Asia
Geography

Facts about Asia

We found 30 facts about Asia

Top Asia facts

Asia is the largest and most populated continent. Its a cradle of many civilizations, religions and philosophies. Today Asia is also the fastest developing continent with many innovative business and scientific endeavors.
Asia
1
Asia covers an area of 44.6 million km² (17.22 million square miles), which is about 30% of all land and 8.7% of the entire planet.
Together with Europe, it forms Eurasia, a continental landmass with an area of 54,7 million km² (21.14 million square miles).
2
There are 48 independent countries in Asia recognized by the United Nations.
In Asia, six countries are not recognized by all United Nations members. Those are:

  • Palestine
  • Taiwan
  • Abkhazia
  • Artsakh
  • Northern Cyprus
  • South Ossetia

There are also areas of internal sovereignty like Hong Kong and Macau and two British overseas territories: Akrotiri and Dhekelia, and British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

3
Asia is an upland-mountainous area with 75% of its area covered by highlands.
The average altitude of Asia is almost 1000 m above sea level.
4
Nearly 4.5 billion people live in Asia, and the population density exceeds 100 people per km² (261 per square mile).
The population of Asia constitutes 60% of the world population. The average birth rate is high at 17‰.
5
The longest river in Asia is the Yangtze. Its length is 6300 km (3 914 mi).
The other longest rivers in Asia are:
  • Huang He - 5464 km (3 395 mi)
  • Mekong - 4880 km (3 032 mi)
  • Lena - 4400 km (2 734 mi)
  • Irtysh - 4248 km (2 640 mi)
6
The largest lake in Asia is the Caspian Sea. It has an area of 376,000 km² (145174 sq mi).
The Caspian Sea is also the largest lake on Earth. Its average depth is 180 m (590.5 ft), and the maximum depth is 1025 m (3363 ft).
7
Asia, due to its enormous size, has a very diverse climate.
Taking into account the arctic environment of Siberia and the tropical regions in South Asia, it is clear that extremely different weather sensations can be experienced in Asia.
8
The highest peak in Asia is Mount Everest, which is 8848 m (29,031.7 ft) above sea level.
Its located in the Himalayas, and across its peak runs a China-Nepal border.
9
The lowest point in Asia and the lowest point on Earth is the Dead Sea, located at 430,5 m (1,412 ft) above sea level.
It is a salt lake with an average salinity of 26%. Only a small amount of bacteria and fungi can survive in the lake's harsh environment.
10
Asia is located almost entirely in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres.
11
7% of Asia's surface area are islands. They are located along the eastern and southeastern coasts.
12
The largest island in Asia is Borneo.
Borneo's surface area is 743 330 km² (287 000 sq mi). There are three countries on the island: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
13
The length of the coastline of Asia is 62,800 kilometers (39,022 mi).
It is almost five times the diameter of the Earth.
14
As many as 25 Nobel Prize winners are from Japan.
The last Nobel Prize in chemistry went to Akira Yoshino in 2019. Another Asian country with a large number of Nobel laureates is India, with 13 laureates.
15
The first Asian Nobel laureate was Rabindranath Tagore.
Born in Kolkata, the Indian poet was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
16
Gobi Desert is the largest one in Asia.
The Gobi lies within southern Mongolia and northern China. Its surface area is approximately 1,295,000 km² (500,000 sq mi).
17
The largest country in Asia is Russia, and the most populated is China.

With a surface area of 17 075 400 km² (6 592 849 sq mi), Russia is also the world's largest country.


Estimated population of China is 1,400,050,000.

18
The most popular attractions we can find in Asia are:
  • the Great Wall of China, 
  • the Grand Royal Palace in Bangkok, 
  • the Hagia Sophia in Turkey, 
  • the Taj Mahal in India,
  • the Petra in Jordan,
  • the Vasily the Blessed Cathedral in Russia.
19
Asia has the most populated cities in the world, with many exceeding 1 million inhabitants.
Two of the Asian countries also have more than 1 billion citizens. Those are China and India.
20
The largest cities in Asia are:
  • Tokyo in Japan,
  • Delhi in India,
  • Bajing and Shanghai in China,
  • Karachi in Pakistan,
  • Dhaka in Bangladesh.
21
The famous and characteristic animals of Asia are monkeys, tigers and elephants.
Because of Asia's territorial extent, there are also polar bears and snow leopards in the north and komodo dragons in the south.
22
The primary natural resources of Asia are aluminum, tin, coal, iron and gold.
The Arabian region is also rich in oil and natural gas.
23
The largest peninsula in Asia is the Arabian Peninsula, with a surface area of 2 789 000 km² (1 076 839 sq mi).
24
The most popular religions in Asia are Hinduism (25%), Islam (24%), Buddhism (12%), Taoism, and Confucianism.
25
The highest number of skyscrapers are located in Asia.
The record holder so far is the Burj Khalifa located in Dubai. It is 829.8 meters (2 722 ft) high.
26
The first five tallest skyscrapers on Earth are Asian buildings.
Those are:
  • Burj Khalifa - Dubai, United Arab Emirates,
  • Shanghai Tower - Shanghai, China,
  • Abraj Al-bait - Mecca, Saudi Arabia,
  • Ping An - Shenzen, China,
  • Lotte World Tower - Seoul, South Korea.
27
The Japanese are Asia's most long-lived nation.
The average life expectancy there is 84.67 years.
28
Three countries with the highest average IQ are also Asian.
  • Singapore with 108,
  • South Korea with 106,
  • Japan with 105.
29
K-Pop originated from South Korea.
30
Most billionaires live in China.
In 2021, according to estimates, there are 1058 Chinese billionaires, compared to "only" 660 in the U.S. This number can, of course, change rapidly due to dynamic changes in the stock markets.
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