Jump to content

Portal:Asia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Asia Portal
The Asia Portal
Main   Geography   Projects

Asia (/ˈʒə/ AY-zhə, UK also /ˈʃə/ AY-shə) 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. 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.

Since the concept of Asia derives from the term for the eastern region from a European perspective, Asia is the remaining vast area of Eurasia minus Europe. Therefore, Asia is a region where various independent cultures coexist rather than sharing a single culture, and the boundary between Europe is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East–West cultural differences, some of which vary on a spectrum. (Full article...)

Featured article

Karnataka (/kərˈnɑːtəkə/ kər-NAH-tə-kə; ISO: Karnāṭaka, Kannada: [kɐɾˈnaːʈɐkɐ]) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, and renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state is bordered by the Lakshadweep Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth-largest state by population, comprising 31 districts. With 15,257,000 residents, the state capital Bangalore is the largest city of Karnataka.

The economy of Karnataka is one of the most productive in comparison to other states in the country, with ₹20.5 trillion (US$260 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹305,000 (US$3,800). The state of Karnataka has one of the highest economic growth rates comparatively to other states in the country, with a GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) growth of 9.5% in the 2021–22 fiscal year. After Bangalore Urban, Dakshina Kannada, Hubli-Dharwad, and Belagavi districts contribute the highest revenue to the state respectively. The capital of the state, Bangalore, is known as the Silicon Valley of India, for its immense contributions to the country's information technology sector. A total of 1,973 companies in the state were found to have been involved in the IT sector as of 2007. (Full article...)

List of Featured articles

Selected Country

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land. With an area of nearly 9.6 million square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third-largest country by total land area. The country is divided into 33 province-level divisions: 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two semi-autonomous special administrative regions. Beijing is the country's capital, while Shanghai is its most populous city by urban area and largest financial center.

China is considered one of the cradles of civilization: the first human inhabitants in the region arrived during the Paleolithic. By the late 2nd millennium BCE, the earliest dynastic states had emerged in the Yellow River basin. The 8th–3rd centuries BCE saw a breakdown in the authority of the Zhou dynasty, accompanied by the emergence of administrative and military techniques, literature, philosophy, and historiography. In 221 BCE, China was unified under an emperor, ushering in more than two millennia of imperial dynasties including the Qin, Han, Tang, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. With the invention of gunpowder and paper, the establishment of the Silk Road, and the building of the Great Wall, Chinese culture flourished and has heavily influenced both its neighbors and lands further afield. However, China began to cede parts of the country in the late 19th century to various European powers by a series of unequal treaties. (Full article...)

Unas being suckled by an unknown goddess. Egyptian Museum

Unas /ˈjnəs/ or Wenis, also spelled Unis (Ancient Egyptian: wnjs, hellenized form Oenas /ˈnəs/ or Onnos), was a pharaoh, the ninth and last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. Unas reigned for 15 to 30 years in the mid-24th century BC (circa 2345–2315 BC), succeeding Djedkare Isesi, who might have been his father.

Little is known of Unas' activities during his reign, which was a time of economic decline. Egypt maintained trade relations with the Levantine coast and Nubia, and military action may have taken place in southern Canaan. The growth and decentralization of the administration in conjunction with the lessening of the king's power continued under Unas, ultimately contributing to the collapse of the Old Kingdom some 200 years later. (Full article...)

General images

The following are images from various Asia-related articles on Wikipedia.
Kayan girl, northern Thailand
Kayan girl, northern Thailand
The Kayan or Padaung are a group of the Karen people found in Myanmar and Thailand. They are known for a particular body modification, which consists of coiling lengths of brass around the neck of the women. The coils are first applied when the girls are about five years old, and the coil is replaced with longer coils as the weight of the brass pushes down the collar bone and compresses the rib cage, resulting in the appearance of a very long neck. The practice has seen a surge in recent years because the custom draws tourists who buy their handicrafts.

Did you know...

Updated: 6:33, 14 February 2024

In the news


22 November 2024 – 2024 Laos methanol poisoning
A second Australian tourist dies after alcohol poisoning in Vang Vieng, Laos, bringing the death toll from the incident to six. Eight remain hospitalized. (ABC News Australia)
22 November 2024 – Conscription of yeshiva students, Israel–Hamas war
The Israel Defense Forces issue over 1,000 arrest warrants to ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel for evading draft orders. (CNN) (The Times of Israel)
21 November 2024 – Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sectarian violence in Pakistan
2024 Kurram massacre
At least 42 people are killed and many others are wounded as gunmen open fire against two convoys carrying Shia people in Kurram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
21 November 2024 – Israel–Hezbollah conflict
Hezbollah fires a rocket barrage at northern Israel, killing one person in the city of Nahariya. (Reuters)
21 November 2024 – 2024 Laos methanol poisoning
An Australian and a British tourist die after consuming poisoned alcohol in Vang Vieng, Laos, bringing the death toll from the incident to five. Nine others are hospitalized. (BBC News) (AP)

More current events...


Major Religions in Asia


Middle East

Central Asia and Caucasus

Indian Subcontinent

Southeast Asia

East Asia

Selected panorama

150pxPanoramic view of the Great Court of Baalbek temple complex, in Lebanon
150pxPanoramic view of the Great Court of Baalbek temple complex, in Lebanon
Credit: Guillaume Piolle

Baalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis, was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire.

Topics

Categories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

More portals