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Asia (/ˈeɪʒə/ ^ⓘ AY-zhə, UK also /ˈeɪʃə/ 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 kilometres, 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 civilisations. 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 its boundary with 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...)

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Procession held in Dhaka on February 21, 1952

The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the Dominion of Pakistan. The movement wanted to allow its use in government affairs, the continuation of its use as a medium of education, its use in media, currency and stamps, and to maintain its writing in the Bengali alphabet and Bengali script.

When the Dominion of Pakistan was formed after the separation of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, when the British left, it was composed of various ethnic and linguistic groups, with the geographically non-contiguous East Bengal province having a mainly ethnic Bengali population. In 1948, the Government of the Dominion of Pakistan ordained as part of Islamization of East Pakistan or East Bengal that Urdu will be the sole federal language, alternately Bengali writing in the Perso-Arabic script or Roman script (Romanisation of Bengali) or Arabic as the state language of the whole of Pakistan was also proposed, sparking extensive protests among the Bengali-speaking majority of East Bengal. Facing rising sectarian tensions and mass discontent with the new law, the government outlawed public meetings and rallies. The students of the University of Dhaka and other political activists defied the law and organised a protest on 21 February 1952. The movement reached its climax when police killed student demonstrators on that day. The deaths provoked widespread civil unrest. After years of conflict, the central government relented and granted official status to the Bengali language in 1956. (Full article...)

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Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with its territory bifurcated by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Brunei is the only sovereign state entirely on Borneo; the remainder of the island is divided between its multi-landmass neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia. As of 2025^[update], the country had a population of 466,330, being the least populated country in Asia of whom approximately 64,409 resided in the capital and largest city of Bandar Seri Begawan. Its official language is Malay, and Sunni Islam is the state religion of the country, although other religions are nominally tolerated. The government of Brunei is an absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan, and it implements a fusion of English common law and jurisprudence inspired by Islam, including sharia.

At the Sultanate of Brunei's peak during the reign of Sultan Bolkiah (1485–1528), the state is claimed to have had control over most of Borneo, including modern-day Sarawak and Sabah, as well as the Sulu archipelago and the islands off the northwestern tip of Borneo. There are also claims to its historical control over Seludong, which scholars believe is either Mount Selurong, in Indonesia, or Serudong River in eastern Sabah. The maritime state of Brunei was visited by the surviving crew of the Magellan Expedition in 1521, and in 1578 it fought against Spain in the Castilian War. (Full article...)

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Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Ṭughj ibn Juff ibn Yiltakīn ibn Fūrān ibn Fūrī ibn Khāqān (8 February 882 – 24 July 946), better known by the title al-Ikhshīd (Arabic: الإخشيد) after 939, was an Abbasid commander and governor who became the autonomous ruler of Egypt and parts of Syria (Levant) from 935 until his death in 946. He was the founder of the Ikhshidid dynasty, which ruled the region until the Fatimid conquest of 969.

The son of Tughj ibn Juff, a general of Turkic origin who served both the Abbasids and the autonomous Tulunid rulers of Egypt and Syria, Muhammad ibn Tughj was born in Baghdad but grew up in Syria and acquired his first military and administrative experiences at his father's side. He had a turbulent early career: he was imprisoned along with his father by the Abbasids in 905, was released in 906, participated in the murder of the vizier al-Abbas ibn al-Hasan al-Jarjara'i in 908, and fled Iraq to enter the service of the governor of Egypt, Takin al-Khazari. Eventually he acquired the patronage of several influential Abbasid magnates, chiefly the powerful commander-in-chief Mu'nis al-Muzaffar. These ties led him to being named governor first of Palestine and then of Damascus. In 933, he was briefly named governor of Egypt, but this order was revoked after the death of Mu'nis, and Ibn Tughj had to fight to preserve even his governorship of Damascus. In 935, he was re-appointed to Egypt, where he quickly defeated a Fatimid invasion and stabilized the turbulent country. His reign marks a rare period of domestic peace, stability and good government in the annals of early Islamic Egypt. In 938 Caliph al-Radi granted his request for the title of al-Ikhshid, which had been borne by the rulers of his ancestral Farghana Valley. It is by this title that he was known thereafter. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Asia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Expansion of the Mongol Empire 1206–1294 (from History of Asia)
Image 2Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3Some henges at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey were erected as far back as 9600 BC, predating those of Stonehenge, by over seven millennia. (from History of Asia)
Image 4The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 5The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 6Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 7Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 8Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 9The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 10Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 12The 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 13The Battle of Chinkiang of the First Opium War (from History of Asia)
Image 14Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 15A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 16The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 17Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 18The 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 19Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established the Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 20Korean 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 21The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 22The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 23Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 25Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 26Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 27Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 29Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 30The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 31Byzantine and Sasanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 32Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 33Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34Hinduism 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 35Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 36A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 37Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 38Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 39The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 40The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 41Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south. (from History of Asia)
Image 42Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 43The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 44The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 45The 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 46Detail 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 47A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48Map of the Qing Empire in 1832 (from History of Asia)
Image 49Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 50Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)

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Featured picture

Ramayana

Credit: Sahibdin

A scene from the Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic. Depicted here are several stages of the War of Lanka, with the monkey army of the protagonist Rama (top left, blue figure) fighting the demon army of the king of Lanka, Ravana, to save Rama's kidnapped wife Sita. The three-headed figure of the demon general Trisiras occurs in several places – most dramatically at the bottom left, where he is shown beheaded by Hanuman.

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Did you know...

... that Mao Zedong ordered the lenient treatment of bandit leader Cheng Lianzhen, as he thought it rare for a female bandit leader to be from an ethnic minority in China?
... that a Chinese poet wrote about a Syriac church in Sichuan without knowing what it was?
... that the Pokémon Heracross may have contributed to an increase in demand for rhinoceros beetles in both legal and illegal Japanese insect markets?
... that being outranked by Bishop Thomas Agni of Lentini so infuriated the future Pope Urban IV that he left Palestine and went to Rome?
... that Bonbon Drop stickers revived sticker collecting and trading culture in Japan?
... that optical physicist Franklin Dollar grew up on a Native American reservation without electricity or running water?
... that two future deans of the University of Indonesia, Margono Soekarjo and Djamaloeddin, conducted the first surgery on conjoined twins in Indonesia?
... that the North Korean destroyer Choe Hyon is the largest ship constructed for the Korean People's Navy?
... that Orthetrum japonicum was one of the first species of Japanese dragonfly to be recognized and described by Europeans?
... that villages in India along the border with Bangladesh have protested against a proposed border fence that would leave them inside Indian territory, but beyond the fence?

Updated: 1:05, 2 October 2026

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In the news

1 October 2026 – Iraqi conflict: Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq; Ahmad al-Hamidawi, leader of Kata'ib Hezbollah, announces that the group will suspend military activities in Iraq following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, with the exception of targeting hostile aircraft violating the country's airspace. (Middle East Eye)
1 October 2026 – Gaza war: Israeli settler violence, Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war; Israeli settlers shoot and kill a Palestinian man at his home in Yasuf, West Bank, and injure another. (Reuters)
1 October 2026 – 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war: Pakistan launches airstrikes in Afghanistan, claiming the killing of 22 fighters at two locations, while the Government of Afghanistan reports that nine women and children are killed in Kunar Province and Helmand Province by Pakistan airstrikes. (Al Jazeera)
1 October 2026 – 2026 RAF Fairford arrests: British counter-terrorism police arrest a 25-year-old British-Iranian dual national in Westminster, London, England, on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts linked to the RAF Fairford investigation. Officers also search two properties in the area. (CNN)

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Major Religions in Asia

Middle East (West Asia)

Central Asia

Indian Subcontinent

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East Asia

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Credit: KennyOMG

The Indus River (locally called Sindhu) is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Manasarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, towards the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Kashmir and the Hindukush ranges, and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh.