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Asia (/ˈeɪʒə/ ^ⓘ AY-zhə, UK also /ˈeɪʃə/ AY-shə) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of the first civilisations. Its 4.7 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the world's population.

Asia shares the landmass of Eurasia with Europe, and of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. In general terms, it is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. The border of Asia with Europe is a historical and cultural construct, as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them. A commonly accepted division places Asia to the east of the Suez Canal separating it from Africa; and to the east of the Turkish straits, the Ural Mountains and Ural River, and to the south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black seas, separating it from Europe.

Since the concept of Asia derives from the term for the eastern region from a European perspective, Asia is the remaining vast area of Eurasia minus Europe. Therefore, Asia is a region where various independent cultures coexist rather than sharing a single culture, and its boundary with Europe is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East–West cultural differences, some of which vary on a spectrum. (Full article...)

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Featured article

K-pop (Korean: 케이팝; RR: Keipap; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. The music genre that the term is used to refer to colloquially emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western dance music, hip-hop, R&B and rock. Today, K-pop commonly refers to the musical output of teen idol acts, chiefly girl groups and boy bands, who emphasize visual appeal and performance. As a pop genre, K-pop is characterized by its melodic quality and cultural hybridity.

K-pop can trace its origins to "rap dance", a fusion of hip-hop, techno and rock popularized by the group Seo Taiji and Boys, whose experimentation helped to modernize South Korea's contemporary music scene in the early 1990s. Their popularity with teenagers incentivized the music industry to focus on this demographic, with Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment developing the Korean idol system in the late 1990s and creating acts like H.O.T. and S.E.S., which marked the "first generation" of K-pop. By the early 2000s, TVXQ and BoA achieved success in Japan and gained traction for the genre overseas. (Full article...)

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Selected Country

Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Including the Socotra Archipelago, mainland Yemen is located in southern Arabia; bordering Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the south-eastern part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south, and the Red Sea to the west, sharing maritime borders with Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia across the Horn of Africa. Covering roughly 455,503 square kilometres (175,871 square miles), with a coastline of approximately 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles), Yemen is the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. Sanaa is its constitutional capital and largest city. Yemen's estimated population is 34.7 million, mostly Arab Muslims. It is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Owing to its geographic location, Yemen has been at the crossroads of many civilisations for over 7,000 years. The Sabaeans formed a thriving commercial kingdom that influenced parts of modern Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 275 CE, it was succeeded by the Himyarite Kingdom, which spanned much of Yemen's present-day territory and was heavily influenced by Judaism. Christianity arrived in the fourth century, followed by the rapid spread of Islam in the seventh century. From its conversion to Islam, Yemen became a center of Islamic learning, and Yemenite troops played a crucial role in early Islamic conquests. Much of Yemen's architecture survived until modern times. For centuries, it was a primary producer of coffee, exported through the port of Mocha. Various dynasties emerged between the 9th and 16th centuries. During the 19th century, the country was divided between the Ottoman and British empires. After World War I, the Kingdom of Yemen was established, which in 1962 became the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) following a coup. In 1967, the British Aden Protectorate became the independent People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen), the first and only officially socialist state in the Arab world. In 1990, the two Yemeni states united to form the modern Republic of Yemen, with Ali Abdullah Saleh serving as the first president until his resignation in 2012 in the wake of the Arab Spring. (Full article...)

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Featured biography

Gold dinar minted by the Umayyads in 695, which likely depicts Abd al-Malik.

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (July/August 644 or June/July 647 – 9 October 705), was the fifth Umayyad caliph, ruling from April 685 until his death in October 705. A member of the first generation of born Muslims, his early life in Medina was occupied with religious pursuits. He held administrative and military posts under Caliph Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680), founder of the Umayyad Caliphate, and his own father, Caliph Marwan I (r. 684–685). By the time of Abd al-Malik's accession, Umayyad authority had collapsed across the Caliphate as a result of the Second Fitna and had been reconstituted in Syria and Egypt during his father's reign.

Following a failed invasion of Iraq in 686, Abd al-Malik focused on securing Syria before making further attempts to conquer the greater part of the Caliphate from his principal rival, the Mecca-based caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. To that end, he concluded an unfavorable truce with the reinvigorated Byzantine Empire in 689, quashed a coup attempt in Damascus by his kinsman, al-Ashdaq, the following year, and reincorporated into the army the rebellious Qaysi tribes of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) in 691. He then conquered Zubayrid Iraq and dispatched his general, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to Mecca where he killed Ibn al-Zubayr in late 692, thereby reuniting the Caliphate under Abd al-Malik's rule. The war with Byzantium resumed, resulting in Umayyad advances into Anatolia and Armenia, the destruction of Carthage and the recapture of Kairouan, the launchpad for the later conquests of western North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, in 698. In the east, al-Hajjaj had become Abd al-Malik's viceroy and firmly established the caliph's authority in Iraq and Khurasan, stamping out opposition by the Kharijites and the Arab tribal nobility by 702. Abd al-Malik's final years were marked by a domestically peaceful and prosperous consolidation of power. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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Featured picture

Nishi people

Credit: Doniv79

The Nisi people principally inhabit the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.They inhabit the Papum Pare, East Kameng and Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kumey, parts of upper Subansiri districts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the Darrang District and North Lakhimpur district of Assam.

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Did you know...

... that Liu Weining, grandson of the second president of the People's Republic of China, became involved with Russian military secrecy due to his job and was denied the ability to travel to China?
... that Melani Budianta used street gangs and Moonies in Los Angeles to reflect on the state of democracy in Indonesia?
... that the Japanese manga series Minato's Laundromat originated as a story titled Wash My Heart! that was posted on Pixiv?
... that the slave António Corea may have been the first Korean to visit Europe?
... that Simeon Barclay's "sculpture of a chicken on its own little mini-mountain" references a traditional Indian game?
... that a train station in Singapore features an artwork with different types of chairs in a family tree?
... that Hidayat Arsani, the governor of the Bangka Belitung Islands in Indonesia, was dumped into a trash can as a baby by his birth parents?
... that the Military-First Girls, a Japanese all-women fan club of the Moranbong Band, have compared their interest in North Korean music to other women's interests in K-pop and Taylor Swift?
... that Dutch East India Company officials considered the inhabitants of the Bungku Kingdom to be "the fiercest of all Malukan peoples"?
... that the apricot dress of Jacqueline Kennedy kept its shape in India's hot weather?

Updated: 1:05, 14 October 2025

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In the news

14 October 2025 – Gaza war: Israeli forensic teams identify the four dead hostages returned on Monday as three Israelis and a Nepalese citizen, all of whom were kidnapped during the October 7 attacks. (The New York Times) (BBC); In response to the limited release of bodies on Monday, Israel notifies the United Nations it will not open the Rafah crossing and only allow 300 aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip daily, instead of the 600 agreed to in the ceasefire. (Reuters) (Times of Israel); Israeli troops kill five Palestinians and wound two others. Both Hamas and Israel accuse each other of violating the ceasefire, with Israel claiming those killed violated the IDF's withdrawal line as established by the peace agreement. (Al Jazeera) (The Times) (Reuters)
14 October 2025 – M23 campaign: The Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels sign an agreement in Doha, Qatar, to formally establish an oversight body to work towards a permanent ceasefire, which will include representatives from the two groups and the other members of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. (Reuters) (AP)
14 October 2025 – China–United States trade war, China–South Korea relations: The Chinese commerce ministry issues sanctions on and bans Chinese companies from dealing with five subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilding company Hanwha Ocean, which has shipyards and investments in the United States and maintains contracts with the U.S. Navy. (AP) (The Wall Street Journal)
14 October 2025 –: At least 20 people are killed after a bus catches fire in New Delhi, India. (AP News)

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Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

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Selected panorama

150pxThe view of Nanga Parbat, taken 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the base camp.

Credit: Waqas.usman

Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters (26,660 ft).

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