Aja viide. Aja lugu.

Main

Geography

Projects

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 the boundary between 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...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Featured article

A breeding male of the subspecies ammodendri in southeastern Kazakhstan

The saxaul sparrow (Passer ammodendri) is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in parts of Central Asia. At 14–16 centimetres (5.5–6.3 in) and 25–32 grams (0.88–1.13 oz), it is among the larger sparrows. Both sexes have plumage ranging from dull grey to sandy brown, and pale brown legs. Females have less boldly coloured plumage and bills, lacking the pattern of black stripes on the male's head. The head markings of both sexes make the saxaul sparrow distinctive, and unlikely to be confused with any other bird. Vocalisations include a comparatively soft and musical chirping call, a song, and a flight call.

Three subspecies are recognised, differing in the overall tone of their plumage and in the head striping of the female. The subspecies ammodendri occurs in the west of the saxaul sparrow's range, while stoliczkae and nigricans occur in the east. This distribution falls into six probably disjunct areas across Central Asia, from central Turkmenistan to northern Gansu in China. A bird of deserts, the saxaul sparrow favours areas with shrubs such as the saxaul, near rivers and oases. Though it has lost parts of its range to habitat destruction caused by agriculture, it is not seriously threatened by human activities. (Full article...)

List of Featured articles

Selected Country

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.

The territory of what is now Azerbaijan was ruled first by Caucasian Albania and later by various Persian empires. Until the 19th century, it remained part of Qajar Iran, but the Russo-Persian wars of 1804–1813 and 1826–1828 forced the Qajar Empire to cede its Caucasian territories to the Russian Empire; the treaties of Gulistan in 1813 and Turkmenchay in 1828 defined the border between Russia and Iran. The region north of the Aras was part of Iran until it was conquered by Russia in the 19th century, where it was administered as part of the Caucasus Viceroyalty. (Full article...)

List of selected countries

Featured biography

Ray in New York, 1981

Satyajit Ray (Bengali: [ˈʃotːodʒit ˈrae̯] ^ⓘ; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. Ray is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors in the history of cinema. He is celebrated for works including The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), The Music Room (1958), The Big City (1963), Charulata (1964), and the Goopy–Bagha trilogy (1969–1992).

Ray was born in Calcutta to author Sukumar Ray and Suprabha Ray. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent film-making after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves (1948) during a visit to London. (Full article...)

List of Featured biographies

General images

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

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

Featured picture

National Guard (Kyrgyzstan)

Credit: A.Savin

The honor guard of the National Guard standing at attention on Ala-Too Square, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

More selected pictures

Did you know...

... that May You Stay Forever Young is the first Hong Kong film to be banned following the amendment of the Film Censorship Ordinance?
... that The King of Comedy Visits Shanghai depicted Charlie Chaplin in China fourteen years before it happened?
... that skateboarder Cui Chenxi is the youngest Chinese gold medalist in the Asian Games?
... that in the Russian Far East, there is a population of North Koreans in Kamchatka that now aligns itself with South Korea?
... that in the 2024 election, Indonesian comedian Komeng received the most votes of any senatorial candidate to date?
... that Shohei Ohtani married "a normal Japanese woman" who used to play professional basketball?
... that Don Luce led a group of Americans to a secret part of a South Vietnamese prison where inmates were kept in squalor in what were called "tiger cages"?
... that David Ben Avraham was granted Israeli residency after being killed by an IDF soldier?
... that S. Iswaran was the first Singaporean cabinet minister to be investigated by the country's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau since 1986?
... that at least 14 people were killed during the 1978 Tabriz protests in Iran, which were meant to commemorate the dead in the 1978 Qom protest?

Updated: 21:06, 6 March 2025

In the news

6 March 2025 – Syrian civil war: Western Syria clashes; At least sixteen members of Syria’s security forces are killed in clashes with militants linked to Bashar al-Assad’s ousted regime. (Al Arabiya) (France 24); Four smuggling suspects are killed in clashes between Jordanian border forces and armed groups attempting to cross from Syria. (The New Arab); Save the Children says that landmines and unexploded ordnance in Syria have killed or injured at least 188 children since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. (Al Arabiya)
6 March 2025 – Rohingya genocide: The United Nations World Food Programme announces that it will reduce the emergency food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh from $12.50 to $6 per person. (Al Jazeera)
6 March 2025 – Somali civil war: Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways temporarily suspend flights to Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, following security warnings from the United States embassy about potential terrorist attacks targeting the airport. (Aero Time) (Hiiraan Online)

More current events...

Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

Selected panorama

Credit: Zhang Zeduan

Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a painting from China's Song Dynasty that captures the daily life of people from the period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng. As an artistic creation, the piece has been revered, and court artists of subsequent dynasties have made several re-interpretive replicas. The painting is famous because of its geometrically accurate images of boats, bridges, shops, and scenery. Because of its fame, it has been called "China's Mona Lisa".

More selected panoramas

Read more...