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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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The Roman–Persian wars, also called the Roman–Iranian wars, took place between the Greco-Roman world and the Iranian world, beginning with the Roman Republic and the Parthian Empire in 54 BC and ending with the Roman Empire (including the Byzantine Empire) and the Sasanian Empire in 628 AD. While the conflict between the two civilizations did involve direct military engagements, a significant role was played by a plethora of vassal kingdoms and allied nomadic nations, which served as buffer states or proxies for either side. Despite nearly seven centuries of hostility, the Roman–Persian wars had an entirely inconclusive outcome, as both the Byzantines and the Sasanians were attacked by the Rashidun Caliphate as part of the early Muslim conquests. The Rashidun offensives resulted in the collapse of the Sasanian Empire and largely confined the Byzantine Empire to Anatolia for the ensuing Arab–Byzantine wars.

Aside from shifts in the north, the Roman–Persian border remained largely stable for the duration of the conflict, albeit subject to an effective tug of war: towns, fortifications, and provinces were continually sacked, captured, destroyed, and traded, but neither side had the logistical strength or manpower to maintain such lengthy campaigns far from their borders, and thus neither could advance too far without risking stretching their frontiers too thin. Both sides did make conquests beyond the border, but in time, the balance was almost always restored. Although initially different in military tactics, the Romans and the Persians gradually adopted from each other, and by the second half of the 6th century, they were similar and evenly matched. (Full article...)

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Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has a population of about 55 million. It is bordered by India and Bangladesh to the northwest, China to the northeast, Laos and Thailand to the east and southeast, and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to the south and southwest. The country's capital city is Naypyidaw, while its largest city is Yangon (formerly Rangoon).

Early civilisations in the area included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Myanmar and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Myanmar. In the 9th century, the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley, and following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s, the Burmese language and culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country. The Pagan Kingdom fell to Mongol invasions, and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo dynasty, the country became the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia for a short period. The early 19th-century Konbaung dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Assam, the Lushai Hills, and Manipur as well. The British East India Company seized control of the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century, and the country became a British colony. After a brief Japanese occupation, Myanmar was reconquered by the Allies. On 4 January 1948, Myanmar declared independence under the terms of the Burma Independence Act 1947. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Zenobia as empress on the obverse of an antoninianus (272 AD)

Septimia Zenobia (Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡡𐡶𐡦𐡡𐡩‎, romanized: Bat-Zabbai; c. 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner, and she married Odaenathus, the ruler of the city of Palmyra. Her husband became king of Palmyra in 260, elevating Palmyra to supreme power in the Near East by defeating the Sasanian Empire of Persia and stabilizing the Roman East. After Odaenathus' assassination in 267, Zenobia became the regent of her son Vaballathus and held de facto power throughout his reign (267 to 272).

In 270, Zenobia launched an invasion that brought most of the Roman East under her sway and culminated with the annexation of Egypt. By mid-271 her realm extended from Ancyra, central Anatolia, to Upper Egypt, although she remained nominally subordinate to Rome. However, in reaction to the campaign of the Roman emperor Aurelian in 272, Zenobia declared her son emperor and assumed the title of empress, thus declaring Palmyra's secession from Rome. The Romans were victorious after heavy fighting; the empress was besieged in her capital and captured in late 272 by Aurelian, who exiled her to Rome, where she spent the remainder of her life. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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Inle Lake

Credit: Jakub Hałun

Inle Lake is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Township of Taunggyi District of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar (Burma). It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 km²), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m), but during the rainy season this can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m).

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Did you know...

... that after signing the Camp David Accords in 1978, Prime Minister Menachem Begin ended a speech with a desire to sing the peace song "Hevenu shalom aleichem" with the people of Israel?
... that the Empire of Japan created a girl group as propaganda?
... that the Japanese live-action television drama adaptation of Accomplishment of Fudanshi Bartender was first broadcast in Taiwan before being broadcast in its home country?
... that the two regions most devastated by Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam declined government funding for recovery efforts?
... that there is a folk tradition in Korea where children who urinate while sleeping are made to wear a winnowing basket on their head and ask their neighbors for salt?
... that fans of The Exit 8 travelled from across the world to visit a Japanese subway station?
... that the only album of an obscure Japanese singer became a city-pop cult classic?
... that Mao Zedong ordered the lenient treatment of bandit leader Cheng Lianzhen, as he thought it rare for a female bandit leader to be from an ethnic minority in China?
... that Habiburokhman made a public bet that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama would not be able to collect one million ID cards – or else he would jump off the National Monument?
... that The Penguin History of Modern China profiled the Christian general whose army moved to the beat of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"?

Updated: 1:05, 21 January 2026

In the news

21 January 2026 – Aftermath of the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis: A high court in Seoul, South Korea, sentences former prime minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison for being an accomplice in giving procedural legitimacy to the martial law decree during a cabinet meeting. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
21 January 2026 – Trial of Tetsuya Yamagami: A district court in Nara, Japan, sentences Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for assassinating former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. (Reuters)
20 January 2026 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war, Suspension and ban of humanitarian aid organizations during the Gaza war; The Israeli military demolishes the main UNRWA building in East Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, forcing staff out and confiscating their devices, following the Israeli ban on the organization operating in the region. (Al Jazeera)
20 January 2026 –: A crewman of a motor banca, that has been capsized off Sarangani, Davao Occidental, Philippines, on Monday, is rescued. Search operations are ongoing for three other crew members and 11 passengers still missing. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
20 January 2026 – China–United Kingdom relations: The British government approves China's new embassy at London's Royal Mint Court, despite security concerns. The planning decision affirmed development compliance, while MI5 raised no objections. The embassy will be the largest Chinese embassy in Europe upon completion. (CNN)

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Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

Selected panorama

Credit: KennyOMG

The Indus River (locally called Sindhu) is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Manasarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, towards the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Kashmir and the Hindukush ranges, and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh.