Situated in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Asia is the earth's largest and most populated continent. Asia shares the continental landmass of Eurasia with Europe and the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. Asia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, while its western boundary with Europe is a historical construct, with no clear geographical separation other than the Suez Canal, the Ural River, the Ural Mountains, the Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
Given its vast size, there are a wide variety of ethnic groups, cultures, religions, environments, historical ties, and economic and governmental systems within Asia. There is great diversity in language as well, as most Asian countries have more than one language that is natively spoken. More than eight hundred languages are spoken in India alone, and more than six hundred are spoken by the people of Indonesia.
Many of the world's religions had their start in Asia, including Bahá'í, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism. Today, Islam is the most common religion in Asia and is the sole official religion in many Asian countries, such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The second most popular religion in Asia is Hinduism, which is strongest in India and Nepal. Christianity is also widespread, particularly within the Orthodox Churches of Armenia and Georgia, Roman Catholicism in the Philippines, and Protestantism in South Korea.
For most purposes, Asia can be divided into several subregions, which may include Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Asia, which is more commonly known as the Middle East, minus Egypt. These are not hard and fast designations, however. For example, the borders of Central Asia and the Middle East depend on who is defining them and why. Egypt is generally considered to be in the Middle East, but not in Asia.
Central Asia includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. East Asia is made up of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. South Asia includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while Southeast Asia is comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
West Asia is commonly understood as being made up of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
There are also unrecognized and partially recognized states within Asia. Palestine, which includes the Gaza Strip and West Bank, declared its independence from Israel in 1988, and is currently recognized by several countries, but is not a member of the United Nations. Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia declared independence in the 1990s, but are not recognized by very many countries. Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983, but it is recognized as a sovereign state only by Turkey, while every other member of the United Nations considers it to be part of Cyprus. China considers Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to be part of its territory, but Taiwan considers itself to be independent, while Hong Kong and Macau consider themselves to be autonomous.
Until 1800 AD, China and India alternated in being the largest economies in the world, with China attracting many people to the east, while India attracted European commerce. Today, the countries of East Asia are the high achievers, particularly China, Japan and South Korea.
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Published in three languages, the Middle East business news site operates a network across Algiers, Beirut, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Paris. Topics include money and the economy, energy, real estate, technology, travel, and transportation. Digital, broadcast, and print media are featured, along with public relations and advertising, and job availability or search. Advertising opportunities are set forth, with an overview of the company, its terms, conditions, and policies.
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The Asia Foundation is an international non-profit development organization that works to improve lives throughout Asia, with offices in eighteen countries. Its history, purpose, and organizational structure are set forth, and its locations and programs are listed and discussed. Other resources include reports, surveys, overviews and other documents, a calendar of events, blog, press releases, and donor recognition.
https://asiafoundation.org/
Established in 1995, the publication is owned by Asia Times Holdings Limited, a media conglomerate with operations on several continents, including the Asia Times, an English language publication covering news and events in Asia. The digital news publication reports on news, political events and issues, business concerns, cultural issues, and opinion columns, and a blogging platform. Special sections on China, India, and other regions of Asia are included.
http://www.atimes.com/
Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development
The AFA is an alliance of nine farmer federations in eight Asian countries that aims to serve as an effective voice for small farmers in Asia, empowering small-scale farmers in Asia, including women and men. Aside from news, articles, and information about the AFA, the site also covers issues that concern agrarian reform, sustainable agriculture, technology, and other farming issues. Photos, video, AFA publications, and a calendar of events are included.
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Asian TV news channel that provides global news and information with an Asian perspective. Aside from world news, the website also offers news covering sectors like business, sports, entertainment and technology as well as finance statistics of the global market. Includes provides videos, feature articles covering lifestyle and health, global weather forecasts, travel and discussion boards as well as television shows guides and programs.
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The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are the Smithsonian’s museums of Asian art, situated on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and hosting collections of Asian and American art. A history and overview of the buildings for each are set forth, along with biographies of Charles Lang Freer and Arthur M. Sackler. Photograph of its exhibitions and collections are presented, with a calendar of events, apps, publications, podcasts, and research facilities.
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The world travel guide includes a section on Asia, which offer an overview of the Asian continent and its most popular destinations, specifically Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. Other resources include the best times to visit and other travel tips, such as travel planning, budgets, landmarks, health issues, currencies, safety concerns, and cultural issues. Specific guides for highlighted destinations are included.
http://www.travelpluto.com/asia.htm
Travelers in the Middle East Archive (TIMEA)
Hosted by Rice University, the site is supported by Rice University, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology. The digital archive focuses on Western interactions with the Middle East, offering electronic texts, photographs, hand-drawn images, and historical maps of Egypt, Cyprus, and other regions of the Middle East. Its resources may be found by browsing its topical categories or through a keyword search.
http://timea.rice.edu/
