Asia is a land of extremes. It’s the biggest of the seven continents. In fact, it covers about 30 percent of all the world’s land. Asia is so big it touches Europe in the west and nearly reaches North America in the east!

Cherriton David

2:42 AM

Asia

Imagine mountains that seem to touch the sky and long rivers that wind through rich farmland. Imagine lush tropical rain forests full of unusual animals and huge cities teeming with millions of people. Imagine all of this and you’ll have an idea of what Asia is like.

LAND OF EXTREMES

In northern Asia are the vast frozen lands of Siberia. In the south are the damp tropical forests of Malaysia and Indonesia. Asia has large, crowded cities like Mumbai (Bombay), India. It has huge, empty inland deserts like the Gobi in China. Seven of the ten longest rivers in the world flow through Asia.

Asia has the world’s highest point at Mount Everest in Nepal. It has the lowest point, too. That’s near the Dead Sea, in an area of southwest Asia called the Middle East.

At any given moment there are places in Asia that are very hot and others that are very cold. There are places that are dry as a bone and others that are rainy and wet.

CRADLE OF CIVILIZATIONS

In the Middle East, archaeologists have found traces of the world’s oldest known cities. The oldest is Jericho. It’s a city in the West Bank between Israel and Jordan. Jericho dates back more than 8,000 years.

The Middle East is often called the “cradle of civilization.” It was here, in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), that people first began to settle into communities and grow grains. That was over 10,000 years ago. Both China and India are also home to other great early civilizations.

MANY RELIGIONS

Did you know the world’s five biggest religions began in Asia? The Middle East is the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. India is the ancient home of Hinduism and Buddhism.

All of these religions are still practiced by millions of people in Asia. Sometimes they are the source of great conflict between Asian societies.

PEOPLE AND MORE PEOPLE

Asia has lots of people. Nearly 4 billion of them! About three of every five people in the world live in the 48 countries of Asia. China and India are the two most populated countries in the world, each with over 1 billion people.

To understand everyone in Asia you would have to learn more than 1,000 languages. Can you imagine 1,000 languages? What could they all possibly sound like?

POVERTY AND WEALTH

Many of Asia’s people are very poor. But many others are very rich. In countries such as Afghanistan, India, China, and Bangladesh, millions of people live without electricity or even clean water. In places like Japan and South Korea, millions of people live in wealthy towns and cities. They create, make, and use much of the world’s new technology.

Rich and poor and old and new. That’s Asia for you: a land of extremes.

Countries of Asia
Country	Capital	Population (2008 estimate)	Area (square miles)	Area (square kilometers)
Afghanistan	Kabul	32,700,000	252,000	652,000
Armenia	Yerevan	2,970,000	11,500	29,800
Azerbaijan	Baku	8,180,000	33,400	86,600
Bahrain	Manama	718,000	270	710
Bangladesh	Dhaka	154,000,000	57,000	148,000
Bhutan	Thimphu	680,000	18,100	47,000
Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan	381,000	2,230	5,770
Cambodia	Phnom Penh	14,200,000	69,900	181,000
China	Beijing	1,330,000,000	3,700,000	9,570,000
Cyprus	Nicosia	793,000	3,570	9,250
East Timor	Dili	1,107,000	5,740	14,900
Georgia	Tbilisi	4,630,000	26,900	69,700
India	New Delhi	1,150,000,000	1,220,000	3,170,000
Indonesia	Jakarta	238,000,000	735,000	1,900,000
Iran	Tehran	65,900,000	636,000	1,650,000
Iraq	Baghdad	28,200,000	169,000	438,000
Israel	Jerusalem¹	6,500,000	8,470	21,900
Japan	Tokyo	127,000,000	146,000	378,000
Jordan	Amman	6,200,000	34,600	89,600
Kazakhstan	Astana	15,300,000	1,050,000	2,720,000
Kuwait	Kuwait City	2,600,000	6,880	17,800
Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek	5,360,000	76,600	199,000
Laos	Vientiane	6,680,000	91,400	237,000
Lebanon	Beirut	3,970,000	4,040	10,500
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	25,300,000	127,000	330,000
Maldives	Male	379,000	120	300
Mongolia	Ulaanbaatar	3,000,000	605,000	1,570,000
Myanmar	Pyinmana (administrative capital); Yangon (commercial capital)	47,800,000	261,000	677,000
Nepal	Kathmandu	29,500,000	56,800	147,000
North Korea	Pyongyang	23,500,000	46,500	121,000
Oman	Masqat	3,310,000	119,000	310,000
Pakistan	Islamabad	168,000,000	307,000	796,000
Philippines	Manila	92,700,000	116,000	300,000
Qatar	Doha	929,000	4,410	11,400
Russia²	Moscow	141,000,000	6,590,000	17,100,000
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	28,200,000	865,000	2,240,000
Singapore	Singapore	4,610,000	260	690
South Korea	Seoul	49,200,000	38,300	99,300
Sri Lanka	Sri Jayawardenepura (administrative capital); Colombo (commercial capital)	21,100,000	25,300	65,600
Syria	Damascus	19,700,000	71,500	185,000
Tajikistan	Dushanbe	7,210,000	55,300	143,000
Thailand	Bangkok	65,500,000	198,000	513,000
Turkey³	Ankara	71,900,000	301,000	779,000
Turkmenistan	Ashgabat	5,180,000	188,000	488,000
United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi	4,620,000	32,300	83,600
Uzbekistan	Toshkent	28,300,000	173,000	447,000
Vietnam	Hanoi	86,100,000	128,000	332,000
Yemen	Sanaa	23,000,000	204,000	528,000

1. Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, but the United Nations does not recognize this claim.
2. Russia is located in both Asia and Europe. These figures include all of Russia.
3. Turkey is located in both Asia and Europe. These figures include all of Turkey.