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'''Asia''' is the world's largest and most populous [[continent]], located primarily in the [[Eastern Hemisphere|eastern]] and [[northern hemisphere]]s. It covers 8.6% of the [[Earth]]'s total surface area (or 29.9% of its land area) and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current [[human population]]. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled.<ref>"[http://www.economist.com/diversions/millennium/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=346605 Like herrings in a barrel]". ''The Economist.'' December 23, 1999.</ref>
'''Asia''' is the world's largest and most populous [[continent]], located primarily in the [[Eastern Hemisphere|eastern]] and [[northern hemisphere]]s. It covers 8.6% of the [[Earth]]'s total surface area (or 29.9% of its land area) and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current [[human population]]. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled.<ref>"[http://www.economist.com/diversions/millennium/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=346605 Like herrings in a barrel]". ''The Economist.'' December 23, 1999.</ref>


Asia is traditionally defined as part of the [[landmass]] of [[Eurasia]] — with the western portion of the latter occupied by [[Europe]] — located to the east of the [[Suez Canal]], [[east]] of the [[Ural Mountains]] and south of the [[Caucasus Mountains]] (or the [[Kuma-Manych Depression]])<ref name=Britannica>"[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110518/Asia Asia]". ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. 2006. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.</ref> and the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] and [[Black Sea]]s.<ref name="NatlGeoAtlas">{{cite book|title=National Geographic Atlas of the World|edition=7th|year=1999|location=Washington, DC|publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]|isbn=0-7922-7528-4}} "Europe" (pp. 68-9); "Asia" (pp. 90-1): "A commonly accepted division between Asia and Europe ... is formed by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and Dardanelles."</ref> 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]]. Given its size and diversity, Asia — a [[toponymy|toponym]] dating back to [[classical antiquity]] — is more a [[human geography|cultural concept]] incorporating a number of [[region]]s and peoples than a [[physical geography|homogeneous physical entity]]<ref name=Britannica /><ref name=McG-H>"[http://www.answers.com/topic/asia-2010#Science_and_Technology_Encyclopedia Asia]". ''[[McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology]].'' 2006. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.</ref> (see ''[[Subregions of Asia]]'', ''[[Asian people]]''). The wealth of Asia differs very widely among and within [[Regions of Asia|its regions]], due to its vast size and huge range of different cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems.
Asia is traditionally defined as people with widescreen vision part of the [[landmass]] of [[Eurasia]] — with the western portion of the latter occupied by [[Europe]] — located to the east of the [[Suez Canal]], [[east]] of the [[Ural Mountains]] and south of the [[Caucasus Mountains]] (or the [[Kuma-Manych Depression]])<ref name=Britannica>"[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110518/Asia Asia]". ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. 2006. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.</ref> and the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] and [[Black Sea]]s.<ref name="NatlGeoAtlas">{{cite book|title=National Geographic Atlas of the World|edition=7th|year=1999|location=Washington, DC|publisher=[[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]]|isbn=0-7922-7528-4}} "Europe" (pp. 68-9); "Asia" (pp. 90-1): "A commonly accepted division between Asia and Europe ... is formed by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and Dardanelles."</ref> 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]]. Given its size and diversity, Asia — a [[toponymy|toponym]] dating back to [[classical antiquity]] — is more a [[human geography|cultural concept]] incorporating a number of [[region]]s and peoples than a [[physical geography|homogeneous physical entity]]<ref name=Britannica /><ref name=McG-H>"[http://www.answers.com/topic/asia-2010#Science_and_Technology_Encyclopedia Asia]". ''[[McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology]].'' 2006. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.</ref> (see ''[[Subregions of Asia]]'', ''[[Asian people]]''). The wealth of Asia differs very widely among and within [[Regions of Asia|its regions]], due to its vast size and huge range of different cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems.


==Etymology==
==Etymology==

Revision as of 12:40, 16 September 2010

For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation).
Globe centered on Asia, with Asia highlighted. The continent is shaped like a right-angle triangle, with Europe to the west, oceans to the south and east, and Australia visible to the south-east.
Area44,579,000 km2 (17,212,000 sq mi)
Population3,879,000,000 (1st)[1]
Population density89/km2 (226/sq mi)
DemonymAsian
Countries48
Dependencies
Non-UN states
LanguagesList of languages
Time zonesUTC+2 to UTC+12
Internet TLD.asia
Largest cities

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area (or 29.9% of its land area) and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled.[2]

Asia is traditionally defined as people with widescreen vision part of the landmass of Eurasia — with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe — located to the east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains and south of the Caucasus Mountains (or the Kuma-Manych Depression)[3] and the Caspian and Black Seas.[4] 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. Given its size and diversity, Asia — a toponym dating back to classical antiquity — is more a cultural concept incorporating a number of regions and peoples than a homogeneous physical entity[3][5] (see Subregions of Asia, Asian people). The wealth of Asia differs very widely among and within its regions, due to its vast size and huge range of different cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems.

Etymology

The term "Asia" is originally a concept exclusively of Western civilization.[6] The peoples of ancient Asia (Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Persians, Arabs etc.) never conceived the idea of Asia, simply because they did not see themselves collectively. In their perspective, they were vastly varied civilizations, contrary to ancient European belief.[6]

The word Asia originated from the Greek word Ἀσία,[7] first attributed to Herodotus (about 440 BC) in reference to Anatolia or — in describing the Persian Wars — to the Persian Empire, in contrast to Greece and Egypt. Herodotus comments that he is puzzled as to why three women's names are used to describe one enormous and substantial land mass (Europa, Asia, and Libya, referring to Africa), stating that most Greeks assumed that Asia was named after the wife of Prometheus (i.e. Hesione), but that the Lydians say it was named after Asias, son of Cotys, who passed the name on to a tribe in Sardis. Even before Herodotus, Homer knew of two figures in the Trojan War named Asios; and elsewhere he describes a marsh as ασιος (Iliad 2, 461). In Greek mythology, "Asia" (Ἀσία) or "Asie" (Ἀσίη) was the name of a Nymph or Titan goddess of Lydia.[8]

Usage of the term soon became common in ancient Greece, and subsequently by the ancient Romans.[6] Ancient and medieval European maps depict the Asian continent as a "huge amorphous blob" extending eastward.[6] It was presumed in antiquity to end with India — the Greek king Alexander the Great believing he would reach the "end of the world" upon his arrival in the East.[6]

Other alternatives

Alternatively, the etymology of the term may be from the Akkadian word (w)aṣû(m), which means 'to go outside' or 'to ascend', referring to the direction of the sun at sunrise in the Middle East and also likely connected with the Phoenician word asa meaning east. This may be contrasted to a similar etymology proposed for Europe, as being from Akkadian erēbu(m) 'to enter' or 'set' (of the sun).

T.R. Reid supports this alternative etymology, noting that the ancient Greek name must have derived from asu, meaning 'east' in Assyrian (ereb for Europe meaning 'west').[6] The ideas of Occidental (form Latin Occidens 'setting') and Oriental (from Latin Oriens for 'rising') are also European invention, synonymous with Western and Eastern.[6] Reid further emphasizes that it explains the Western point of view of placing all the peoples and cultures of Asia into a single classification, almost as if there were a need for setting the distinction between Western and Eastern civilizations on the Eurasian continent.[6] Ogura Kazuo and Tenshin Okakura are two Japanese outspoken figures over the subject.[6]

However, this etymology is considered doubtful, because it does not explain how the term "Asia" first came to be associated with Anatolia, which is west of the Semitic-speaking areas, unless they refer to the viewpoint of a Phoenician sailor sailing through the straits between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

Definition and boundaries

Physical geography

See also: Geography of Asia, Countries in both Asia and Europe, Geographic criteria for the definition of Europe
Physical map of Asia, excluding Southwest Asia.
Two-point equidistant projection of Asia.

Medieval Europeans considered Asia as a continent a distinct landmass. The European concept of the three continents in the Old World goes back to Classical Antiquity, but during the Middle Ages was notably due to 7th century Spanish scholar Isidore of Sevilla (see T and O map). The demarcation between Asia and Africa (to the southwest) is the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea. The boundary between Asia and Europe is conventionally considered to run through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, the Black Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Ural River to its source and the Ural Mountains to the Kara Sea near Kara, Russia. While this interpretation of tripartite continents (i.e., of Asia, Europe and Africa) remains common in modernity, discovery of the extent of Africa and Asia have made this definition somewhat anachronistic. This is especially true in the case of Asia, which has several regions that would be considered distinct landmasses if these criteria were used (for example, Southern Asia and Eastern Asia).

In the far northeast of Asia, Siberia is separated from North America by the Bering Strait. Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean (specifically, from west to east, the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal), on the east by the waters of the Pacific Ocean (including, counterclockwise, the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea) and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. Australia (or Oceania) is to the southeast.

Some geographers do not consider Asia and Europe to be separate continents,[9] as there is no logical physical separation between them.[5] For example, Sir Barry Cunliffe, the emeritus professor of European archeology at Oxford, argues that Europe has been geographically and culturally merely "the western excrescence of the continent of Asia."[10] Geographically, Asia is the major eastern constituent of the continent of Eurasia with Europe being a northwestern peninsula of the landmass – or of Afro-Eurasia: geologically, Asia, Europe and Africa comprise a single continuous landmass (save the Suez Canal) and share a common continental shelf. Almost all of Europe and most of Asia sit atop the Eurasian Plate, adjoined on the south by the Arabian and Indian Plate and with the easternmost part of Siberia (east of the Cherskiy Range) on the North American Plate.

In geography, there are two schools of thought. One school follows historical convention and treats Europe and Asia as different continents, categorizing subregions within them for more detailed analysis. The other school equates the word "continent" with a geographical region when referring to Europe, and use the term "region" to describe Asia in terms of physiography. Since, in linguistic terms, "continent" implies a distinct landmass, it is becoming increasingly common to substitute the term "region" for "continent" to avoid the problem of disambiguation altogether.

Given the scope and diversity of the landmass, it is sometimes not even clear exactly what "Asia" consists of. Some definitions exclude Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia and Russia while only considering the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent to compose Asia,[11][12] especially in the United States after World War II.[13] The term is sometimes used more narrowly in reference to the Asia-Pacific region, which does not include the Middle East, South Asia or Russia,[14] but does include islands in the Pacific Ocean—a number of which may also be considered part of Australasia or Oceania, although Pacific Islanders are not considered Asian.[15]

Political geography

Popular definitions

In many western countries, the term Asian refers to only a subset of the population of Asian. See the pages Asian people and Orient for more details.

Countries and territories

See also: List of Asian countries by population
Name of region[16] and
territory, with flag 		Area
(km²) 		Population
(1 July 2008 est.) 		Population density
(per km²) 		Capital
Central Asia:
 Kazakhstan[17] 2,724,927 15,666,533 5.7 Astana
 Kyrgyzstan 198,500 5,356,869 24.3 Bishkek
 Tajikistan 143,100 7,211,884 47.0 Dushanbe
 Turkmenistan 488,100 5,179,573 9.6 Ashgabat
 Uzbekistan 447,400 28,268,441 57.1 Tashkent
Eastern Asia:
 Hong Kong[18] 1,092 7,008,300[19] 6,417.9 -
 Japan 377,835 127,288,628 336.1 Tokyo
 Macau[20] 25 460,823 18,473.3 —
 Mongolia 1,565,000 2,996,082 1.7 Ulaan Baatar
 North Korea 120,540 23,479,095 184.4 Pyongyang
 People's Republic of China[21] 9,640,821 1,322,044,605 134.0 Beijing
 Republic of China (Taiwan)[22] 35,980 22,920,946 626.7 Taipei
 South Korea 98,480 49,232,844 490.7 Seoul
Northern Asia:
 Russia[23] 17,075,400 142,200,000 26.8 Moscow
Southeastern Asia:[24]
 Brunei 5,770 381,371 66.1 Bandar Seri Begawan
 Burma (Myanmar) 676,578 47,758,224 70.3 Naypyidaw[25]
 Cambodia[26] 181,035 13,388,910 74 Phnom Penh
 East Timor (Timor-Leste)[27] 15,007 1,108,777 73.8 Dili
 Indonesia[28] 1,919,440 230,512,000 120.1 Jakarta
 Laos 236,800 6,677,534 28.2 Vientiane
 Malaysia 329,847 27,780,000 84.2 Kuala Lumpur
 Philippines 300,000 92,681,453 308.9 Manila
 Singapore 704 4,608,167 6,545.7 Singapore
 Thailand 514,000 65,493,298 127.4 Bangkok
 Vietnam 331,690 86,116,559 259.6 Hanoi
Southern Asia:
 Afghanistan 647,500 32,738,775 42.9 Kabul
 Bangladesh 147,570 153,546,901 1040.5 Dhaka
 Bhutan 38,394 682,321 17.8 Thimphu
 India[29] 3,287,263 1,147,995,226 349.2 New Delhi
 Maldives 300 379,174 1,263.3 Malé
   Nepal 147,181 29,519,114 200.5 Kathmandu
 Pakistan 803,940 167,762,049 208.7 Islamabad
 Sri Lanka 65,610 21,128,773 322.0 Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte
Western Asia:
 Armenia[30] 29,800 3,299,000 280.7 Yerevan
 Azerbaijan[31] 86,660 8,845,127 102.736 Baku
 Bahrain 665 718,306 987.1 Manama
 Cyprus[32] 9,250 792,604 83.9 Nicosia
 Georgia[33] 69,700 4,636,400 65.1 Tbilisi
 Iraq 437,072 28,221,181 54.9 Baghdad
 Iran 1,648,195 70,472,846 42.8 Tehran
 Israel 20,770 7,112,359 290.3 Jerusalem[34]
 Jordan 92,300 6,198,677 57.5 Amman
 Kuwait 17,820 2,596,561 118.5 Kuwait City
 Lebanon 10,452 3,971,941 353.6 Beirut
 Oman 212,460 3,311,640 12.8 Muscat
 Palestinian territories 6,257 4,277,000 683.5 Ramallah
 Qatar 11,437 928,635 69.4 Doha
 Saudi Arabia 1,960,582 23,513,330 12.0 Riyadh
 Syria 185,180 19,747,586 92.6 Damascus
 Turkey[35] Ankara
 United Arab Emirates 82,880 4,621,399 29.5 Abu Dhabi
 Yemen 527,970 23,013,376 35.4 Sanaá
Total 43,810,582 4,162,966,086 89.07
Note: Part of Egypt (Sinai Peninsula) is geographically in Western Asia

Country name changes

Various Asian countries have undergone name changes during the previous century as the result of consolidations, secessions, territories gaining sovereignty and regime changes.

Previous Name Year Current Name
Dominion of India, formerly British India 1950 Republic of India
East Bengal province 1905–1911 and 1947-1955
1955-1971
1971 		East Pakistan state
Bangladesh, People's Republic of
Democratic Kampuchea 1975 Cambodia, Kingdom of
Empire of Great Qing of China 1912
1949 		China, Republic of
China, People's Republic of
Portuguese Timor 1975
2002 		Timor Timur (province of Indonesia)
East Timor, Democratic Republic of
Dutch East Indies 1949 Indonesia, Republic of
Persia 1935
1979 		Iran,
Iran, Islamic Republic of
Transjordan 1946 Jordan, Kingdom of
Kirghiz SSR (USSR) 1991 Kyrgyzstan, Republic
Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore 1963
1965 		Malaysia (including Singapore)
Malaysia and Singapore
Burma 1989 Myanmar, Union of
Muscat 1971 Oman, Sultanate of
Dominion of Pakistan 1947-1956
1956-1970
1971 		West Pakistan, Islamic State of
Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of
Islas de San Lorenzo, Spanish East Indies, Philippine Islands and Las Islas Filipinas 1898, 1935, and 1946 Philippines, Republic of the
Hejaz-Nejd, The Kingdom of 1932 Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of
Aden 1970 South Yemen, People's Republic of
Ceylon 1972 Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of
Tajik SSR (USSR) 1991 Tajikistan, Republic of
Siam 1939 Thailand, Kingdom of
Ottoman Empire 1923 Turkey, Republic of
Turkmen SSR (USSR) 1991 Turkmenistan
Trucial Oman and Trucial States 1971 United Arab Emirates
French Indo-China 1949 Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
Yemen, People's Democratic and Southern Yemen 1990 Yemen, Republic of

Economy

Main article: Economy of Asia
Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world and is the world's fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre.
Chennai, one of the most populous cities in the continent, a hub for infrastructure & tourism plays a crucial role in the Economy of India

Asia has the third largest nominal GDP of all continents, after North America and Europe,[citation needed] but the largest when measured in PPP. As of 2010, the largest economies in Asia are China, Japan, India, South Korea and Indonesia.

File:Nsk skyline.jpg
Founded in 1893, Novosibirsk is the largest city in Siberia, with a population of about 1.5 million.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the economies of the PRC[36] and India have been growing rapidly, both with an average annual growth rate of more than 8%. Other recent very high growth nations in Asia include Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Cyprus, and mineral-rich nations such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman.

China was the largest and most advanced economy on earth for much of recorded history,[37][38][39][40] until the British Empire (excluding India) overtook it in the mid 19th century. Japan has had for only several decades after WW2 the largest economy in Asia and second-largest of any single nation in the world, after surpassing the Soviet Union (measured in net material product) in 1986 and Germany in 1968. (NB: A number of supernational economies are larger, such as the European Union (EU), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or APEC).

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Japan's GDP was almost as large (current exchange rate method) as that of the rest of Asia combined.[citation needed] In 1995, Japan's economy nearly equaled that of the USA to tie as the largest economy in the world for a day, after the Japanese currency reached a record high of 79 yen/dollar. Economic growth in Asia since World War II to the 1990s had been concentrated in Japan as well as the four regions of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore located in the Pacific Rim, known as the Asian tigers, which have now all received developed country status, having the highest GDP per capita in Asia.[41]

It is forecasted that India will overtake Japan in terms of nominal GDP by 2020.[42] In terms of GDP per capita, both nominal and PPP-adjusted, South Korea will become the second wealthiest country in Asia by 2025, overtaking Germany, the United Kingdom and France. By 2027, according to Goldman Sachs, China will have the largest economy in the world.

Trade blocs

Natural resources

Asia is the largest continent in the world by a considerable margin, and it is rich in natural resources, such as petroleum, forests, fish, water, rice, copper and silver.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing in Asia has traditionally been strongest in East and Southeast Asia, particularly in mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, India, Philippines and Singapore. Japan and South Korea continue to dominate in the area of multinational corporations, but increasingly mainland China, and India are making significant inroads. Many companies from Europe, North America, South Korea and Japan have operations in Asia's developing countries to take advantage of its abundant supply of cheap labour and relatively developed infrastructure.

Financial and other services

Asia has four main financial centres: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. Call centres and business process outsourcing (BPOs) are becoming major employers in India and the Philippines due to the availability of a large pool of highly skilled, English-speaking workers. The increased use of outsourcing has assisted the rise of India and the China as financial centres. Due to its large and extremely competitive information technology industry, India has become a major hub for outsourcing.

Early history

Main article: History of Asia
Map of Asia in 1890.
Alexander the Great's empire at its greatest extent.
File:Mongol Empire History.jpg
The Mongol Empire and its successor Khanates.

The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions: East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, linked by the interior mass of the Central Asian steppes.

The coastal periphery was home to some of the world's earliest known civilizations, each of them developing around fertile river valleys. The civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and the Huanghe shared many similarities. These civilizations may well have exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel. Other innovations, such as writing, seem to have been developed individually in each area. Cities, states and empires developed in these lowlands.

The central steppe region had long been inhabited by horse-mounted nomads who could reach all areas of Asia from the steppes. The earliest postulated expansion out of the steppe is that of the Indo-Europeans, who spread their languages into the Middle East, South Asia, and the borders of China, where the Tocharians resided. The northernmost part of Asia, including much of Siberia, was largely inaccessible to the steppe nomads, owing to the dense forests, climate and tundra. These areas remained very sparsely populated.

The center and the peripheries were mostly kept separated by mountains and deserts. The Caucasus and Himalaya mountains and the Karakum and Gobi deserts formed barriers that the steppe horsemen could cross only with difficulty. While the urban city dwellers were more advanced technologically and socially, in many cases they could do little in a military aspect to defend against the mounted hordes of the steppe. However, the lowlands did not have enough open grasslands to support a large horsebound force; for this and other reasons, the nomads who conquered states in China, India, and the Middle East often found themselves adapting to the local, more affluent societies.

Languages and literature

Main article: Languages of Asia

Asia is home to several language families and many language isolates. Most Asian countries have more than one language that is natively spoken. For instance, according to Ethnologue, more than 600 languages are spoken in Indonesia, more than 800 languages spoken in India, and more than 100 are spoken in the Philippines. China has many languages and dialects in different provinces.

Nobel prizes

Rabindranath Tagore, of India, the first Asian Nobel laureate.
File:CVRaman.jpg
C. V. Raman, the first Asian Nobel laureate in Sciences.

The polymath Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali Indian poet, dramatist, and writer from Santiniketan, now in West Bengal, India, became in 1913 the first Asian Nobel laureate. He won his Nobel Prize in Literature for notable impact his prose works and poetic thought had on English, French, and other national literatures of Europe and the Americas. He is also the writer of the national anthems of Bangladesh and India.

Tagore is said to have named another Bengali Indian Nobel prize winner, the 1998 laureate in Economics, Amartya Sen. Sen's work has centered around global issues including famine, welfare, and third-world development. Amartya Sen was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge University, UK, from 1998–2004, becoming the first Asian to head an 'Oxbridge' College.

Other Asian writers who won Nobel Prizes include Yasunari Kawabata (Japan, 1966), Kenzaburō Ōe (Japan, 1994), Gao Xingjian (People's Republic of China, 2000) and Orhan Pamuk (Turkey, 2006).

Also, Mother Teresa of India and Shirin Ebadi of Iran were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially for the rights of women and children. Ebadi is the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the prize. Another Nobel Peace Prize winner is Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under a military dictatorship in Burma. She is a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma(Myanmar) and a noted prisoner of conscience. She is a Buddhist and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Sir C.V.Raman is the first Asian to get a Nobel prize in Sciences. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him".

Other Asian Nobel Prize winners include Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Abdus Salam, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Robert Aumann, Menachem Begin, Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko, Daniel Kahneman, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Ada Yonath, Yaser Arafat, Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo of Timor Leste, Kim Dae-jung, and thirteen Japanese scientists. Most of the said awardees are from Japan and Israel except for Chandrasekhar and Raman (India), Salam (Pakistan), Arafat (Palestinian Territories) Kim (South Korea), Horta and Belo (Timor Leste).

In 2006, Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the establishment of Grameen Bank, a community development bank that lends money to poor people, especially women in Bangladesh. Dr. Yunus received his Ph.D. in economics from Vanderbilt University, United States. He is internationally known for the concept of micro credit which allows poor and destitutes with little or no collateral to borrow money. The borrowers typically pay back money within the specified period and the incidence of default is very low.

The Dalai Lama has received approximately eighty-four awards over his spiritual and political career.[43] On 22 June 2006, he became one of only four people ever to be recognized with Honorary Citizenship by the Governor General of Canada. On 28 May 2005, he received the Christmas Humphreys Award from the Buddhist Society in the United Kingdom. Most notable was the Nobel Peace Prize, presented in Oslo, Norway on 10 December 1989.

Beliefs

Mythology

See also: List of Asian mythology

Asian mythology is complex and diverse. The story of the Great Flood for example, as presented to Christians in the Old Testament, is first found in Mesopotamian mythology, in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Hindu mythology tells about an avatar of the God Vishnu in the form of a fish who warned Manu of a terrible flood. In ancient Chinese mythology, Shan Hai Jing, the Chinese ruler Da Yu, had to spend 10 years to control a deluge which swept out most of ancient China and was aided by the goddess Nüwa who literally fixed the broken sky through which huge rains were pouring.

Pilgrims in the annual Hajj at the Kaabah in Mecca.

Religions

See also: Eastern philosophy and Religion in Asia

Almost all Asian religions have philosophical character and Asian philosophical traditions cover a large spectrum of philosophical thoughts and writings. Indian philosophy includes Hindu philosophy and Buddhist philosophy. They include elements of nonmaterial pursuits, whereas another school of thought from India, Cārvāka, preached the enjoyment of material world. Christianity is also present in most Asian countries.

Buddhist monks in Thailand.

Abrahamic

The Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Baha'i Faith originated in West Asia. Judaism, the oldest of the Abrahamic faiths, is practiced primarily in Israel (which has the world's largest Jewish population),[44] though small communities exist in other countries, such as the Bene Israel in India. In the Philippines and East Timor, Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion; it was introduced by the Spaniards and the Portuguese, respectively. In Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia and Russia, Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion. Various Christian denominations have adherents in portions of the Middle East, as well as China and India. The world's largest Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in Indonesia. South Asia (mainly Pakistan, India and Bangladesh) holds 30% of Muslims. There are also significant Muslim populations in China, Iran, Malaysia, southern Philippines (Mindanao), Russia and most of West Asia and Central Asia. The Bahá'í Faith originated in Asia, in Iran (Persia), and spread from there to the Ottoman Empire, Central Asia, India, and Burma during the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh. Since the middle of the 20th Century, growth has particularly occurred in other Asian countries, because the Bahá'í Faith's activities in many Muslim countries has been severely suppressed by authorities.

Dharmic and Taoist

The religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India, South Asia. In East Asia, particularly in China and Japan, Confucianism, Taoism and Zen Buddhism took shape.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asia.
Wikinews has news related to:
Main article: Outline of Asia
2

References

  1. ^ "List of continents by population". Worldatlas.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  2. ^ "Like herrings in a barrel". The Economist. December 23, 1999.
  3. ^ a b "Asia". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
  4. ^ National Geographic Atlas of the World (7th ed.). Washington, DC: National Geographic. 1999. ISBN 0-7922-7528-4. "Europe" (pp. 68-9); "Asia" (pp. 90-1): "A commonly accepted division between Asia and Europe ... is formed by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and Dardanelles."
  5. ^ a b "Asia". McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. 2006. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Reid, T.R. Confucius Lives Next Door: What living in the East teaches us about living in the west Vintage Books(1999).
  7. ^ Ἀσία, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
  8. ^ Asie, on Theoi Project, Exploring Greek Mythology and the Gods in Classical Literature and Art
  9. ^ "Asia." MSN Encarta Encyclopedia. 2007. Archived 2009-10-31.
  10. ^ "Geography Is Destiny - The Atlantic (December 2008)". The Atlantic. 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  11. ^ Welty, Paul Thomas. The Asians Their Evolving Heritage, 6th ed., p. 21. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1984. ISBN 0-06-047001-1.
  12. ^ World University Service of Canada. Asia-WUSC WorldWide. 2006. October 7, 2006. <http://www.wusc.ca/expertise/worldwide/asia/>.
  13. ^ Menon, Sridevi. Duke University. "Where is West Asia in Asian America?Asia and the Politics of Space in Asian America." 2004. April 26, 2007. page 71 [1]
  14. ^ BBC News 2006. September 9, 2006. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/>.
  15. ^ American Heritage Book of English Usage. Asian. 1996. September 29, 2006. <http://www.bartleby.com/64/C006/007.html>.
  16. ^   Continental regions as per UN categorisations (map), except 12. Depending on definitions, various territories cited below (notes 6, 11-13, 15, 17-19, 21-23) may be in one or both of Asia and Europe, Africa, or Oceania.
  17. ^   Kazakhstan is sometimes considered a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only.
  18. ^   Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
  19. ^ "HK Census and Statistics Department". Censtatd.gov.hk. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  20. ^   Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
  21. ^   The People's Republic of China is commonly known as "China", which has subsumed the eponymous entity and civilization (China). Figures given are for mainland China only, and do not include Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
  22. ^   Figures are for the area under the de facto control of the state, Republic of China (ROC) , commonly referred to as Taiwan. Claimed in whole by the PRC; see political status of Taiwan.
  23. ^   Russia is considered a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia; population and area figures are for the entire state.
  24. ^ Excludes Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australian external territories in the Indian Ocean southwest of Indonesia).
  25. ^   The administrative capital of Burma (Myanmar) was officially moved from Yangon (Rangoon) to a militarised greenfield just west of Pyinmana on 6 November 2005.
  26. ^ "General Population Census of Cambodia 2008 - Provisional population totals, National Institute of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, released 3rd September, 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  27. ^   East Timor is often considered a transcontinental country in Southeastern Asia and Oceania.
  28. ^   Indonesia is often considered a transcontinental country in Southeastern Asia and Oceania; figures do not include Irian Jaya and Maluku Islands, frequently reckoned in Oceania (Melanesia/Australasia).
  29. ^   Includes Jammu and Kashmir, a contested territory among India, Pakistan, and the PRC.
  30. ^   Armenia is sometimes considered a transcontinental country: physiographically in Western Asia, it has historical and sociopolitical connections with Europe.
  31. ^   Azerbaijan is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia and Eastern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only. Figures include Nakhchivan, an autonomous exclave of Azerbaijan bordered by Armenia, Iran and Turkey.
  32. ^   The island of Cyprus is sometimes considered a transcontinental territory. In the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean, south of Turkey, north of Sinai, and west of Lebanon and Syria, it has some socio-political connections with Europe. However, the UN considers Cyprus to be within Western Asia, while the CIA regards it as Middle Eastern.
  33. ^   Georgia is often considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia and Eastern Europe.
  34. ^ In 1980, Jerusalem was proclaimed Israel's united capital, following its annexation of Arab-dominant East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. The United Nations and many countries do not recognize this claim, with most countries maintaining embassies in Tel Aviv instead.
  35. ^   Turkey is generally considered a transcontinental country in Western Asia and Southern Europe; population and area figures are for Asian portion only, excluding all of Istanbul.
  36. ^ Five Years of China's WTO Membership. EU and US Perspectives on China's Compliance with Transparency Commitments and the Transitional Review Mechanism, Legal Issues of Economic Integration, Kluwer Law International, Volume 33, Number 3, pp. 263-304, 2006. by Paolo Farah
  37. ^ "Professor M.D. Nalapat. Ensuring China's "Peaceful Rise". Accessed January 30, 2008". Bharat-rakshak.com. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  38. ^ "Dahlman, Carl J; Aubert, Jean-Eric. China and the Knowledge Economy: Seizing the 21st Century. WBI Development Studies. World Bank Publications. Accessed January 30, 2008". Eric.ed.gov. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  39. ^ "The Real Great Leap Forward. The Economist. Sept 30, 2004". Economist.com. 2004-09-30. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  40. ^ Chris Patten. Financial Times. Comment & Analysis: Why Europe is getting China so wrong. Accessed January 30, 2008.[dead link]
  41. ^ "Rise of Japan and 4 Asian Tigers from". emergingdragon.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  42. ^ "Commonwealth Business Council-Asia". Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  43. ^ His Holiness's Teachings at TCV. "A Brief Biography | The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama". Dalailama.com. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  44. ^ "The Jewish Population of the World". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2010-06-01.

Further reading

Reference works

  • Higham, Charles. Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations. Facts on File library of world history. New York: Facts On File, 2004.
  • Kapadia, Feroz, and Mandira Mukherjee. Encyclopaedia of Asian Culture and Society. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 1999.
  • Levinson, David, and Karen Christensen. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002.
  • Kamal, Niraj. "Arise Asia: Respond to White Peril". New Delhi:Wordsmith,2002, ISBN 81-87412-08-9

External links

ak:Ehyia

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