Asia Continent: History, Diversity & Global Importance

 

Asia is the largest and most influential continent on Earth. Covering 44.58 million sq. km (about 30% of the world’s land area) and home to nearly 4.7 billion people, it holds 60% of the world’s population.

Geography & Natural Features

• Highest Mountain: Mount Everest (8,849 m)
• Lowest Point: Dead Sea (-430 m)
• Major Rivers: Ganges, Yangtze, Mekong, Amur
• Deserts: Gobi, Arabian, Karakum

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Major Regional Organizations

• SAARC – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
• ASEAN – Association of Southeast Asian Nations
• GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council
• SCO – Shanghai Cooperation Organization
• APEC – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Famous Landmarks & Tourist Attractions

1. China – Great Wall, Forbidden City

2. 

   The Tajmahal

   India – Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Varanai
3. Japan – Mount Fuji, Kyoto Temples
4. Nepal – Everest Base Camp
5. Turkey – Hagia Sophia, Cappadocia
6. Malaysia – Petronas Twin Towers
7. Saudi Arabia – Makkah & Madinah
8. Thailand – Phuket, Bangkok Temples
9. Bangladesh – Cox's bazar (Largest sea beach), Mangrove Forest

The Mangrove Forest 

Political Landscape & Relations

Asia’s politics are diverse and complex:

1. India–Pakistan tensions over Kashmir
2. Israel–Palestine conflict in the Middle East
3. China–Taiwan disputes and South China Sea tensions
4. North Korea–South Korea division since the Cold War
5. ASEAN promotes peace and economic cooperation

Major Wars & Conflicts

1. Korean War (1950–53)
2. Vietnam War (1955–75)
3. Iran–Iraq War (1980–88)
4. Gulf War (1990–91)
5. Afghanistan Wars (Soviet & US invasions)
6. Israel–Palestine conflict

Economy & Global Influence

• China, India, Japan, South Korea – Asia’s largest economies
• Middle East – key global oil and gas supplier
• Technology hubs – Japan, South Korea, China
• Asia is now the center of global growth

List of countries

Country	Capital City	Currency	Population (Appr. 2024)	Area (km²)
Sub-Region: Central Asia
Kazakhstan	Astana	Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT)	20.8 Million	2,724,900
Kyrgyzstan	Bishkek	Kyrgyzstani Som (KGS)	7.3 Million	199,951
Tajikistan	Dushanbe	Tajikistani Somoni (TJS)	10.7 Million	143,100
Turkmenistan	Ashgabat	Turkmenistan Manat (TMT)	7.6 Million	488,100
Uzbekistan	Tashkent	Uzbekistani Som (UZS)	37.0 Million	447,400
Sub-Region: Eastern Asia
China	Beijing	Yuan (CNY)	1.41 Billion	9,596,961
Japan	Tokyo	Japanese Yen (JPY)	123.1 Million	377,976
Mongolia	Ulaanbaatar	Mongolian Tugrik (MNT)	3.5 Million	1,564,110
North Korea	Pyongyang	North Korean Won (KPW)	26.5 Million	120,540
South Korea	Seoul	South Korean Won (KRW)	51.6 Million	100,210
Taiwan	Taipei	New Taiwan Dollar (TWD)	23.1 Million	36,193
Sub-Region: North Asia
Russia (Asian part)	Moscow (Federal)	Russian Ruble (RUB)	143.5 Million (Total)	13,083,100
Sub-Region: Southeast Asi
Brunei	Bandar Seri Begawan	Brunei Dollar (BND)	466,000	5,765
Cambodia	Phnom Penh	Cambodian Riel (KHR)	17.8 Million	181,035
Indonesia	Jakarta (or Nusantara)	Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)	285.7 Million	1,488,509
Laos	Vientiane	Lao Kip (LAK)	7.8 Million	236,800
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)	35.9 Million	330,803
Myanmar	Naypyidaw	Burmese Kyat (MMK)	54.8 Million	676,578
Philippines	Manila	Philippine Peso (PHP)	116.7 Million	300,000
Singapore	Singapore	Singapore Dollar (SGD)	5.8 Million	728
Thailand	Bangkok	Thai Baht (THB)	71.6 Million	513,120
Timor-Leste	Dili	US Dollar (USD)	1.4 Million	14,919
Vietnam	Hanoi	Vietnamese Dong (VND)	101.5 Million	331,212
Sub-Region: Southern Asia
Afghanistan	Kabul	Afghan Afghani (AFN)	43.8 Million	652,867
Bangladesh	Dhaka	Taka (BDT)	175.7 Million	148,460
Bhutan	Thimphu	Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN)	797,000	38,394
India	New Delhi	Indian Rupee (INR)	1.46 Billion	3,287,263
Maldives	Malé	Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR)	530,000	298
Nepal	Kathmandu	Nepalese Rupee (NPR)	29.6 Million	147,516
Pakistan	Islamabad	Pakistani Rupee (PKR)	255.2 Million	881,913
Sri Lanka	Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte	Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)	23.2 Million	65,610
Sub-Region: Southern/Western Asia
Iran	Tehran	Iranian Rial (IRR)	92.4 Million	1,648,195
Sub-Region: Western Asia
Armenia	Yerevan	Armenian Dram (AMD)	2.9 Million	29,743
Azerbaijan	Baku	Azerbaijani Manat (AZN)	10.4 Million	86,600
Bahrain	Manama	Bahraini Dinar (BHD)	1.6 Million	786
Cyprus	Nicosia	Euro (EUR)	1.3 Million	9,251
Georgia	Tbilisi	Georgian Lari (GEL)	3.8 Million	69,700
Iraq	Baghdad	Iraqi Dinar (IQD)	47.0 Million	438,317
Israel	Jerusalem	New Shekel (ILS)	9.5 Million	22,070
Jordan	Amman	Jordanian Dinar (JOD)	11.5 Million	89,342
Kuwait	Kuwait City	Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)	5.0 Million	17,818
Lebanon	Beirut	Lebanese Pound (LBP)	5.8 Million	10,452
Oman	Muscat	Omani Rial (OMR)	5.4 Million	309,500
Palestine (State of)	Ramallah/East Jerusalem	JOD / ILS	5.5 Million	6,220
Qatar	Doha	Qatari Riyal (QAR)	3.1 Million	11,586
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	Saudi Riyal (SAR)	34.5 Million	2,149,690
Syria	Damascus	Syrian Pound (SYP)	25.6 Million	185,180
Turkey (Asian part)	Ankara (Federal)	Turkish Lira (TRY)	87.6 Million (Total)	759,805
United Arab Emirates (UAE)	Abu Dhabi	UAE Dirham (AED)	11.3 Million	83,600
Yemen	Sana'a	Yemeni Rial (YER)	41.7 Million	555,000

Conclusion

Asia is not only the cradle of civilizations but also a hub of diverse religions, cultures, economies, and global politics. From ancient history to modern geopolitics, Asia remains at the heart of world affairs.