Portal:Asia

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 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. 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)

edit

Featured article

Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. The term ukiyo-e (浮世絵) translates as 'picture[s] of the floating world'.

In 1603, the city of Edo (Tokyo) became the seat of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate. The chōnin class (merchants, craftsmen and workers), positioned at the bottom of the social order, benefited the most from the city's rapid economic growth. They began to indulge in and patronize the entertainment of kabuki theatre, geisha, and courtesans of the pleasure districts. The term ukiyo ('floating world') came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted ukiyo-e works were popular with the chōnin class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with them. (Full article...)

List of Featured articles

edit

Selected Country

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon and Syria to the north, the West Bank and Jordan to the east, the Gaza Strip and Egypt to the southwest, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. The country also has a small coastline on the Red Sea at its southernmost point, and part of the Dead Sea lies along its eastern border. Israel's proclaimed capital is in Jerusalem, while Tel Aviv is the country's largest urban area and economic center.

Israel is located in a region known to Jews as the Land of Israel, synonymous with the Palestine region, the Holy Land, and Canaan. In antiquity, it was home to the Canaanite civilization followed by the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Situated at a continental crossroad, the region experienced demographic changes under the rule of various empires from the Romans to the Ottomans. European antisemitism in the late 19th century galvanized Zionism, which sought a Jewish homeland in Palestine and gained British support. After World War I, Britain occupied the region and established Mandatory Palestine in 1920. Increased Jewish immigration in the leadup to the Holocaust and British colonial policy led to intercommunal conflict between Jews and Arabs, which escalated into a civil war in 1947 after the United Nations (UN) proposed partitioning the land between them. (Full article...)

List of selected countries

edit

Featured biography

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

Septimia Zenobia (Palmyrene Aramaic: 𐡡𐡶𐡦𐡡𐡩‎, 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 the ruler of the city, Odaenathus. Her husband became king 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, Zenobia became the regent of her son Vaballathus and held de facto power throughout his reign.

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 by Aurelian, who exiled her to Rome, where she spent the remainder of her life. (Full article...)

List of Featured biographies

edit

General images

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

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

edit

Featured picture

North Korea

Credit: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

Visitors bowing in a show of respect for North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on Mansudae (Mansu Hill) in Pyongyang, North Korea.

More selected pictures

edit

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 Ein Samiya, which provides the water for Taybeh, the first beer brewed in Palestine, was depopulated in 2023 after genocide and displacement by 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 Mughâret Umm et-Tûeimîn Caves in Filistin (or Palestine) 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

edit

In the news

21 November 2024 – Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: At least 38 people are killed in two separate sectarian attacks on convoys of Shia people in Kurram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP) (Al Arabiya)
21 November 2024 – Israel–Hezbollah conflict: Hezbollah fires a rocket barrage at northern Israel, killing one person in the city of Nahariya. (Reuters)
21 November 2024 – 2024 Laos methanol poisoning: Two tourists from Australia and the United Kingdom die within a week from drinking poisoned alcohol in Vang Vieng, Laos, bringing the death toll to five. A dozen others remain in hospital. (BBC News) (AP)
21 November 2024 – War crimes in the Israel–Hamas war, International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine: The International Criminal Court at The Hague officially issues arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former minister of defense Yoav Gallant and the presumed dead leader of Hamas' military wing Mohammed Deif. (Jerusalem Post)
20 November 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: Calls for a ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas war; The United States vetoes a United Nations Security Council proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, citing the proposal's not linking the ceasefire to the return of hostages taken during the conflict. (The New York Sun) (Reuters)

More current events...

edit

Related portals

Major Religions in Asia

Middle East

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

edit

Selected panorama

Credit: Benh LIEU SONG

The Central Area of Singapore surrounded by the perimeter of five planning areas: the Marina Bay, the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South and Straits View. The area surrounding the bay itself, also called Marina Bay, is a 360 hectare extension to the adjacent CBD. It is also the new downtown of Singapore built on reclaimed land.