Asia

We explain what Asia and its physical and cultural characteristics are. In addition, how is its economy, religion and history of this continent.

What is Asia?

Asia is one of the six continents of the earth and the largest. It has a total extension of 44.5 million square kilometerswhich represents 30% of the total land surface of the planet. Asia is also the largest population, with an approximate amount of 45 billion inhabitants, which represents more than half of the world’s population.

In Asia are the two most populated countries in the world: India and China. April 14, 2023 India surpassed China in the amount of population and became the most populous on the planet. It currently has 1428 million inhabitants, which represents more than double the population of Europe and more population than that of all African countries together.

Why is it called that? The origin of the name “Asia” is not clear and there are several theories about its origin. One of them suggests that it comes from the name of a nymph of Greek mythology. Another theory believes that it comes from the term “Asu” Akkhey, which means “this.”

Asia characteristics

• It is the largest continent on the planet and is part of the continental mass called Eurasia, which it shares together with the European continent.
• It joins the African continent through the Suez channel.
• It has the greatest diversity of ethnicities and cultures.
• It presents very varied climates, due to its vast extension.
• The most spoken languages ​​are, in the first place, the Mandarin Chinese and, secondly, the Hindi or Indostaní, the official language of India.

Extension, population and countries of Asia

The Asian continent is part of the continental mass called Eurasia that it shares together with the European continent and that connects to the African continent through the Suez channel. It limits with the Arctic Ocean to the north, the South Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean to the East and the Ural Montes to the West. It has an approximate total area of ​​44.5 million square kilometers.

Asia is composed of 48 countries, among which are some of the most extensive and towns on the planet.

• Russia. It has an approximate area of ​​17 million square kilometers.
• China. It has an approximate area of ​​9.5 million square kilometers.
• India. It has an approximate area of ​​3.2 million square kilometers.
• Kazakhstan. It has an approximate area of ​​2.7 million square kilometers.
• Saudi Arabia. It has an approximate area of ​​2.1 million square kilometers.

The total population of the continent amounts to more than 45 billion inhabitants, which makes it the largest population in the world. The most populated countries in Asia are:

• India. It has a population of 1428 million inhabitants. It is the most populous country on the planet.
• China. It has a population of 1423 million inhabitants. It is the second most populated country on the planet.
• Indonesia. It has a population of 259 million inhabitants.
• Pakistan. It has a population of 201 million inhabitants.
• Bangladesh. It has a population of 156 million inhabitants.

Physical-Natural characteristics of Asia

Asia is characterized by the great variability of natural conditions, both of relief and climate and hydrography. Regarding the relief, In the center of the continent is the Himalayas mountain rangethe highest in the world, with peaks that exceed 8500 meters high. There is Mount Everest, which with 8848 meters above sea level is the highest mountain on the planet.

Towards the north of Himalayas there are extensive plateaus such as Gobi’s, which covers a large part of the surface of China. To the north and east of the continent the predominant relief is plain, among which the plain of Western Siberia, the northern Chinese plain and the southern Chinese plain stand out.

For its great latitudinal extension, Asia’s climates are very varied. It presents warm and humid climates in the south, in equatorial areas, warm and dry deserts in tropical, temperate and humid areas in areas of middle, cold and humid latitudes in areas of greater latitude and cold polar in northern Russia. In addition, its great extension determines that there are large surfaces far away from the influence of the sea, which determines a very dry climate and with great thermal amplitudes.

The extension of its surface and the wet of most of its climates also determines the presence of large hydrographic basins and extensive rivers, Like the Yangtsé Riverwhich with more than 6300 kilometers of extension is one of the longest in the world, the Yellow River with 5400 and the Mekong with 4880.

Asia Flora and Fauna

The extension of the continent and the variability of reliefs and climates also favors ecosystem diversity. Asia’s flora is very diverse, it presents a wide variety of species. In the southeast region there are tropical jungles where trees such as bamboo and oil palm grow. Coniferous forests predominate in the East and North, while in the coldest areas of the north the birch, willow, poplars and pines forests stand out.

Asia’s fauna is equally diverse. Asian elephants, tigers, snow leopards, Asian leopards, brown, rhino and orangutans They are some of the most significant animals on the continent. In the arid regions of the Middle East inhabit species such as camels and desert foxes. The continent also inhabits a wide variety of birds such as the Imperial Eagle, the Himalayas Condor and the Asian Flamenco.

Asia culture and religion

He language More spoken in Asia is the Mandarin Chinesewith more than 1000 million people who use it in China and other countries in the continent. The second is the Hindi, the official language of India. Arabic, in the south of the continent, and Bengali, in Bangladesh, are also languages ​​used by millions of people.

Asia is considered the cradle of the main religions of the worldsuch as Judaism, Christianity, Islamism, Buddhism and Hinduism. The vast continent has various cities and sacred sites with unique architectural works that represent different beliefs. Many are considered World Heritage And, together with natural landscapes, they are one of the main tourist attractions.

The Taj Mahal in India, the Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the temple of heaven in China, the Borobudur temple in Indonesia and the Mosque of Omar, the Wall Wall and the Church of the Annunciation in Israel are some of the most important religious sites in the world.

Economic Activities of Asia

China and Japan are two of the world’s main economic powers. These two countries, together with the so -called “Asian Tigers” (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines) are the most economically developed in the continent.

Although many of these countries still support a primarized economy based on agriculture, their technological and industrial development, the growth of national and international trade has positioned them as some of the most important economies in the world.

Other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates base their economy on the production and export of oil. On the other hand, countries such as Bangladesh, Laos and Afghanistan have much lower economic development, and are among the poorest countries in Asia and the world.

Finally, tourism is one of the most important economic activities in Asia. Among the main countries with great tourist attractions are:

• Bhutan. Located in the Himalayas mountain ranges, it stands out for its landscapes and architecture, such as the Taktshang monastery.
• Cambodia. It stands out for its main cities: the Nom Pen, Angkor and Siem Reap capital with the royal gardens.
• China. It stands out for its capital Beijing, which presents an unprecedented architectural history, with constructions such as the Chinese wall, the forbidden city and the summer palace.
• India. It stands out for monumental architecture, such as Taj Mahal in the city of Agra, built between 1631 and 1648. It is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.
• Israel. The city of Jerusalem is very important for the Catholic, Jewish and Muslim religion. It is visited by millions of tourists every year.
• Japan. Its capital, Tokyo, is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world.
• Laos. It stands out for the city of Luang Prabag considered World Heritage Due to its temples. In Votiane, its capital, is the most important sanctuary in the country, Pha that Luang.
• Maldives. Located in the Indian Ocean, it stands out for its multiple natural attractions and for offering various activities to enjoy them, such as diving.
• Nepal. It stands out for its capital Katmandu, one of the oldest cities, its temples and its mountainous natural landscapes, such as the Himalayas.
• Thailand. It stands out for its beaches and tourist destinations linked to water sports.
• Vietnam. It stands out for numerous places considered World Heritagelike the old city of Hoi An, Ha-Long Bay and the Mi-Sön sanctuary.

Asia’s political characteristics

Asia is composed of 48 countries. All of them have full representation in the United Nations Organization with the exception of Palestine and Taiwan, which are nations that have no political recognition and participate only as observer members without the right to vote.

In addition, there are other economic and political blocks made up of some of the countries of the continent. The most important are:

• The Asian Southeast Nations Association (ASEAN). It is made up of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Brunei.
• He Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum (APEC). It is made up of some Asia countries such as Thailand, Singapore or the Philippines, and also by Oceania and America countries.
• The Community of Independent States (CEI). It is made up of most countries that were part of the former Soviet Union such as Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
• The Organization of oil exporting countries (OPEC). It is made up of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and other countries in Africa and America.

There are in the continent numerous current political and territorial conflicts that have a long history of confrontation between countries in the region. Some of the most important are:

• The confrontation between China and Taiwan for the independence of the latter.
• The conflict between North Korea and South Korea, which began in the 1950s with a war that cost more than 5 million people and persists until today with diplomatic negotiations.
• The conflict between India and Pakistan through the Kashmir region.
• Separatist movements as the case of Chehenia in Russia.
• The conflict between Palestine and Israel, which has been for decades and results in military clashes for diplomatic negotiations that are not resolved.
• The war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2022 and is still in force.

History of Asia

One of the oldest cultures in Asia is the Civilization of the Indo Valley, which was established in what is now Pakistan and India more than 3500 years ago. Another important ancient culture of Asia is Chinese civilization, which dates back to about 5000 years. During his long story China has been governed by many different dynastiesincluding the Zhou dynasty, the Qin dynasty and the Han dynasty.

In the 1st century DC The Roman Empire began its expansion in Asia and conquered much of the Near East. During this period Christianity began to expand in the region and in the fourth century became the official religion of the Empire.

Later, Islam extended throughout Asia with the arrival of the Arabs and the creation of the Islamic Caliphate in the seventh century. Islamic religion and culture had a great influence in many regions of Asia where great empires such as the Mogol Empire emerged, which ruled areas of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh from the 16th century to the nineteenth century.

In the nineteenth century, European powers began to colonize much of Asiawhich led to a series of conflicts and struggles for independence. The British Empire in particular exerted a great influence in Asia by colonizing India, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar, among other countries. The Japanese occupation of Korea, China and other countries also had a great impact on the region.

Already in the twentieth century and ended World War II, some countries of the continent such as China and Singapore initiated a phase of economic growth that would transform them into some of the main political and productive powers worldwide.

Continue with:

References

• Chair One (SF) Asia: characteristics, weather, relief, hydrography, countries and regions. Cathedrauno
• Kanfoudi, A. (2023) What is the asean. ELORDENMUNDIAL
• GEOENCICLOPEDIA (2022) Asia. Geoencyclopedia
• Ortega, JA (SF) Asia demographic horizon. Asia Yearbook – Pacific.