report 2004 data" (PDF). The figure for 2018 is provided by the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects . |
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East Asia has greatly improved its Human Development Index (HDI). This index measures health, education, and income. Over the past 40 years, East Asia almost doubled its average HDI score. China is a top performer in HDI improvement since 1970. Its income per person grew 21 times in four decades. This helped lift hundreds of millions out of poverty.
Nepal, a country in South Asia, has also improved a lot since 1970. This is mainly due to better health and education. People in Nepal now live 25 years longer than in the 1970s. More than four out of five school-aged children now attend primary school. Forty years ago, it was only one in five.
Hong Kong ranks very high in HDI (number 7 in the world). Singapore (9), Japan (19), and South Korea (22) also have high scores. Afghanistan (155) has the lowest HDI among Asian countries.
Languages Spoken
Asia is home to many language families. Many countries in Asia speak more than one native language. For example, Indonesia has over 700 languages. India has more than 400 languages. The Philippines has over 100. China also has many languages and dialects. These vary across different provinces.
Religions in Asia
Many of the world's major religions started in Asia. These include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Chinese folk religions like Confucianism and Taoism also began here. Asian mythology is very rich and varied.
For example, the story of a Great Flood is found in many cultures. It is in the Hebrew Bible (for Jews) and the Quran (for Muslims). The earliest versions are from ancient Mesopotamian mythology. Hindu mythology also tells of a great flood. Ancient Chinese mythology has a story of a Great Flood that lasted for generations.
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Japanese wedding at the Meiji Shrine
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Bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
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Catholic procession of the Black Nazarene in Manila
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Druze people celebrating the Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu'ayb festival
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Christian Armenians praying at the Etchmiadzin Cathedral
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Muslim men praying at the Ortaköy Mosque in Istanbul
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Buddhist Monks performing traditional Sand mandala made from coloured sand
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Asian Culture
The culture of Asia is a mix of many customs and traditions. These have been practiced for centuries by different groups. The continent is divided into six cultural regions. These are Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Asia. These regions share similar religions, languages, and ethnic groups.
West Asia, also called the Middle East, has roots in ancient civilizations. These include the Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia. These areas gave rise to the Persian, Arab, and Ottoman empires. They also gave birth to religions like Judaism and Islam. Farming started in these areas around 9000 BCE. Even with its huge size and natural barriers like deserts, trade has helped create a shared Pan-Asian culture.
Nobel Prizes from Asia
Rabindranath Tagore, a poet and writer from India, was the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. His writings had a big impact on literature around the world. He also wrote the national anthems for Bangladesh and India.
Other Asian writers have also won the Nobel Prize for Literature. These include Yasunari Kawabata from Japan and Mo Yan from China.
Many Asians have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa from India and Shirin Ebadi from Iran won for their work on human rights. Ebadi was the first Iranian and first Muslim woman to win this prize. Aung San Suu Kyi from Myanmar won for her peaceful fight for democracy. Liu Xiaobo from China won for his struggle for human rights. In 2014, Kailash Satyarthi from India and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan won. They were recognized for their work against child suppression and for children's right to education.
Sir C. V. Raman was the first Asian to win a Nobel Prize in Sciences. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics. This was for his work on how light scatters. Japan has won the most Nobel Prizes among Asian nations, with 24. India has won 13.
Amartya Sen, an Indian economist, won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998. He was recognized for his work on welfare economics. He also focused on helping the poorest people in society.
Many other Asian scientists and leaders have won Nobel Prizes. These include people from Japan, Israel, Pakistan, and South Korea. Dr. Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. He created Grameen Bank, which gives small loans to poor people. The Dalai Lama also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
See also
In Spanish: Asia para niños
- Asian cuisine
- Asian Games
- Asia-Pacific
- Asian Para Games
- Asian people
- Eastern world
- Eurasia
- Far East
- East Asia
- Southeast Asia
- South Asia
- Central Asia
- Western Asia
- Middle East
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