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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 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. It is somewhat arbitrary and has moved since its first conception in classical antiquity. The division of Eurasia into two continents reflects East–West cultural, linguistic, and ethnic differences, some of which vary on a spectrum rather than with a sharp dividing line. 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.

China and India traded places as the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 CE. China was a major economic power for much of recorded history, with the highest GDP per capita until 1500. The Silk Road became the main east–west trading route in the Asian hinterlands while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, as well as many other religions. (Full article...)

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The Heian Palace (平安宮, Heian-kyū) was the original imperial palace of Heian-kyō (present-day Kyoto), then the capital of Japan. Both the palace and the city were constructed in the late 700s and were patterned on Chinese models and designs. The palace served as the imperial residence and the administrative centre for most of the Heian period (794–1185).

Located in the north-central section of the city, the palace consisted of a large, walled, rectangular Greater Palace (the Daidairi), which contained several ceremonial and administrative buildings including the government ministries. Inside this enclosure was the separately walled residential compound of the emperor, or the Inner Palace (Dairi). In addition to the emperor's living quarters, the Inner Palace contained the residences of the imperial consorts and buildings more closely linked to the person of the emperor. (Full article...)

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Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Kuwait also shares maritime borders with Iran. Kuwait has a coastal length of approximately 500 km (311 mi). Most of the country's population reside in the urban agglomeration of the capital and largest city Kuwait City. , Kuwait has a population of 4.82 million people of which 1.53 million are Kuwaiti citizens while the remaining 3.29 million are foreign nationals from over 100 countries.

Historically, most of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient Mesopotamia. Before the discovery of oil, Kuwait was a regional trade port. Oil reserves were discovered in commercial quantities in 1938. In 1946, crude oil was exported for the first time. From 1946 to 1982, the country underwent large-scale modernization, largely based on income from oil production. In the 1980s, Kuwait experienced a period of geopolitical instability and an economic crisis following the stock market crash. In 1990, after oil production disputes with neighbouring Iraq, Kuwait was invaded, and later annexed into one of Iraq's governorates by Iraq under Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi occupation of Kuwait came to an end on February 26, 1991, after military intervention by a military coalition led by the United States and various other countries. (Full article...)

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Black greywacke sarcophagus in the funerary chamber of Unas' pyramid

Unas /ˈjuːnəs/ or Wenis, also spelled Unis (Ancient Egyptian: wnjs, hellenized form Oenas /ˈiːnəs/ 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...)

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General images

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

Image 1Đại Việt, Champa, Angkor Empire and their neighbours, late 13th century (from History of Asia)
Image 2A Confucian ritual ceremony in Jeju, South Korea (from Culture of Asia)
Image 3Map of Marco Polo's travels (from History of Asia)
Image 4The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling (from Culture of Asia)
Image 5The Silk Road in Asia (from History of Asia)
Image 6Population concentration and boundaries of the Western Zhou dynasty in China (from History of Asia)
Image 7Ancient ziggurat, Iraq (from Culture of Asia)
Image 8Gojong (1852–1919), the 26th king of Joseon dynasty and the first emperor of Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)
Image 9East Asian cultural sphere (from Culture of Asia)
Image 10Kabsa also called Majboos, famous in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and United Arab Emirates (from Culture of Asia)
Image 11Projected shares of global GDP by region to 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 12The Delhi Sultanate. (from History of Asia)
Image 13Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman (from History of Asia)
Image 14A stone image of the Buddha (from Culture of Asia)
Image 15Gyeonghoeru of Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon dynasty's royal palace. (from History of Asia)
Image 16the Goryeo ware, which shows splendid culture of Goryeo in mediaeval Korea. (from History of Asia)
Image 17The Hindu-Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat. (from History of Asia)
Image 18Invasions, destruction and possible population movements during the Late Bronze Age collapse, beginning c. 1200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 19British troops taking Zhenjiang from Qing troops (from History of Asia)
Image 20Map of Vietnam showing the conquest of the south (the Nam tiến, 1069–1757). (from History of Asia)
Image 21The 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 22Daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng (from History of Asia)
Image 23Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jeruslam (from Culture of Asia)
Image 24Angkor Wat, Khmer Empire (from Culture of Asia)
Image 25Detail 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 26The Song dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 1200 (from History of Asia)
Image 27Traditional Rajasthani garments from Jaipur, Rajasthan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 28Some 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 29Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai, in a 13th-century depiction by Liang Kai (from Culture of Asia)
Image 30The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. (from History of Asia)
Image 31The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 32Indonesian Balinese cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 33The Russian Znamensky Cathedral in Tyumen built in 1768 (from Culture of Asia)
Image 34Detail of Chinese silk from the 4th century BCE. The characteristic trade of silk through the Silk Road connected various regions from China, India, Central Asia, and the Middle East to Europe and Africa. (from History of Asia)
Image 35A view of the Fort St George in 18th-century Madras. (from History of Asia)
Image 36The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire (from History of Asia)
Image 37Balhae in the north, Later Silla in the south (from History of Asia)
Image 38Sculpture of Prince Shōtoku (from History of Asia)
Image 39Badshahi Mosque built under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 40Machiya in Heian period (from History of Asia)
Image 41A typical example of Dravidian architecture (from Culture of Asia)
Image 42Hinduism 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 43Language families in South Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 44Projected GDP of 7 largest economies in 2050 (from Asian Century)
Image 45The Qing Empire in 1832. (from History of Asia)
Image 46The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period (from History of Asia)
Image 47Chicken tikka, a well-known dish across the globe, reflects the South Asian cooking style. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 48Philippine cuisine (from Culture of Asia)
Image 49Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. (from Culture of Asia)
Image 50Daian-ji temple at Nara, Japan (from Culture of Asia)
Image 51The early Muslim conquests, 622–750 (from History of Asia)
Image 52Map of Asia for early 20th century (from History of Asia)
Image 53Sun temple at Konarka, Odisha, India (from Culture of Asia)
Image 54Here a Jesuit, Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), is dressed as an official of the Chinese Department of Astronomy. (from History of Asia)
Image 55Political map of Asia in 1860 (from History of Asia)
Image 56Map of Asia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 57The Han dynasty and main polities in Asia c. 200 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 58Byzantine and Sassanian Empires in 600 AD (from History of Asia)
Image 59The 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 60Korean 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 61The Grand Mosque in Kuwait City, one of the largest mosques in the region (from Culture of Asia)
Image 62India's middle-class population of 300 million is growing at an annual rate of 5%. Shown here is an upmarket area in South Mumbai. (from Asian Century)
Image 63Battle of Talas between Tang dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate c. 751 (from History of Asia)
Image 64Political cartoon depicting the Afghan Emir Sher Ali with the rival "friends" the Russian Bear and British Lion (1878) (from History of Asia)
Image 65The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, which was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010 (from Asian Century)
Image 66The 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 67Borobudur, a Buddhist temple in Indonesia (from Culture of Asia)
Image 68The First Persian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC (from History of Asia)
Image 69Deoksugung, the palace where Emperor Gojong established Korean Empire. (from History of Asia)

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Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

Credit: Siripatwongpin

The head of a sandstone Buddha statue nestled in the tree roots beside the minor chapels of Wat Maha That, Phra Nakhon Si, Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. The temple is one of the most tourist and photographic attractions in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya, an ancient capital of Siam.

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