How many countries are in Asia?
Asia
Asia is the largest continent on Earth. It covers 9% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land area), and has the largest coastline, at . Asia is generally defined as comprising the eastern four-fifths of Eurasia. It is located to the east of the Suez Canal and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains (or the Kuma–Manych Depression) and the Caspian and Black Seas. 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. Asia is subdivided into 48 countries, three of them (Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey) having part of their land in Europe.
India at the Asian Games
India is one of the only seven countries that have competed in all the editions of the Asian Games. The other six are Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand. India has won at least one gold medal at every Asian Games, and always ranked within the top 10 nations of the medal table except in the 1990 Asian Games. After completing the 2018 Asian Games, India's medal count is as follows:
South Asia
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a contiguous block of countries, started in 1985 with seven countriesBangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lankaand added Afghanistan as an eighth member in 2007. China and Myanmar have also applied for the status of full members of SAARC. This bloc of countries include two independent countries that were not part of the British Raj – Nepal, and Bhutan. Afghanistan was a British protectorate from 1878 until 1919, after the Afghans lost to the British in the Second Anglo-Afghan war. The World Factbook, based on geo-politics, people, and economy defines South Asia as comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Territory, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The South Asia Free Trade Agreement incorporated Afghanistan in 2011, and the World Bank grouping of countries in the region also includes all eight members comprising South Asia and SAARC as well, and the same goes for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The United Nations Statistics Division's scheme of sub-regions include all eight members of the SAARC as part of Southern Asia, along with Iran only for statistical purposes. Population Information Network (POPIN) includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as part of South Asia. Maldives, in view of its characteristics, was admitted as a member Pacific POPIN subregional network only in principle. The Hirschman–Herfindahl index of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific for the region includes only the original seven signatories of SAARC.
The Asia Foundation
The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to "improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia." Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, its programs address critical issues affecting Asia in the 21st century—governance and law, economic development, women's empowerment, environment, and regional cooperation. Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works through a network of 18 offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC.
Religion in Asia
According to a Pew Research Center survey in 2012 religiously unaffiliated (including agnostics and atheists) make up about 21.2% of Asia population. According to the same survey, the religiously unaffiliated are the majority of the population in four Asian countries/territories: North Korea (71%), Japan (57%), Hong Kong (56%), and Mainland China (52%).
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
It is the main objective of the former Thai Prime Minister to form the Asia Co-operation Dialogue or the forerunner to the Asian Union. The ACD's main members states are Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Indonesia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, China and Japan, the so-called Major Ten ACD Nations.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Other meetings include the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting that focus mostly on specific topics, such as defence or the environment, and are attended by ministers. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which met for the first time in 1994, fosters dialogue and consultation, and to promote confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the region. As of July 2007, it consists of twenty-seven participants that include all ASEAN member states, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, North and South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, the United States, and Sri Lanka. Taiwan has been excluded since the establishment of the ARF, and issues regarding the Taiwan Strait are neither discussed at ARF meetings nor stated in the ARF Chairman's Statements.
List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Asia
The 49 generally recognized sovereign states listed herein include two countries that generally are classified as European or African nations but with portions of their territory being in Asia, while the two substantially but not generally recognized states are both fully encompassed in Asia. While most of Russia's area is in Asia, it generally is classified as a European country because its capital (Moscow) and most of its population is in Europe. In addition, while Egypt extends into Asia through the Sinai Peninsula, it generally is considered an African country because most of its population and geographic area is in Africa.
Languages of Asia
Asia and Europe are the only two continents where most countries use native languages as their official languages, though English is also widespread.
List of outlines of countries in Asia
This is a list of articles about the outlines of the countries in Asia. The transcontinental countries situated in both Asia and Europe are also shown.
Religion in Asia
Asia is the largest and most populous continent and the birthplace of many religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism. All major religious traditions are practiced in the region and new forms are constantly emerging. Asia is noted for its diversity of culture.
Eurasia
Eurasia is the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia. The term is a portmanteau of its constituent continents (Europe and Asia). Located primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and by Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean to the south. The division between Europe and Asia as two different continents is a historical social construct, with no clear physical separation between them; thus, in some parts of the world, Eurasia is recognized as the largest of the six, five, or even four continents on Earth. In geology, Eurasia is often considered as a single rigid megablock. However, the rigidity of Eurasia is debated based on paleomagnetic data.
Asia (disambiguation)
Asia is a geographical continent containing the central and eastern part of Eurasia.
Smart villages in Asia
About 38% of the population of Asia and 22% in the world, live in East Asia.
Economy of Asia
Following World War II, the People's Republic of China and India, which account for half of the population of Asia, adopted socialist policies to promote their domestic economy. These policies limited the economic growth of the region. They are being abandoned in India and reformed in China. In contrast, the economies of Japan and the Four Asian Tigers (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong) were economic successes, and the only successful economies outside of the Western World. The success of these four economies led other Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand to follow suit in opening up their economies and setting up export-oriented manufacturing bases that boosted their growth throughout the 1980s and the 1990s.
Timor Leste–Indonesia–Australia Growth Triangle
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional intergovernmental organization] connecting ten countries in Southeast Asia for cooperation and integration of economy, politics, security, military, education and cultures. Those members are Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia. Australia is not part of these ten member countries, but belongs to so-called ASEAN Plus Six, an additional six countries, which are strong economic, political, security and socio-cultural architectures in Asia-Pacific and in the world: China, Japan, South Korea, India, and New Zealand.. Timor-Leste submitted a membership application to ASEAN in March 2011. But the accesion was declined every year. In 2017 it was approved by four countries, but declined by the other six.
World government
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic and political organization of eight countries in Southern Asia. In terms of population, its sphere of influence is the largest of any regional organization: almost 1.5 billion people, the combined population of its member states. It was established on December 8, 1985 by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. In April 2007, at the Association's 14th summit, Afghanistan became its eighth member.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an international organisation with a permanent delegation to the United Nations. It groups 57 member states, from the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The organization claims it represents the Global Islamic World ("ummah"). The official languages of the organisation are Arabic, English and French.
Asia
According to economic historian Angus Maddison in his book "The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective", India had the world's largest economy during 0 BCE and 1000 BCE. China was the largest and most advanced economy on earth for much of recorded history, until the British Empire (excluding India) overtook it in the mid-19th century. For several decades in the late twentieth century Japan was the largest economy in Asia and second-largest of any single nation in the world, after surpassing the Soviet Union (measured in net material product) in 1986 and Germany in 1968. (NB: A number of supernational economies are larger, such as the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or APEC). This ended in 2010 when China overtook Japan to become the world's second largest economy.
Outline of Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land area) and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.
List of Asian countries
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Education in Asia
The tables below show GER for each country in Asia, organized into five regions by population: South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia and Central Asia. Data are shown for four levels of education: pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary. (Tertiary education is also referred to as higher education).
Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia
The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) is a peace treaty among Southeast Asian countries established by the founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a geo-political and economic organisation of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia.
Asian Volleyball Confederation
The Asian Volleyball Confederation, commonly known by the acronym AVC, is the governing body for the sports of indoor, beach and grass volleyball in Asia and Oceania. It has 65 member countries, mostly located on the Asian and Australian continents, but excludes the transcontinental countries with territory in both Europe and Asia – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia and Turkey – which are instead members of CEV. Three other states located along the western fringe of Asia – Armenia, Cyprus and Israel – are also CEV members.
East Asia
There are mixed debates around the world whether these countries or regions should be considered in East Asia or not.
Asia–Europe Meeting
The Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an Asian–European political dialogue forum to enhance relations and various forms of cooperation between its partners. 
It was officially established on 1 March 1996 at the 1st ASEM Summit (ASEM1) in Bangkok, Thailand, by the then 15 member states of the European Union (EU) and the European Commission, the then 7 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the individual countries of China, Japan, and South Korea. A series of enlargements saw additional EU member states join as well as India, Mongolia, Pakistan and the ASEAN Secretariat in 2008, Australia, New Zealand and Russia in 2010, Bangladesh, Norway, and Switzerland in 2012, as well as Croatia and Kazakhstan in 2014.
Asian foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government
Time and again Modi emphasized his belief in the 21st century being the Asian century and also asked whether it would be the Indian Century. China, Japan and India being the first, second and third largest Asian economy respectively are among the most likely candidate to lead the strategically important Asia in the later part of this century. But China's increasingly assertive postures in the region recent years have raised concerns in the respective quarters. It seems Modi's foreign policy is focused on improving bilateral relations to higher levels with strategically located Asian countries like Japan, Vietnam, Australia without forging any formal security alliance in the Indo-Pacific region to avoid direct confrontation with China. India, due to its good relation with both Russia and United States, is often considered to be the swing state in the race for strategic dominance in Asia between the democratic alliance of Japan and US and China-Russia club on the other hand.
Ethnic groups in Asia
Some groups are primarily hunter-gatherers, whereas others practice transhumance (nomadic lifestyle), have been agrarian for millennia, or have adopted an industrial or urban lifestyle. Some groups or countries in Asia are completely urban (e.g., Qatar and Singapore); the largest countries in Asia with regard to population are the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Iran, Thailand, Burma, and South Korea. Colonisation of Asian ethnic groups and states by European peoples began in the 16th century, reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (except in the former Soviet Union, which was dissolved in 1991).
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwestern Asia or Southwest Asia is the westernmost subregion of Asia. The concept is in limited use, as it significantly overlaps with the Middle East (or the Near East), the main difference usually being the exclusion of the majority of Egypt (which would be counted as part of North Africa) and the inclusion of the Caucasus. The term is sometimes used for the purposes of grouping countries in statistics. The total population of Western Asia is an estimated 300 million as of 2015. Although the term "Western Asia" is mostly used as a convenient division of contemporary sovereign states into a manageable number of world regions for statistical purposes, it is sometimes used instead of the more geopolitical term "Middle East".
Jeju Peace Forum
The 7th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity was held in Jeju Island from 31 May to 2 June 2012 under the theme of “New Trends and the Future of Asia”
Asia is the most dynamic region in the world. Half of the world's population lives in Asia and the cultural variety found in the region enhances its potential. Asia is undergoing rapid change, thereby contributing greatly to the historic advancement of the world. Achieving peace and prosperity in Asia is one of the most significant tasks for the realization of global peace and prosperity.
After the end of the Cold War and in light of economic crises around the world, the nations of Asia are moving toward dialogue and cooperation in order to overcome their differences and conflict. The interdependence among Asian nations has been expanding, enhancing a recognition of common interest.
Regional cooperation in East Asia has been greatly promoted though some countries such as North Korea remain isolated from the international community. Active discussion in various formats is underway for regional cooperation in East Asia. In this island of Jeju, many international meetings have been held to promote such cooperation, including summit meetings among Korea, Japan and China and between Korea and ASEAN countries, meetings which help nations to overcome their differences and thus promote reconciliation and cooperation.
The 7th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity reviewed these changes within historic context and highlight the future of Asia. The work of the forum was to pursue peace and common prosperity of the region on the basis of a sense of community. The interdependence and cultural fusion in Asia surely contribute to the promotion of this sense of community.
First East Asia Summit
While India is included in Asia it is normally identified as part of South Asia not East Asia. Australia and New Zealand are usually included in Oceania rather than Asia, although some differ and the distinction can be unclear, and they may be seen as part of the Asia Pacific.
Demographics of Central Asia
Central Asia is a diverse land with many ethnic groups, languages, religions and tribes. The nations which make up Central Asia are five of the former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which have a total population of about /1e6 round 0 million. Afghanistan is not always considered part of the region, but when it is, Central Asia has a total population of about 122 million (2016). Additionally, Pakistan has a large population of central Asian peoples even though it is not categorized as a central Asian nation. Most central Asians belong to religions which were introduced to the area within the last 1,500 years, such as Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Ismaili Islam, Tengriism, and Syriac Christianity. Buddhism, however, was introduced to Central Asia over 2,200 years ago, and Zoroastrianism, over 2,500 years ago.
Geography of Asia
In evaluating the geographic position of nations of the edge of Asia some writers utilize the amorphous concept of "transcontinental countries," which has different meanings to different authorities. Merriam-Webster defines it as "going across a continent," as might a railroad. With regard to Asia, there is only one such country, the Russian Federation.
List of metropolitan areas in Asia
The table is color-coded to show which region of Asia each city is in. The color-code key is as follows:
With twenty cities, East Asia accounts for half of cities under this list, with China having the lion's share with fifteen cities, South Asia comes second with ten cities, seven of which are in India. Southeast Asia accounts for seven cities and West Asia with just three cities.
Culture of Asia
The culture of Asia encompasses the collective and diverse customs and traditions of art, architecture, music, literature, lifestyle, philosophy, politics and religion that have been practiced and maintained by the numerous ethnic groups of the continent of Asia since prehistory. Identification of a specific culture of Asia or universal elements among the colossal diversity that has emanated from multiple cultural spheres and three of the four ancient River valley civilizations is complicated. However, the continent is commonly divided into six geographic sub-regions, that are characterized by perceivable commonalities, like religion, language and relative ethnic homogeneity. These regions are Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia.
Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia
13 of the 16 nations (excluding India, Australia and New Zealand) are also simultaneously negotiating an East Asia Free Trade Area.
Religion in Asia
Buddhism is the fourth largest world religion and the 3rd largest in Asia, which is 12% of Asia's population. It is dominant and the majority in Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Tibet, Laos, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Large Buddhist populations live in China (18.2%), Japan (36.2%), Taiwan (35%), Macau (17%), North Korea (13.8%), Nepal (10.7%), Vietnam (10%), Singapore (33%), Hong Kong (15%) and South Korea (22.9%). It also has strong minorities in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Russia.
Buddhism was founded by Siddartha Gautama, also known as Buddha.
The Amazing Race Asia
As of 15 December 2016, The Amazing Race Asia has visited 20 countries and has visited 4 continents.
List of Asian countries by GDP per capita
This is a list of Asian countries by GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity. All figures are given in international dollars and are the latest estimates from "The World Factbook" of the Central Intelligence Agency. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Countries with contiguous boundaries that are partially (but not entirely) located in Asia are shown here in italics, but GDP per capita figures are given for the whole state. Dependent territories (not sovereign states) are not ranked, and are also shown in italics.
Netball Asia
Netball Asia , formerly the Asian Netball Federation and Asian Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA), is the governing body of netball in Asia. Netball Asia was founded in 1986 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, three years after representatives from five Asian netball countries – Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and India – met during the 1983 Netball World Championships in Singapore to discuss the creation of an Asian netball governing body. The current president of the AFNA is Anna Wong. The Asian Region covers a total of 49 countries. The Asian Region currently has 8 Associate Members and 10 Full Regional & INF Members.
Inner Asia
Inner Asia refers to regions within East Asia and North Asia that are today part of Western China, Mongolia and eastern Russia. It overlaps with some definitions of Central Asia, mostly the historical ones, but certain regions of Inner Asia (such as Northeast China) are not considered a part of Central Asia by any of its definitions. Inner Asia may be considered as the "frontier" of China, and as bounded by East Asia, which consists of China, Japan, and Korea.
List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Asia
There are 49 Asian states in this list. All are members of the United Nations.
List of Asian states by GDP growth
This is a list of estimates of the real gross domestic product growth rate (not rebased GDP) in Asian states for the latest years recorded in the CIA World Factbook. All sovereign states with United Nations membership and territory in Asia are included on the list apart from those who are also members of the Council of Europe. In addition, the list includes the special administrative regions of China (Hong Kong and Macao) and Taiwan. Dependent territories of non-Asian states are excluded.
Prehistoric Asia
Central Asia is the core region of the Asian continent and stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to China in the east and from Afghanistan in the south to Russia in the north. It is also sometimes referred to as Middle Asia, and, colloquially, "the 'stans" (as the six countries generally considered to be within the region all have names ending with the Persian suffix "-stan", meaning "land of") and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent. The countries are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.
List of predecessors of sovereign states in Asia
This is a list of all present sovereign states in Asia and their predecessors. The boundaries of Asia are culturally determined, as there is no clear geographical separation between it and Europe, which together form one continuous landmass called Eurasia. The most commonly accepted boundaries place Asia to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains (or the Kuma–Manych Depression) and the Caspian and Black Seas.
Asian people
The 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census Bureau definition of the Asian race is: "people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent (for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam)".
Asia Council
The Asia Fellowship is an international graduate fellowship scheme which supports students with exceptional leadership qualities from 48 countries and 6 dependent territories of Asia to undertake graduate studies at Asia’s top universities.
Christian Conference of Asia
The Christian Conference of Asia is a regional ecumenical organisation representing 15 National Councils and over 100 denominations (churches) in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.
Asia Society
The Asia Society defines the region of Asia as the area from Japan to Iran, from central Asia to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The Asia Society is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose aim is to build awareness about Asian politics, business, education, arts, and culture through education. The organization sponsors the exhibitions of art, performance, film, lectures, and programs for students and teachers. The programs are aimed at increasing knowledge of society with a focus on human rights, environment, global health and the position of women.
Economy of East Asia
The Economy of East Asia comprises more than 1.6 billion people (22% of the world population) living in 6 different countries. East Asia is home to one of the most economically dynamic places in the world. The region is the site to some of the world's longest modern economic booms, starting from the Japanese economic miracle (1950–1990), Miracle on the Han River (1961–1996) in South Korea, the Taiwan miracle in Taiwan (1960–1996) and the economic boom (1978–2015) in Mainland China. The region is home of some of the world's largest and most prosperous economies: Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. As East Asia's economic prominence has grown, so has its importance and influence in the world economy. It has emerged as an increasingly prominent region in the Asian continent and in the global economy and international politics as a whole. East Asia now boasts an expanding cosmopolitan middle class, where its members are linked to the global communications grid that are identifying with its Western counterparts across the world making it a significant force to be reckoned with in the global economy. The region's economic success has led to it being dubbed "An East Asian renaissance" by the World Bank in 2007. 
At the turn of the twentieth century, three of the five world's largest economies were in East Asia, with Mainland China and Japan both being the second and third largest respectively. Since the middle of the twentieth century, capitalism has blended tremendously well with the Confucian nature of Oriental East Asia. In defiance of an array of sociopolitical challenges has the East Asian economies turned into a modern economic miracle. Sustained efforts of veering East Asia into a capitalist direction has created remarkable outcomes in terms of resilience, dynamism, growth, and economic prosperity. Even as late as the mid-twentieth century, East Asia remained nonindustrial, poverty-stricken, and torn by the ravages of World War II. Since the 1960s, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China have all achieved a modern economic takeoff leaving the economic rise of modern East Asia to become one of most important economic success stories in modern world history. In spite of decades of setbacks and turmoil, East Asia is now one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced regions in the world.
Regional human rights regimes
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia, formed in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The organisation now also includes Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. Its aims include the acceleration of economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, and the promotion of regional peace. ASEAN established in 2009–10 an Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. In November 2012, ASEAN adopted the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, but, as of 2015, still has no human rights convention or court.
Asia-Pacific
East Asia
North Asia
Tropical Asia
Tropical Asia is a region in Asia that experiences tropical climate. It is physiogeographically and economically rich in natural resources and biodiversity, including many species of agricultural value. There are 16 countries of tropical Asia ranging in size from around 610 km² (Singapore) to 3,000,000 km² (India). Its population, is dominantly rural—however, in 1995, a census showed a region with 6 out of 25 of the large cities. The population is 1.6 billion, likely to reach 2.4 billion in 2025. Climate in tropical Asia is subject to seasonal weather patterns with the two monsoons and the amount of tropical cyclones in the three core areas of cyclogenesis (the Bay of Bengal, north Pacific Ocean and South China Sea). The climate varies over several environmental factors such as: growing urbanization, land industrialization and economic development or the opposite land degradation, environmental issues, and increased pollution.
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
The Commission is composed of 53 Member States and nine Associate members, all mostly from the Asia and Pacific regions. As well as countries in Asia and the Pacific, the Commission's members includes France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Smart villages in Asia
Geographical marking in the Western Asia consists of 19 countries/territorial states. 5 countries of Asia from this region hold strong financial stability and resources for social development. In this region three countries, According to population demography Turkey, Iraq and Yemen stand at 10th, 13th and 20th position respectively
List of Asian astronauts
The list is divided between those astronauts whose origin or ancestry is in West or South Asia (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria) and those whose origin or ancestry is in East or Central Asia (Mongolia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, China, Vietnam).
Central Asia
By a broad definition including Mongolia and Afghanistan, more than 90 million people live in Central Asia, about 2% of Asia's total population. Of the regions of Asia, only North Asia has fewer people. It has a population density of 9 people per km, vastly less than the 80.5 people per km of the continent as a whole.
International Development Association
The IDA's efforts in Asia have been particularly successful. Numerous Asian countries have graduated from the IDA lending program, including the Philippines, China, South Korea, and Thailand. Of the association's borrowing countries, approximately 20 are in Asia. The association's efforts in South Asia have focused primarily on projects for education, healthcare, transportation, agriculture, and energy. Due to rapid growth in Asian countries' populations, some pockets of poverty have emerged. To mitigate this effect, the IDA adopted an economic plan of action which established organizations to improve education and healthcare, with a focus on reducing poverty across Asian nations in ways that are compatible with local culture.
Foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government
East Asia Summit (EAS) which is an ASEAN led dialogue forum comprises 18 countries, 10 core ASEAN nations along with Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and United States. Over the years EAS has become the most important multilateral body in the Asia pacific region for discussing security, trade and commerce, environment and others unlike APEC which is purely economic in nature. Modi participated in the ninth East Asia Summit in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar in November which was his second major multilateral even after BRICS in July. Describing the importance of the EAS in managing regional security, Modi mentioned "No other forum brings together such a large collective weight of global population, youth, economy and military strength. Nor is any other forum so critical for peace, stability and prosperity in Asia-Pacific and the world".
Religion in Asia
Asian countries with large Christian populations are Philippines (84 million), China (68 million), India (24 million), Indonesia (23 million), Kazakhstan (16.5 million), South Korea (15 million), Vietnam (7 million), Georgia (4.6 million), Armenia (3.2 million), Malaysia (2.6 million), Japan (2.5 million), Pakistan (2.5 million), Uzbekistan (2.5 million), Syria (1.8 million), Sri Lanka (1.5 million), East Timor (1.2 million) and Taiwan (one million).
Demographics of Asia
Economically, most of Asia is traditionally considered part of the Second World, with the significant exception of the industrialized First World countries of Israel, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Asian countries in the G-20 major economies include China, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Of these, Japan is also in the G8, and additionally China and India in the G8+5.
Central Asia
Central Asia has a population of about /1e6 round 0 million, consisting of five republics: Kazakhstan (pop. /1e6 round 0 million), Kyrgyzstan (/1e6 round 0 million), Tajikistan (/1e6 round 0 million), Turkmenistan (/1e6 round 0 million), and Uzbekistan (/1e6 round 0 million). Afghanistan (pop. /1e6 round 0 million), which is a part of South Asia, is also sometimes included in Central Asia.
Culture of Asia
For the most part, North Asia (more widely known as Siberia) is considered to be made up of the Asian part of Russia solely. The geographic region of Siberia was the historical land of the Tatars in the Siberia Khanate. However Russian expansion essentially undermined this and thus today it is under Russian rule. There are roughly 40 million people living in North Asia and the majority consists now of Ethnic Russians.
Languages of Asia
There is a wide variety of languages spoken throughout Asia, comprising different language families and some unrelated isolates. The major language families spoken on the continent include Altaic, Austroasiatic, Austronesian, Caucasian, Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Indo-European, Afroasiatic, Siberian, Sino-Tibetan and Tai-Kadai. They usually have a long tradition of writing, but not always.
Asia Council
The Asia Council covers 48 countries and 6 dependent territories.
Religion in Asia
Only six countries are predominantly Christian: Asian Russia which is predominantly the Russian Orthodox Church ;Cyprus, which is predominantly Orthodox; the Philippines, which is the third-largest Roman Catholic nation in the world; Timor Leste, which is the most overwhelming Christian (99.6%) and Roman Catholic nation in Asia (97.6%) ; Armenia, which was the first state to adopt a Christian denomination as its state religion; and Georgia. Christianity also accounts for 29.2% of South Korea's population (54.5% of its religious population) and is now the predominant religion in South Korea, Christianity is also a large minority religion in Lebanon accounting for 40% of its population. Christianity is also a large minority religion in Kazakhstan (26%), Singapore (18.3%), and Kyrgyzstan (17%).
Politics of Asia
The situation today is still mixed, with hostilities in parts of Asia such as the continuing tensions over South China sea, Kashmir, Taiwan, Tibet, North Korea as well as economic competitiveness between the People's Republic of China and India. China and India do not have a peace treaty, nor does Russia and Japan or North Korea and South Korea. However, there are also moves towards greater co-operation and communication within the region with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a notable example.
The Asia Council is a pan-continental initiative launched in 2016 to achieve greater unity among countries of Asia. The first Asia Council summit is scheduled to be held in 2018 at Tokyo. Apart from the summit and periodical ministerial meetings, the various Asia Council forums brings together Asia’s top leadership under one roof to deliberate on pan-Asian issues.
Landlocked country
There are the following "single" landlocked countries (each of them borders no other landlocked country):If the Caucasian countries and Kazakhstan are counted as part of Europe, then Europe has the most landlocked countries, at 20. If these transcontinental countries are included in Asia, then Africa has the most, at 16. Depending on the status of the three transcontinental countries, Asia has between 9 and 15, while South America has only 2. North America and Australia are the only continents with no landlocked countries (not including Antarctica, which has no countries).
Asia
Japan has won the most Nobel Prizes of any Asian nation with 24 followed by India which has won 13.
Geography of Asia
One problematic aspect of the classification of Asia not yet definitively addressed by the Statistics Division is "Northern Asia," which has no regional code and is not currently officially a region of Asia. Russia, or "the Russian Federation," is a nation of Europe. The "Northern Asia" name is unofficially recognized; for example, the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names includes an Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia Division. "Northern Asia" comes from traditional usage, which divides Europe from Asia at the Ural Mountains. No one at the UN is suggesting that European Russia be included in Asia or that Asian Russia be included in Europe. Their policy is that a nation shall appear once in one region. They have selected Europe. The problem remains unsolved.
The nations of this map with one major exception (and a few minor ones) are those defined by the World Factbook. Short forms of the names are used; sometimes abbreviations. All the nations can be found in the table below. The one major exception to the scheme is "Russia," not currently officially in the continental region of Asia, but unofficially partly in it even though classified as Europe.
Asia News Network
The Asia News Network (ANN) is a coalition of 22 leading news organisations from South, Southeast and Northeast Asia. The network covers a region of over 2 billion people across 20 countries. Through the network, members pool resources and expertise to offer in-depth coverage of regional and international issues by presenting local viewpoints on complex topics. The current managing editor is Cod Satrusayang. The latest member to join Asia News Network was the Phnom Penh Post which became a member in July 2017.
Eastern Briefing is a daily newsletter put out by ANN which pulls the most interesting stories from member newspapers on the most relevant topics of the day.
List of Asian countries by area
Note: Some of these countries are transcontinental or have territory located somewhere other than Asia. These countries are marked with an asterisk (*).
Geography of Asia
Different sources give different estimates of the area enclosed by the imaginary border of Asia. The New York Times "Atlas of the World" gives . "Chambers World Gazetteer" rounds off to , while the "Concise Columbia Encyclopedia" gives . The 2011 Pearson's has . The methods of obtaining these figures and exactly what areas they include have not been divulged.
East Asia
The UNSD definition of East Asia is based on statistical convenience, but also other common definitions of East Asia contain Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.
Asia
Asia has extremely diverse climates and geographic features. Climates range from arctic and subarctic in Siberia to tropical in southern India and Southeast Asia. It is moist across southeast sections, and dry across much of the interior. Some of the largest daily temperature ranges on Earth occur in western sections of Asia. The monsoon circulation dominates across southern and eastern sections, due to the presence of the Himalayas forcing the formation of a thermal low which draws in moisture during the summer. Southwestern sections of the continent are hot. Siberia is one of the coldest places in the Northern Hemisphere, and can act as a source of arctic air masses for North America. The most active place on Earth for tropical cyclone activity lies northeast of the Philippines and south of Japan. The Gobi Desert is in Mongolia and the Arabian Desert stretches across much of the Middle East. The Yangtze River in China is the longest river in the continent. The Himalayas between Nepal and China is the tallest mountain range in the world. Tropical rainforests stretch across much of southern Asia and coniferous and deciduous forests lie farther north.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.
Asia Council
The Asia Council is a pan-Asian organization constituted in 2016 to serve as a continent wide forum to address Asia's key challenges and foster cooperation among countries of Asia. The council has its headquarters in Tokyo and regional directorates in Doha, Chengdu and Bangkok.
Central Asian Flyway
The flyway covers 30 countries of North, Central and South Asia and Trans-Caucasus. The northern catchment area of CAF inevitably overlaps, and considerably overlaps, with both those of AEWA and EAAF, mostly within a single country, the Russian Federation, though sixteen of the 30 countries encompassed by the CAF are located in the AEWA area. They are: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China People's Republic of, Georgia, Iran Republic of, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom Chagos Islands and Uzbekistan.
Asian Century
Asia's growth is not guaranteed. Its leaders will have to manage multiple risks and challenges, particularly:Despite forecasts that predict the rising economic and political strength of Asia, the idea of an Asian Century has faced criticism. This has included the possibility that the continuing high rate of growth could lead to revolution, economic slumps, and environmental problems, especially in mainland China. Some believe that the 21st century will be multipolar, and no one country or continent will have such a concentration of influence. However some proponents of the Asian Century respond that since the two most populous countries (China and India) are in Asia then it's only natural that they will play a bigger role in the world's affairs than smaller countries and thus it won't be a multipolar century. Finally, although the British Empire was a superpower during the nineteenth century, controlling nearly a quarter of the world's area and population, during the 20th century there was still a balance of political power with the British and other European colonial empires from 1900 until 1945, and with the US and the Soviet Union from 1945 until 1991.
Speeches and Political Statements
Forecasts
Criticism
Southeast Asian Massif
The term Southeast Asian Massif was proposed in 1997 by anthropologist Jean Michaud to discuss the human societies inhabiting the lands above approximately in the southeastern portion of the Asian landmass, thus not merely in the uplands of conventional Mainland Southeast Asia. It concerns highlands overlapping parts of 10 countries: southwest China, Northeast India, eastern Bangladesh, and all the highlands of Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Peninsular Malaysia, and Taiwan. The indigenous population encompassed within these limits numbers approximately 100 million, not counting migrants from surrounding lowland majority groups who came to settle in the highlands over the last few centuries.
Economy of Asia
Wealth (if measured by GDP per capita) is mostly concentrated in the East Asia in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and Brunei, as well as in oil rich countries in West Asia such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. Israel and, to a lesser extent Turkey are exceptions: both lie in the territory of Asia despite not often being counted as such. Israel (entrepreneurship on diversified industries) is a developed country, while Turkey (founding member of OECD) is an advanced emerging country. Asia, with the exception of Japan (heavy industry and electrical sophistication), South Korea (heavy industry and information and communication technology), Taiwan (light industry and hi-tech parts manufacturing), Hong Kong (financial industry and services) and Singapore (high-tech manufacturing, biotechnology, financial and business services, and tourism governed by Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore) in recent years, is currently undergoing rapid growth and industrialization, and China (manufacturing and FDI-led growth) and India (commodities, outsourcing destination and computer software), the two fastest growing major economies in the world.
Central Asia
The five Central Asian republics belong to several international bodies, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. They are also members of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Programme, which also includes Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Mongolia and Pakistan. In November 2011, the 10 member countries adopted the "CAREC 2020 Strategy", a blueprint for furthering regional co-operation. Over the decade to 2020, US$50 billion is being invested in priority projects in transport, trade and energy to improve members' competitiveness. The landlocked Central Asian republics are conscious of the need to co-operate in order to maintain and develop their transport networks and energy, communication and irrigation systems. Only Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan border the Caspian Sea and none of the republics has direct access to an ocean, complicating the transportation of hydrocarbons, in particular, to world markets.
History of Asia
The history of Asia can be seen as the collective history of several distinct peripheral coastal regions such as, East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East linked by the interior mass of the Eurasian steppe.
Second East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a pan-Asia forum held annually by the leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian region. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings.
History of Southeast Asia
On 8 August 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Since Cambodian admission into the union in 1999, East Timor is the only Southeast Asian country that is not part of ASEAN, although plans are under way for eventual membership. The association aims to enhance co-operation among Southeast Asian community. ASEAN Free Trade Area has been established to encourage greater trade among ASEAN members. ASEAN has also been a front runner in greater integration of Asia-Pacific region through East Asia Summits.
Asian Health Literacy Association
Participating countries included China, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, the Philippines, Cambodia race, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Laos and other Asian countries, more than ten, together with Asian countries to promote inter-community long-term stability and common prosperity and development in close cooperation culture and health, as well as the region.
Economy of Asia
The current member countries of ASEAN are Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Indonesia. East Timor and Papua New Guinea are given observer status.
Forum of East Asia–Latin America Cooperation
The Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation () or (abbreviated as FEALAC) is a regional forum of 36 countries constituting the region of East, Southeast Asia and Latin America that came together to form an official and regular dialogue channel between the two regions.
Economy of Asia
As in all world regions, the wealth of Asia differs widely between, and within, states. This is due to its vast size, meaning a huge range of different cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems. The largest economies in Asia in terms of PPP gross domestic product (GDP) are China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines and Malaysia and in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP) are China, Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Thailand, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates , Iran, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Cross-national cooperation and agreements
Regional economic integration has not been as successful in Asia as in the EU or NAFTA because most Asian countries have relied on U.S. and European markets for their exports. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), formed in 1967, consisted of the following countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), formed officially in 1993, was for the purpose of cutting tariffs on inter-regional trade to a maximum of 5% by 2008. ASEAN is the third largest free trade agreement in the world after the EU and NAFTA and above MERCOSUR. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), founded in 1989, was to promote multilateral economic cooperation in trade and investment in the Pacific Rim. APEC is composed of 21 countries that border the Pacific Rim; progress toward free trade is hampered by size and geographic distance between member countries and the lack of a treaty.
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia covers about 4.5 million km (1.7 million mi), which is 10.5% of Asia or 3% of earth's total land area. Its total population is more than floor(/1e6) million, about 8.5% of the world's population. It is the third most populous geographical region in the world after South Asia and East Asia. The region is culturally and ethnically diverse, with hundreds of languages spoken by different ethnic groups. Ten countries in the region are members of ASEAN, a regional organisation established for economic, political, military, educational and cultural integration amongst its members.
Asia-Pacific
The term may also include Russia (on the North Pacific) and countries in the Americas which are on the coast of the Eastern Pacific Ocean; the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, for example, includes Canada, Chile, Russia, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. Alternatively, the term sometimes comprises all of Asia and Australasia as well as Pacific island nations (Asia Pacific and Australian continent) - for example when dividing the world into large regions for commercial purposes (e.g. into the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific). Despite being part of Asia, Western Asia is almost never included.
East Asia
Observers preferring a broader definition of "East Asia" often use the term Northeast Asia to refer to the greater China area, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, with Southeast Asia covering the ten ASEAN countries. This usage, which is seen in economic and diplomatic discussions, is at odds with the historical meanings of both "East Asia" and "Northeast Asia". The Council on Foreign Relations defines Northeast Asia as Japan and Korea.The culture of East Asia has largely been influenced by China, as it was the civilization that had the most dominant influence in the region throughout the ages that ultimately laid the foundation for East Asian civilization. The vast knowledge and ingenuity of Chinese civilization and the classics of Chinese literature and culture were seen as the foundations for a civilized life in East Asia. Imperial China served as a vehicle through which the adoption of Confucian ethical philosophy, Chinese calendar system, political and legal systems, architectural style, diet, terminology, institutions, religious beliefs, imperial examinations that emphasized a knowledge of Chinese classics, political philosophy and cultural value systems, as well as historically sharing a common writing system reflected in the histories of Japan and Korea. The Imperial Chinese tributary system was the bedrock of network of trade and foreign relations between China and its East Asian tributaries, which helped to shape much of East Asian affairs during the ancient and medieval eras. Through the tributary system, the various dynasties of Imperial China facilitated frequent economic and cultural exchange that influenced the cultures of Japan and Korea and drew them into a Chinese international order. The Imperial Chinese tributary system shaped much of East Asia's foreign policy and trade for over two millennia due to Imperial China's economic and cultural dominance over the region, and thus played a huge role in the history of East Asia in particular. The relationship between China and its cultural influence on East Asia has been compared to the historical influence of Greco-Roman civilization on Europe and the Western World.
Prehistoric Asia
South Asia is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities, also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian Plate, which rises above sea level as the Indian subcontinent south of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush. South Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean and on land (clockwise, from west) by West Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Geography of Asia
Geography of Asia reviews geographical concepts of classifying Asia, the central and eastern part of Eurasia, comprising approximately fifty countries.
Least Developed Countries
In Asia there are 9 countries that are classified as least developed countries.
Asian Games
Only seven countries, namely India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand have competed in all editions of the games.
Christianity in Asia
At present, Christianity continues to be the majority religion in the Philippines, East Timor, Armenia, Georgia, Cyprus and Russia. It has significant minority populations in South Korea, Taiwan, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Israel, Palestine (including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip), Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and several other countries in Asia with a total Christian population of more than 295 million.
Developed country
15 countries wholly or partly in Europe:
3 countries wholly or partly in Asia:
3 countries in the Americas:
1 country in Oceania:
Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia
The 16 countries are:
Culture of Asia
Over 60% of the global Muslim population is in Asia. About 25% of Muslims live in the South Asian region, mainly in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and the Maldives. If Afghanistan is counted, this number is even higher. The world's largest single Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in Indonesia. There are also significant Muslim populations in the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, China, Russia, Central Asia and West Asia.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's area, 21% of the world's population and 3.8% (US$2.9 trillion) of the global economy, as of 2015.
Asia
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.
Geography of Asia
The land mass of Asia is not the sum of the land masses of each of its regions, which have been defined independently of the whole. For example, the borders of Central Asia and the Middle East depend on who is defining them and for what purpose. These varying definitions are not generally reflected in the map of Asia as a whole; for example, Egypt is typically included in the Middle East, but not in Asia, even though the Middle East is a division of Asia.