Asia
(
AY
-zh?
,
AY
-sh?
) is the largest
continent
in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometers, 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 civilizations
. 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. It is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in
classical antiquity
. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects
East?West
cultural, linguistic, and ethnic differences, some of which vary on a spectrum rather than with a sharp dividing line. 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.
China
and
India
traded places as the
largest economies in the world
from 1 to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power for much of recorded history, with the highest
GDP per capita
until 1500. The
Silk Road
became the main east?west trading route in the Asian hinterlands while the
Straits of Malacca
stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited
economic dynamism
as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including
Hinduism
,
Zoroastrianism
,
Judaism
,
Jainism
,
Buddhism
,
Confucianism
,
Taoism
,
Christianity
,
Islam
,
Sikhism
, as well as many other religions. (
Full article...
)
Myanmar
, officially the
Republic of the Union of Myanmar
and also known as
Burma
(the official name until 1989), is a country in
Southeast Asia
. It is the largest country by area in
Mainland Southeast Asia
and has a population of about 55 million. It is bordered by
Bangladesh
and
India
to its northwest,
China
to its northeast,
Laos
and
Thailand
to its east and southeast, and the
Andaman Sea
and the
Bay of Bengal
to its south and southwest. The country's capital city is
Naypyidaw
, and its largest city is
Yangon
(formerly Rangoon).
Early civilisations in the area included the
Tibeto-Burman
-speaking
Pyu city-states
in
Upper Myanmar
and the
Mon kingdoms
in
Lower Myanmar
. In the 9th century, the
Bamar people
entered the upper
Irrawaddy
valley, and following the establishment of the
Pagan Kingdom
in the 1050s, the
Burmese language
,
culture
, and
Theravada
Buddhism
slowly became dominant in the country. The
Pagan Kingdom
fell to
Mongol invasions
, and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the
Taungoo dynasty
, the country became the largest empire in the
history of Southeast Asia
for a short period. The early 19th-century
Konbaung dynasty
ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled
Manipur
and
Assam
as well. The British
East India Company
seized control of the administration of Myanmar after three
Anglo-Burmese Wars
in the 19th century, and the country became a
British colony
. After a brief
Japanese occupation
, Myanmar was reconquered by the Allies. On 4 January 1948, Myanmar declared
independence
under the terms of the
Burma Independence Act 1947
. (
Full article...
)
List of selected countries
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There are no contemporaneous portraits of Du Fu; this is a later artist's impression.
Du Fu
(
Chinese
:
杜
甫
;
Wade?Giles
:
Tu Fu
; 712?770) was a Chinese poet and politician during the
Tang dynasty
. Together with his elder contemporary and friend
Li Bai
, Du is often considered one of the greatest
Chinese poets
. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as a successful
civil servant
, but Du proved unable to make the necessary accommodations. His life, like all of China, was devastated by the
An Lushan Rebellion
of 755, and his last 15 years were a time of almost constant unrest.
Although initially he was little-known to other writers, his works came to be hugely influential in both
Chinese
and
Japanese literary culture
. Of his poetic writing, nearly fifteen hundred poems have been preserved over the ages. He has been called the "Poet-Historian" and the "Poet-Sage" by Chinese critics, while the range of his work has allowed him to be introduced to
Western
readers as "the Chinese
Virgil
,
Horace
,
Ovid
,
Shakespeare
,
Milton
,
Burns
,
Wordsworth
,
Beranger
,
Hugo
or
Baudelaire
". (
Full article...
)
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The following are images from various Asia-related articles on Wikipedia.
-
Image 1
Machiya
in Heian period (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 2
A typical example of
Dravidian architecture
(from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 3
Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592?1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 4
Population concentration and boundaries of the
Western Zhou
dynasty in China (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 5
Political cartoon depicting the Afghan
Emir Sher Ali
with the rival "friends" the
Russian Bear
and British Lion (1878) (from
History of Asia
)
-
-
Image 7
The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in
Tyumen
built in 1768 (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
-
Image 9
Borobudur
, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 10
The 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 12
Language families in South Asia (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
-
Image 14
The
Taipei 101
skyscraper in
Taipei
, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from
Asian Century
)
-
Image 15
Dome of the Rock
, an Islamic shrine in
Jerusalem
. (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
-
Image 17
Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the
Late Bronze Age collapse
, beginning
c.
1200
BC (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 18
Tang dynasty
Chinese poet
Li Bai
, in a 13th-century depiction by
Liang Kai
(from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 19
Sculpture of
Prince Sh?toku
(from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 20
A view of the
Fort St George
in 18th-century
Madras
. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 21
Hinduism 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 22
Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 23
East Asian cultural sphere (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 24
The Hindu-Buddhist temple of
Angkor Wat
. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 25
Battle of Talas
between Tang dynasty and
Abbasid Caliphate
c. 751 (from
History of Asia
)
-
-
Image 27
The
Song dynasty
and main polities in Asia c.?1200 (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 28
A stone image of the
Buddha
(from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 29
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
,
c.
1830
by
Hokusai
, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 30
Robert Clive
and
Mir Jafar
after the
Battle of Plassey
, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 31
The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 32
The 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 33
The
Han dynasty
and main polities in Asia c.?200 BC (from
History of Asia
)
-
-
Image 35
Map of Asia for early 20th century (from
History of Asia
)
-
-
Image 37
Deoksugung
, the palace where Emperor Gojong established
Korean Empire
. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 38
Daily life of people from the
Song
period at the capital, Bianjing, today's
Kaifeng
(from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 39
The
Silk Road
in Asia (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 40
A Confucian ritual ceremony in
Jeju
, South Korea (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 41
The
Mughal
ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with
Shah Abbas the Great
of
Iran
. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 42
Chicken tikka
, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 43
Gojong
(1852?1919), the 26th king of
Joseon
dynasty and the first emperor of
Korean Empire
. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 44
Gyeonghoeru of
Gyeongbokgung
, the
Joseon
dynasty's royal palace. (from
History of Asia
)
-
-
Image 46
đ?i Vi?t
,
Champa
,
Angkor Empire
and their neighbours, late 13th century (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 47
Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 48
Traditional
Rajasthani
garments from
Jaipur
,
Rajasthan
(from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 49
Projected GDP of 7 largest economies in 2050 (from
Asian Century
)
-
Image 50
Map of
Vietnam
showing the conquest of the south (the
Nam ti?n
, 1069?1757
). (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 51
Some
henges
at
Gobekli Tepe
in
Turkey
were erected as far back as
9600 BC
, predating those of
Stonehenge
, by over seven millennia. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 52
Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from
Asian Century
)
-
Image 53
Map of Marco Polo's travels (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 54
Detail 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 55
The
Qing conquest of the Ming
and expansion of the empire (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 56
The
Grand Mosque
in
Kuwait City
, one of the largest mosques in the region (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 57
Political map of Asia in 1860 (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 58
British troops taking
Zhenjiang
from Qing troops (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 59
Detail 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 60
The
First Persian Empire
at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 61
Map of Asia (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 62
Balhae
in the north,
Later Silla
in the south (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 63
The
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 64
the
Goryeo ware
, which shows splendid culture of
Goryeo
in mediaeval Korea. (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 65
Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from
Culture of Asia
)
-
Image 66
India'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 67
Korean 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 68
Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from
History of Asia
)
-
Image 69
The Qing Empire in 1832. (from
History of Asia
)
- ... that although he was a former
Indonesian prime minister
,
Soekiman Wirjosandjojo
was not arrested during a political purge as he was considered a non-threat?
- ... that
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
, India's second Muslim president, was also the second Indian president to die in office?
- ... that the
Empire of Japan
turned a Korean royal cemetery at what is now
Hyochang Park
into a golf course
?
- ... that
Levantine Arabic
is often written in
Hebrew characters
online by
Bedouin
,
Arab Christians
, and
Druze in Israel
?
- ... that
Ein Samiya
, which provides the water for
Taybeh
, the first
beer brewed in Palestine
, was depopulated in 2023 after harassment by neighboring
Israeli settlers
?
- ... that the popularity of "
10 Minutes
" by Korean singer
Lee Hyori
led to 2003 being dubbed the "year of Hyori" by domestic media?
- ... that
Sun Haiyan
is the first
Chinese ambassador to Singapore
who was not a member of the
Foreign Ministry of China
?
- ... that University of Nebraska alumnus
M. Khalid Roashan
helped draft the
1964 Constitution of Afghanistan
?
- ... that the Pakistani film
Shehr e Tabassum
was the first animated
cyberpunk
film to be made by an
Urdu
development team?
- ... that the
Te'omim Cave
in Israel was home to a Bronze Age
alabaster
quarry, a refuge cave during the
Jewish?Roman wars
, and a possible center for
necromantic activity in late antiquity
?
Updated: 6:33, 14 February 2024
Major Religions in Asia
Middle East
Central Asia and Surroundings
Indian Subcontinent
Southeast Asia
East Asia
|
Birds and flowers of the four seasons (紙本墨?花鳥?, shihon bokuga kach?zu), part of the Paintings on room partitions in the abbot's quarters (h?j?) (方丈障壁?, h?j? sh?hekiga) of Juk?-in (聚光院) of Daitoku-ji (大?寺), Kyoto, Japan. Ink on paper. This picture shows four of 16 panels on
fusuma
(sliding doors) in the ritual room (室中). The paintings have been designated as
National Treasures of Japan
in the category paintings.
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