Geography of Asia

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Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia, comprising approximately fifty countries. It has an area, including islands, of roughly 49,694,700 km². Asia is joined to Africa by the Isthmus of Suez and to Europe by a long border generally following the Ural Mountains.

Asia is the largest and most populous region or continent, depending on the definition. It is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Africa-Eurasia lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas. About 60% of the world's human population lives in Asia.

Contents 1 Definition and boundaries 2 Main Geographical Features 3 Islands 4 Extreme points 5 Geographical regions 5.1 Central Asia 5.2 East Asia 5.3 North Asia 5.4 South Asia (or Indian Subcontinent) 5.5 Southeast Asia 5.6 Southwest Asia (or Middle East, Near East or West Asia) 5.7 Table of territories and regions 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Definition and boundaries

Medieval Europeans considered Asia as a continent, a distinct landmass. The European concept of the three continents in the Old World goes back to classical antiquity with the etymology of the word rooted in the ancient Near and Middle East. The demarcation between Asia and Africa is the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea. The boundary between Asia and Europe is commonly believed to run through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, the Black Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Ural River to its source, and the Ural Mountains to the Kara Sea near Kara, Russia. However, modern discovery of the extent of Africa and Asia made this definition rather anachronistic, especially in the case of Asia, which would have several regions that would be considered distinct landmasses if these criteria were used (for example, South Asia and East Asia).

Geologists and physical geographers no longer consider Asia and Europe to be separate continents. It is either defined in terms of geological landmasses (physical geography) or tectonic plates (geology). In the former case, Europe is a western peninsula of Eurasia or the Africa-Eurasia landmass. In the latter, Europe and Asia are parts of the Eurasian plate, which excludes the Arabian and Indian tectonic plates.

In human geography, there are two schools of thought. One school follows historical convention and treats Europe and Asia as different continents, categorizing Europe, East Asia (The Orient), South Asia (British India), and the Middle East (Arabia and Persia) as specific regions for more detailed analysis. The other schools equate the word "continent" in terms of geographical region when referring to Europe, and use the term "region" to describe Asia in terms of physical geography. Because in linguistic terms, "continent" implies a distinct landmass, it is becoming increasingly common to substitute the term "region" for "continent" to avoid the problem of disambiguation altogether.

There is much confusion in European languages with the term "Asian". Because a category implies homogeneity, the term "Asian" almost always refers to a subcategory of people from Asia rather than referring to "Asian" defined in term of "Asia". The fact that in American English, Asian refers to East Asian (Orientals), while in British English, Asian refers to South Asian reflects this confusion. Sometimes, it is not even clear exactly what "Asia" consists of. Some definitions exclude Turkey, the Middle East, or Russia. The term is sometimes used more strictly in reference to Asia Pacific, which does not include the Middle East or Russia, but does include islands in the Pacific Ocean — a number of which may also be considered part of Australasia or Oceania. Asia contains the Indian subcontinent, Arabian subcontinent, as well as a piece of the North American plate in Siberia.

Further information: Transcontinental nation#Countries in both Asia and Europe

See also: Copenhagen criteria#Geographic_criteria for the definition of Europe

See also: Orientalism

[edit] Main Geographical Features

The mean elevation of the continent is 950 m (3,117 ft.), the highest of any in the world. The plateau and mountainous areas broadly sweep SW-NW across Asia, climaxing in the high Tibetan Plateau, rising to the highest peaks in the world in the Himalaya. To the north west lie plains, while to the south lie the geologically distinct areas of the Arabian peninsula, Indian subcontinent and Malay peninsula. Large numbers of islands lie south east of the continent.

[edit] Islands

Besides its mainland, Asia includes a large number of islands, including some of the world's largest islands, such as Borneo and Sumatra, and some of the world's most populated islands, such as Java and Honshū.

Other famous islands include Bali, Madura and Sulawesi of Indonesia; Hokkaidō, Shikoku, Kyūshū and Okinawa of Japan; the Andaman and Nicobar of India; Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao of the Philippines; Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samui of Thailand; as well as Sri Lanka, Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong island and Sakhalin.

The Asian nations of Indonesia, Brunei, East Timor, Singapore, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Cyprus are solely made up of one or more islands, and have no territory on the mainland.

For a comprehensive list of Asian islands, see List of islands of Asia.

[edit] Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Asia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location on the continent.

Asia

• Northernmost Point — Cape Fligely, Rudolf Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia (81°52'N)
• Southernmost Point — Dana Island, Indonesia ¹
• Westernmost Point — Cape Baba, Turkey (26°4'E) ²
• Easternmost Point — Big Diomede, Russia ³

Asia (Mainland)

• Northernmost Point — Cape Chelyuskin, Russia (77°43'N)
• Southernmost Point — Cape Piai, Malaysia (1°16'N)
• Westernmost Point — Cape Baba, Turkey (26°4'E)
• Easternmost Point — Cape Dezhnev (East Cape), Russia (169°40'W) ³

¹ If the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are included as part of Asia, then South Island (12°04'S) is the southernmost point.

² The Turkish islands in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas are considered part of Europe.

³ According to the International Date Line.

[edit] Geographical regions

As already mentioned, Asia is a subregion of Eurasia. For further subdivisions based on that term, see North Eurasia and Central Eurasia.

Some Asian countries stretch beyond Asia. See Bicontinental country for details about the borderline cases between Asia and Europe, Asia and Africa, and Asia and Oceania.

The following subregions of Asia are traditionally recognized:

• Central Asia
• East Asia
• Far East
• North Asia
• South Asia (or Indian Subcontinent)
• Southeast Asia
• Southwest Asia (or Middle East or West Asia)

[edit] Central Asia

There is no absolute consensus in the usage of this term. Usually, Central Asia includes:

• the Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan (excluding its small European territory), Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.
• Afghanistan, Mongolia, and the western regions of China are also sometimes included.
• Former Soviet states in the Caucasus region.

Central Asia is currently geopolitically important because international disputes and conflicts over oil pipelines, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Chechnya, as well as the presence of U.S. military and U.K. military forces in Afghanistan.

[edit] East Asia

This area includes:

• Japan.
• North and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula.
• China, but sometimes only the eastern regions

Sometimes the nations of Mongolia and Vietnam are also included in East Asia.

More informally, Southeast Asia is included in East Asia on some occasions.

[edit] North Asia

This term is rarely used by geographers, but usually it refers to the bigger Asian part of Russia, also known as Siberia. Sometimes the northern parts of other Asian nations, such as Kazakhstan or Mongolia, are also included in Northern Asia. The term "Northern Eurasia" is sometimes used as an apolitical term that includes all the former nations of the U.S.S.R.

[edit] South Asia (or Indian Subcontinent)

South Asia is also referred to as the Indian Subcontinent. It includes:

• The Himalayan States of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• The Indian Ocean nations of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands also lie in the Indian Ocean.
• The peninsular India (also known as the Deccan Plateau)
• Sometimes Afghanistan is also included to this category.

[edit] Southeast Asia

This region contains the Malay Peninsula, Indochina and islands in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The countries it contains are:

• In mainland Southeast Asia, the countries Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

• In Maritime Southeast Asia, the countries of Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia (some of the Indonesian islands also lie in the Melanesia region of Oceania). East Timor (also Melanesian) is sometimes included too.

The country of Malaysia is divided in two by the South China Sea, and thus has both a mainland and island part.

[edit] Southwest Asia (or Middle East, Near East or West Asia)

This can also be called by the Western term Middle East, which is commonly used by Europeans and Americans. Middle East (to some interpretations) is often used to also refer to some countries in North Africa. Southwest Asia can be further divided into:

• Anatolia (i.e. Asia Minor), constituting the Asian part of Turkey.
• The island nation of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.
• The Levant or Near East, which includes Syria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and the Asian portion of Egypt.
• The Arabian peninsula, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen and Kuwait.
• The Caucasus region (which straddles both Asia and Europe), namely Transcaucasia, including a small portion of Russia and, arguably, most if not all of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
• The Iranian Plateau, containing Iran and parts of other neighbouring nations.

See also: Gulf States

[edit] Table of territories and regions

Name of territory, with flag	Area (km²)	Population (1 July 2002 est.)	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Central Asia:[1]
Kazakhstan[2]	2,346,927	13,472,593	5.7	Astana
Kyrgyzstan	198,500	4,822,166	24.3	Bishkek
Tajikistan	143,100	6,719,567	47.0	Dushanbe
Turkmenistan	488,100	4,688,963	9.6	Ashgabat
Uzbekistan	447,400	25,563,441	57.1	Tashkent
Eastern Asia:
China[3]	9,584,492	1,284,303,705	134.0	Beijing
Hong Kong (China)[4]	1,092	7,303,334	6,688.0	—
Japan	377,835	126,974,628	336.1	Tokyo
Macau (China)[5]	25	461,833	18,473.3	—
Mongolia	1,565,000	2,694,432	1.7	Ulaanbaatar
North Korea	120,540	22,224,195	184.4	Pyongyang
South Korea	98,480	48,324,000	490.7	Seoul
Taiwan[6]	35,980	22,548,009	626.7	Taipei
Northern Africa:
Egypt[7]	63,556	1,378,159	21.7	Cairo
Northern Asia:[8]
Russia	13,115,200	39,129,729	3.0	Moscow
Southeastern Asia:
Brunei	5,770	350,898	60.8	Bandar Seri Begawan
Cambodia	181,040	12,775,324	70.6	Phnom Penh
Indonesia[9]	1,919,440	231,328,092	120.5	Jakarta
Laos	236,800	5,777,180	24.4	Vientiane
Malaysia	329,750	22,662,365	68.7	Kuala Lumpur
Myanmar (Burma)	678,500	42,238,224	62.3	Yangon (Rangoon)
Philippines	300,000	84,525,639	281.8	Manila
Singapore	693	4,452,732	6,425.3	Singapore
Thailand	514,000	62,354,402	121.3	Bangkok
Timor-Leste (East Timor)[10]	15,007	952,618	63.5	Dili
Vietnam	329,560	81,098,416	246.1	Hanoi
Southern Asia:
Afghanistan	647,500	27,755,775	42.9	Kabul
Bangladesh	144,000	133,376,684	926.2	Dhaka
Bhutan	47,000	2,094,176	44.6	Thimphu
India	3,064,898	1,045,845,226	341.2	New Delhi
Iran	1,648,000	66,622,704	40.4	Tehran
Maldives	300	320,165	1,067.2	Malé
Nepal	140,800	25,873,917	183.8	Kathmandu
Pakistan	803,940	147,663,429	183.7	Islamabad
Sri Lanka	65,610	19,576,783	298.4	Colombo
Western Asia:
Armenia[11]	29,800	3,330,099	111.7	Yerevan
Azerbaijan[12]	41,370	3,479,127	84.1	Baku
Bahrain	665	656,397	987.1	Manama
Cyprus[13]	9,250	775,927	83.9	Nicosia (Lefkoşa)
Gaza[14]	363	1,203,591	3,315.7	Gaza
Georgia[15]	20,460	2,032,004	99.3	Tbilisi
Iraq	437,072	24,001,816	54.9	Baghdad
Israel	20,770	6,029,529	290.3	Jerusalem
Jordan	92,300	5,307,470	57.5	Amman
Kuwait	17,820	2,111,561	118.5	Kuwait City
Lebanon	10,400	3,677,780	353.6	Beirut
Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan)[16]	5,500	365,000	66.4	Nakhichevan City
Oman	212,460	2,713,462	12.8	Muscat
Qatar	11,437	793,341	69.4	Doha
Saudi Arabia	1,960,582	23,513,330	12.0	Riyadh
Syria	185,180	17,155,814	92.6	Damascus
Turkey[17]	756,768	57,855,068	76.5	Ankara
United Arab Emirates	82,880	2,445,989	29.5	Abu Dhabi
West Bank[18]	5,860	2,303,660	393.1	—
Yemen	527,970	18,701,257	35.4	Sanaá
Total	44,309,978	3,816,775,642	86.1

Notes:

1. ^   Continental regions as per UN categorisations/map except note 8 (source). Depending on definitions, various territories cited below (notes 2, 7-10, 12-14, 16-18) may be in one or both of Asia and Europe, Africa, or Oceania.
   
2. ^   Kazakhstan is sometimes considered a transcontinental country in Central Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only.
   
3. ^   The current state is formally known as the People's Republic of China (PRC), which is subsumed by the titular entity and civilisation.
   
4. ^   Hong Kong and Macau are Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the PRC.
   
5. ^   Hong Kong and Macau are Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the PRC.
   
6. ^   Taiwan is a contested territory of the PRC (Taiwan, Province of China) and the Republic of China (ROC): the two are not co-terminous and the ROC is not recognised by the UN as a sovereign state.
   
7. ^   Egypt is generally considered a transcontinental country in Northern Africa (UN region) and Western Asia; population and area figures are for Asian portion only, east of the Suez Canal (Sinai Peninsula).
   
8. ^   Russia is generally considered a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe (UN region) and northern Asia; population and area figures are for Asian portion only.
   
9. ^   Indonesia and Timor-Leste are often considered transcontinental countries in Southeastern Asia (UN region) and Oceania.
   
10. ^   Indonesia and Timor-Leste are often considered transcontinental countries in Southeastern Asia (UN region) and Oceania.
    
11. ^   Armenia is sometimes considered a transcontinental country: geographically in Western Asia, it has historical and sociopolitical connections with Europe.
    
12. ^   Azerbaijan is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only. Nakhichevan is an autonomous exclave of Azerbaijan bordered by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.
    
13. ^   The island of Cyprus is sometimes considered a transcontinental territory: geographically in the Mediterranean Sea and approximate to the western Asian mainland, it has historical and sociopolitical connections with Europe. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), distinct from the de jure Republic of Cyprus in the south (with a predominantly Greek population), is recognised only by Turkey.
    
14. ^   Gaza and West Bank, collectively referred to as the "Occupied Palestinian Territory" by the UN, are territories occupied by Israel but under de facto administration of the Palestinian National Authority.
    
15. ^   Georgia is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only.
    
16. ^   Azerbaijan is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only. Nakhichevan is an autonomous exclave of Azerbaijan bordered by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.
    
17. ^   Turkey is generally considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia (UN region) and Southern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only, excluding all of Istanbul.
    
18. ^   Gaza and West Bank, collectively referred to as the "Occupied Palestinian Territory" by the UN, are territories occupied by Israel but under de facto administration of the Palestinian National Authority.
    

[edit] See also

• List of National Parks in Asia

[edit] External links

• Soil Maps of Asia European Digital Archive on the Soil Maps of the world
• http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/asia.html