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Asia

Discover Asia

Asia: the heartbeat of our planet, where ancient traditions blend seamlessly with futuristic innovation. It’s a land of contrasts, where the silence of the Himalayan peaks resonates as loudly as the bustling streets of Tokyo.

From the vastness of the Siberian tundras to the bustling markets of Bangkok, Asia is a mosaic of cultures, religions, and landscapes, waiting for wanderers to lose and then find themselves. Each corner of this vast continent tells a story of humanity, its past, its present, and the future it envisions. Journey to Asia and be prepared to be mesmerized, enlightened, and transformed.

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Quick Facts About Asia

  • Countries:
    • 48 countries + 75% of Russia’s territory + 3 other territories: Hong Kong and Macau, which are Special Administrative Regions of China, and Taiwan, governed independently but claimed by China.
    • The 3 largest countries are Russia, China, and India.
  • Asia’s subregions:
    • North Asia: This region is occupied by Russia, especially the different regions of Siberia.
    • East Asia: China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan.
    • Southeast Asia: from Myanmar in the west, all the way to the Philippines and Indonesia in the east, including Indochina and the Malay Peninsula.
    • South Asia, comprising India, and surrounding countries, such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
    • Central Asia, with most of the “stans”, such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, or Tadjikistan.
    • West Asia, which includes the region commonly referred to as “the Middle East”. 
  • Languages:
    • Due to the gigantic size of China, Chinese is the most spoken language in Asia, and in the world.
    • The second most spoken language in Asia is Hindi, one of India’s main languages.
    • If you are an English speaker, you will be pleased to learn that English is the third most spoken language in Asia. It is commonly used in various countries like India or Singapore.
  • Religions:
    • Asia is a particularly large and diverse continent, which means there are very diverse cultures and religions as well.
    • The vast majority of Western Asia and Central Asia are Muslim.
    • Two-thirds of Southern Asia (the Indian subcontinent) is Hindu, and most of the remaining are Muslim.
    • 40% of Southeast Asia is Muslim (Indonesia being the largest Muslim country in the world). The remaining are above all Buddhist and Christian.
    • About half of the population in Eastern Asia (China, Japan…) claim to not practice any religion. The rest follow a variety of religions, the main one being Buddhism. 

Asia, A Continent of Many Records

  • Asia is the largest continent on Earth, with 44.61 million km2 / 17,220,156 square miles, and is home to more than 60% of the world’s population (4 billion people).
  • China is the most populous country in the world, with 1.4 billion people. Because of that, Chinese is the most spoken language in the world.
  • The Himalayas is the largest mountain range in the world. It is home to 10 out of 14 highest mountains in the world – the Eight-thousanders (mountains above 8,000 meters / 26,247 feet).
  • The highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, is located on the border between Nepal and China, and is part of the Himalayas. It reaches an altitude of 8,848 meters / 29,031 feet.
  • The Malay Archipelago is the world’s largest archipelago, with more than 17,000 islands. It covers Indonesia, Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines.
  • Indonesia is the country with the largest number of active volcanoes in the world, with 130 volcanoes that are part of the Ring of Fire.
  • A spot in the Dzungarian Basin, on the border between China and Kazakhstan, is the place that is the farthest from the ocean on Earth. It is 2,648 km / 1,645 miles to the nearest coastline.
  • Lake Baikal, in southern Siberia, Russia, is the world’s deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 1,642 meters / 5,387 feet. It is also the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, with 23,615.390 cubic kilometers / 5,665.63 cubic miles of water.
  • The Sơn Đoòng Cave, in central Vietnam, is the world’s largest cave. The second largest is also in Asia, it is the Dear Cave, in Malaysia.

Articles About Asia