Asia is the largest continent in the world in both, area and population, constituting nearly onethird of the landmass, lying entirely north of the equator except for some Southeast Asian islands. It is connected to Africa by the Isthmus of Suez and borders Europe (part of the same landmass) along the Ural Mountains and across the Caspian Sea.
Area: about 49,700,000 km² (19,189,277 sq mi) it covers about 30 percent of Earth's total land area.
Population: More than 4 billion human inhabitants (4.3 billion in 2013), about 60 percent of the world's population. 133 billion of these people live in China. Seven out of ten of the most populated countries are in Asia (2010).
Highest Point: Sagarmatha (Chomolungma; known as Mount Everest) 8,848m (29,028 ft) Nepal.
Largest Lake: Caspian Sea (salt lake) 371000 km² (143250 sq mi), Ozero Baykal, Lake Baikal 31500 km² in Siberia is the world's largest freshwater lake by volume.
Longest River: Yangtze China, 6,380 km (3,964 mi).
Languages of Asia: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Russian, Thai, Turkic, Vietnamese and other.
The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions: East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, linked by the interior mass of the Central Asian steppes. The coastal periphery was home to some of the world's earliest known civilizations, each of them developing around fertile river valleys. The civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and the Huanghe shared many similarities. These civilizations may well have exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel. Other innovations, such as writing, seem to have been developed individually in each area. Cities, states and empires developed in these lowlands.
The central steppe region had long been inhabited by horse-mounted nomads who could reach all areas of Asia from the steppes. The earliest postulated expansion out of the steppe is that of the Indo-Europeans, who spread their languages into the Middle East, South Asia, and the borders of China, where the Tocharians resided. The northernmost part of Asia, including much of Siberia, was largely inaccessible to the steppe nomads, owing to the dense forests, climate and tundra. These areas remained very sparsely populated.
Of all the seven continents, the continent of Asia is the largest with respect to both area and population while Australia being the smallest in both regards. The total area of Asia is calculated to be 43,810,582 kilometers square, covering 30% of the total earth's land and 8.66% of the total earth's surface. This continent shares its border with Ural Mountains to the East, the Arctic Ocean to the North, the Pacific Ocean to the West and the Indian Ocean to the South. The highest point in the World is Mount Everest with a height of 8,848 meters. This mountain is situated in the Tibetan region of the Himalayas that is situated in this gigantic continent. Other Asia facts include the facts about Asian rivers. As, the rivers are considered to be the most needed natural phenomenon on earth and are immensely important geographically, biologically, historically and culturally. So, the 3rd longest river in the world; river Yangtze (6,211 km) is in Asia and flows through China. Desert is an area or landscape which gets least precipitation thus providing unfavorable conditions for the growth of plants and the survival of life. The largest desert in Asia is the Gobi desert measuring 281,800 km square.
Climate and weather are important factors in tourist's decision making and influence the successful operation of tourism. Climate of Asia largely depends on its location and physical geography. This continent comprises of 53 countries including Russia and Turkey which lie both in Asia and Europe. Other major economically developed countries of Asia include Japan, China and India that are currently known as the engines of the world's economic growth. As oil and petroleum play a significant role in the economic uplift of any country.
The major oil and petroleum producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq are also located in Asia. The plant and animal life of Asia is wide and varied and differs primarily according to the climatic regions.
Climate change
A survey carried out in 2010 by global risk analysis farm Maplecroft identified 16 countries that are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Each nation's vulnerability was calculated using 42 socio, economic and environmental indicators, which identified the likely climate change impacts during the next 30 years. The Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were among the 16 countries facing extreme risk from climate change. Some shifts are already occurring. For example, in tropical parts of India with a semi-arid climate, the temperature increased by 0.4°C between 1901 and 2003. A 2013 study by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) aimed to find science-based, pro-poor approaches and techniques that would enable Asia's agricultural systems to cope with climate change, while benefitting poor and vulnerable farmers. The study's recommendations ranged from improving the use of climate information in local planning and strengthening weather-based agro-advisory services, to stimulating diversification of rural household incomes and providing incentives to farmers to adopt natural resource conservation measures to enhance forest cover, replenish groundwater and use renewable energy.
Largest Countries of Asia
Asia comprising of 53 different countries contains a diverse mix of people, cultures and governments. Asia contains the largest countries in the world with respect to both area and population. Russia is Asia's largest country with respect to area followed by China, India, Kazakhstan and KSA. Russia also keeps the reputation of being the largest country of the world as well. Its total area is 17,075,400 square kilometers. The humid continental climate in Russia is mainly due to its enormous size and remoteness of many areas from the sea. Russia also has the world's largest forest reserves known as "the lungs of Europe". It has the 10th largest economy in the world. India is the seventh-largest country by area and the second most populous country of the world. India is the world's most populous democracy with the world's fastest growing economies. Indians have shown tremendous progress in the field of IT. Coming to the third largest country in Asia: Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world too. It is often termed as the "land of Islands". The country's location on the edges of the Pacific, Eurasian and Australian tectonic plates makes it vulnerable to volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
Famous Tourist Resorts in Asia
Tourism occupies an important position in any county's development. Travelling can be regarded as one of the most popular ways of spending free time. Beijing, one of the most important resorts in Asia, attracts a large number of tourists from all around the world. The top sights of Beijing include The Great Wall Sections, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace and the great wall.
The second major tourist place in Asia is Goa. Goa has always been one of the most famous tourism spots in India. Goa is best known for its beaches, churches and temples. Major tourist attractions in Goa include Palolem beach, Bom Jesus Basilica and
Fort Aguada. Singapore is one of the most developed countries in Asia and the third major tourist spot in Asia. It is also regarded as one of the cleanest and safest countries of its size. A large number of tourists make their way to Singapore every day. Singapore stands among the top 5 countries in the world for night-life, fine dining and shopping. Famous spots include National Orchid gardens, Singapore Zoo, Marina bay, Mega Zip adventure Park and Singapore Flyer.
Internationally Recognized Universities of Asia
Asia has got good reputation in the education sector while housing few of the oldest and biggest Universities in the world. Let's have a glance at the leading universities of Asia. University of Tokyo leads the list as one of the best universities in Asia with a global ranking of 30. The University of Tokyo is Japan's top university, a top class centre for research and a vibrant academic community. University of Hong Kong stands among the top-notch universities of Asia and the world(ranked 34). HKU is internationally recognized for its research centre and scholarly achievements. Widely known for its business studies, the National University of Singapore is globally ranked among the top universities of Asia. It was ranked 40th in the world and 3rd in Asia. Business students from all around the world dream to come here to pursue their higher studies.
Longest Asian Rivers
Rivers are the most vibrant natural phenomenon that exists on the face of this universe. They extend from one country to another thus exercising a profound influence on the climatic conditions of that region. Two-third Asian Rivers extend over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in length.
Among the rivers of Asia, Yangtze of China is the longest river in Asia with a length of 6300 km. it extends from Qinghai-Tibet plateau and falls into the East China Sea at Shanghai while contributing a lot in the agriculture and energy sector of rapidly growing China.
Yellow river in Huang-He is the second longest river in Asia with a length 5,464 km. It flows through the nine provinces of China and empties into the Bohai Sea. The yellow river is also known as the "cradle of Chinese civilization" as it was the birth place of ancient Chinese civilization and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history.
Most Popular Sports in Asia
As we are quite familiar with the fact that Asia is the largest and most populous continent in the world. So, it's natural for the inhabitants of Asia to be the fans of different sports. The inclinationtowards any sports largely depends on the history of the country together with prevalent circumstances.
European soccer is extremely famous in Asian countries. Football is played and watched all over the world. Countries like China, South Korea and Japan have developed a real enthusiasm for football and their players are inclined towards improvement.
Cricket fever strongly grips the Asian countries too. It is very popular and loved in various Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Srilanka.
Traditional Asian fighting styles, better known as martial arts are also famous in most of the Asian countries. There is a wide variety of such traditional sports like Kung-Fu in China and Karate in Japan.
Significant Land Marks of Asia
Each country has certain specific structures, monuments and landmarks that earn them global recognition. For instance, Eiffel tower in Paris, Statue of Liberty in USA and Colosseum in Italy. Let's bring into account the famous landmarks in Asia.
Taj Mahal located in Uttar Pardesh, Agra in India-is known as one of the most significant tourist resorts in Asia. People in flocks come over to view this breath taking architectural epitome. The Taj Mahal is a symbol of love for India. The Great Wall of China is an amazing landmark and the most celebrated symbol of China. In earlier time this great wall was also recognized as a symbol of brutality and tyranny of early emperor's
