Asia is the largest of the continents, both in area and population.
It covers a third of the solid parts of the Earth's surface and is
responsible for housing almost three-fifths of the world's population.
Asia is bordered on the western side by Africa and Europe, and on the
eastern side by the Pacific Ocean, Oceania and, to a lesser extent,
North America, by the Bering Strait. The extreme northern point of the
continent is located in the Arctic Glacial ocean. But in the southern
part, Asia comes to its end in the hottest region of the tropics, in the
immediate vicinity of the equator. In Asia are found some of the highest
mountains in the world; the most extensive rivers; the largest deserts,
plains and plateaus; the densest jungles and forests. The maximum and
minimum altitude is located in Asia. Mount Everest, the maximum altitude
of the planet, is located at 8 848 m above sea level; along the border
line of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal with the Chinese
autonomous region of Tibet. The Dead Sea coast, the world's lowest-lying
plain, is located 396 m below sea level in the border region of the
state of Israel with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Of the 50
countries are found some of the largest and smallest nations in the
world, both in area and population. The Russian Federation, whose
European part corresponds to a quarter of its territory, has three
quarters of territory in the Asian part, being almost the same size as
the United States and Canada combined. But three Asian nations-Kingdom
of Bahrain, Republic of Singapore and Republic of Maldives — together
would correspond to the territorial extension of the island of Maharajo.
The population of the people's Republic of China or the Republic of
India is larger than the populations of the North American and South
American continents combined. However, approximately two-thirds of the
countries in Asia have a small population in relation to that of the
Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The people are enormously different in
family trees, customary practices or behaviors, languages, beliefs of
religion or modus vivendi. Asian civilization began more than 4,000
years ago, long before it began in the Western world, in terms of
economic activities, cultural manifestations and the development of
science. The people of Asia founded the oldest cities, established the
oldest systems of laws, and created the figure of the oldest farmers and
merchants. The citizens of Asia were the inventors of writing and
created the first literatures. The founders of all the most relevant
religions of the world were Asians: Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ and
Muhammad. Asians were also the inventors of paper, gunpowder, the
compass, and the movable type.
Asian nations have various systems
of government. Socialists are responsible for the government of China
and some other countries. Monarchs rule the kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and
Thailand, for example. The sheikhs are the controllers of the Kingdom of
Bahrain, the state of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Of the
countries of Asia that are followers of the principles of Western
democracy, we can mention Japan. Leaders of the armed forces came to
exercise control of many Asian nations in periods of turmoil. The
Sultans of nine Malay states hold the Office of supreme head of the
nation. The Asian population is as diverse as anything on the continent.
During the sixteenth century, the Asian economy declined, while the
Western world made rapid progress. The nations of Western Europe were
the conquerors of the predominant part of Asia from the sixteenth to the
nineteenth century. The citizens of Europe and the United States were
responsible for the development of the industrial system and had the
beginning of the use of machinery and other resources in agricultural
activity. This made it possible to create new jobs, increase production,
and improve living standards. But most countries in Asia have not
developed industrially. They remained countries with an economy based on
agriculture, and their farmers employed the use of tools, manuals and
methods that were not Moderna. At the same time, the population
explosion — which is still occurring — has incredibly increased the
population of both Asia and the Western world. More and more food
products, employable occupations, educational institutions, as well as
other basic things, became necessity according to population increase.
The Western world, because of the development of its economy, had more
resources than the Asian continent to face the problems that were the
consequences of the demographic explosion.
Since then, many
citizens of Asia have worked for a high standard of living, encouraging
industrial and agricultural activities, and slowing population growth.
Political disputes have already made this task difficult. After World
War II (1939-1945), the Asian continent became the center of struggles
between countries that adopt communism as a system of government and
countries that use capitalism as an economic system. In most countries
of Asia, the struggle began, when the Communists had a desire to occupy
the executive power of the newly independent country. Outside of this,
other disputes that do not relate to the politicians of communism were
provocateurs of quarrels between various groups on the Asian continent.
Thus, Asia, almost uninterruptedly, faces military and civil conflicts
and threats of war while trying to solve all problems.
Azerbaijan,
Armenia,
Georgia
The mountain
system of the Caucasus, which stretches from the Black to the Caspian
Sea, is a natural border between Europe and Asia. Historical heritage,
richness of landscapes and unique natural conditions make the region
interesting from a tourist point of view. At the same time, several
local zones of territorial conflicts create certain problems for
travelers.
Saudi Arabia
· Bahrain · Qatar ·
United Arab Emirates ·
Iran
· Iraq ·
Israel ·
Jordan ·
Kuwait ·
Lebanon ·
Oman ·
Palestine ·
Syria · Yemen
·
Turkey
Land of spirituality
and conflict, the Middle East is the cradle of human civilization and
the origin of the three main monotheistic religions in the world. In the
Holy Land you can visit the holy sites of Jerusalem and quickly jump
into the effervescence of Tel Aviv. Syria and Jordan maintain impressive
ruins such as Palmyra or Petra, while Iraq tries to re-emerge where
Babylon once stood. The Arabian Peninsula, meanwhile, faces the duality
of Mecca's religiosity and Dubai's excessive luxury.
Afghanistan ·
Kazakhstan
·
Kyrgyzstan ·
Uzbekistan ·
Tajikistan
· Turkmenistan
The grasslands and
steppes of Central Asia have been home to various nomadic tribes
throughout history, taking advantage of their strategic location between
Europe and Asia. From the plains of the Caspian Sea to the high
mountains of the East, thousands of caravans traveled the Silk Road,
passing through beautiful cities such as Samarkand and wonderful places
such as the Fergana Valley. While Afghanistan tries to stabilize after
decades of civil war, the rest of the countries try to develop after the
end of Soviet rule.
China (Hong
Kong,
Macao, Taiwan) ·
North Korea · South Korea ·
Japan ·
Mongolia
One fifth of the world's
population so it is not surprising that this region presents as much
variety as the human being can have. From the vast rice fields of
southern China, the steppes of Xinjiang and Mongolia, or the high
plateaus of Tibet, one can travel to the ultramodernity of global
trading centers like Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Tokyo. Cities like Beijing
or Kyoto still maintain the monumental essence of the ancient great
empires of the region, while Macao delights with its ruins of Portuguese
origin and its exotic casinos. North Korea's secrecy, meanwhile,
presents a challenge to many adventurers.
India
·
Pakistan
·
Sri Lanka
·
Nepal · Bhutan
·
Bangladesh ·
Maldives
A mixture of diverse religions
and traditions, chaotic and crowded cities, peaks that rise to infinity
and impenetrable jungles characterize this piece of land between the
Himalayas and the Indian Ocean. Going into cities like Calcutta, Mumbai,
Karachi or Dhaka are a challenge for any tourist who wants to really get
to know this region, beyond the classic attractions such as the Taj
Majal. In the north, Mount Everest stands guard over the valleys of
Nepal, while remote Bhutan captivates with its Buddhist traditions.
Finally, an escape to the wonderful beaches of the Maldives can be the
perfect closure of an incomparable excursion through South Asia.
Myanmar ·
Thailand
·
Cambodia ·
Laos
·
Vietnam
·
Philippines
·
Malaysia ·
Brunei
·
Indonesia ·
Singapore ·
East Timor ·
Federated States
of Micronesia
Thanks to its extensive jungles, beautiful beaches
and scattered archipelagos, Southeast Asia has experienced a tourist
boom in recent decades. Thousands of backpackers have ventured to
discover ruins such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the wonderful mountains
of Laos or the canals of Hoi An in Vietnam. Thailand stands out for the
cultural wonders that congregate in its capital, Bangkok, as well as
spectacular beaches on islands such as Phuket and Phi Phi. While the
skyscrapers of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur continue to light up the
night, Bali delights its tourists with its perfect mix of culture,
adventure and unforgettable landscapes.
Bangkok - Thailand 's bustling capital , cosmopolitan with temples,
nightlife and fervor
Beijing - is the capital of the People's
Republic of China, with Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and many
cultural attractions.
Dubai - most modern and progressive emirate in
the United Arab Emirates, development at an incredible price
Hong
Kong - a truly world-class metropolis with a unique mixed Chinese and
British heritage
Jerusalem - contains the World Heritage Site of the
old city, this city is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims
Mumbai
- India's most eclectic, cosmopolitan and busiest city, known for its
nightlife and well known as the economic center of India.
Seoul -
beautiful sights, good food and a lively nightlife, Seoul is a phonetic
way of experiencing old Asia.
Singapore - modern, thriving city-state
with a mix of Chinese, Indian, Malay and British influences
Tokyo -
the world's largest city brings a vast metropolis, rich and fascinating,
with high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of
ancient Japan .
Bangkok - Thailand 's bustling capital , cosmopolitan with temples,
nightlife and fervor
Beijing - is the capital of the People's
Republic of China, with Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and many
cultural attractions.
Dubai - most modern and progressive emirate in
the United Arab Emirates, development at an incredible price
Hong
Kong - a truly world-class metropolis with a unique mixed Chinese and
British heritage
Jerusalem - containing the World Heritage Site of
the old city, this city is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims
Mumbai - India's most eclectic, cosmopolitan and busiest city, known for
its nightlife and well known as the economic center of India.
Seoul -
beautiful sights, good food and a lively nightlife, Seoul is a phonetic
way of experiencing old Asia.
Singapore - modern, thriving city-state
with a mix of Chinese, Indian, Malay and British influences
Tokyo -
the world's largest city brings a vast, rich and fascinating metropolis,
with high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of
ancient Japan .
Asia has an incredible variety of things to see. From the desolate
Siberian tundra to the colorful Indian street scenes, from ruins to
bright and futuristic metropolises and from camels in the Arabian desert
to Komodo dragons. It is safe to say that Asia has something for
everyone.
Stretching from the Arctic to beyond the equator, Asia
is home to virtually every type of climate and ecosystem that exists in
the world and a corresponding number of different plants and animals.
Almost every part of Asia features iconic animals such as pandas, brown
bears, tigers, monkeys, elephants, crocodiles, camels and birds —
although many of them are threatened in the wild. There is also no
shortage of incredible landscapes. Vast boreal forests cover the
northern part of the continent interspersed by some of the world's
largest rivers. Further south, Asia is dominated by a huge system of
mountain ranges stretching from the Turkish Highlands through Iran,
Pakistan and Central Asia to China — including the Himalayas, which
features the highest peaks in the world. Many mountains in the
easternmost parts of the continent are volcanic. Finally, tropical Asia
covering a part of East and most of South and Southeast Asia, where it
is not cultivated or urbanized, is dominated by various types of
tropical forests and thousands of beaches ranging from secluded paradise
islands to some of the world's most popular beach resorts in Thailand.
Home to more than half the world's population, the cradle of all the
world's major religions and using all of the world's most widespread
writing systems, the different peoples and cultures you can find on this
continent are probably even more varied than the landscapes. Almost
every region of Asia has ruins of some of the world's oldest
civilizations, often dating back several millennia. The Holy Land of the
Abrahamic religions can be found in the Middle East. Similarly, the
Indian subcontinent is the source of Hinduism and Buddhism; and East
Asian Taoism and Shintoism. Asia also witnesses the spread of the great
religions in the form of amazing religious architecture, including
ancient tombs and houses of worship. There are also other types of
historical sites, such as the Great Wall, Petra, and the royal and
imperial palaces of current and past dynasties.
Colonial
influences are not as prominent as in Africa, the Americas, or Oceania,
but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Virtually all of South and
Southeast Asia were for centuries ruled by various European empires that
introduced things like western architecture and food (some of them from
the Americas), as well as Christianity, European languages, and the
Latin alphabet. We must not forget about Russian Asia, as well as
Central Asia that was part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union
for a century and a half. The history of the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries, although in much of Asia presenting many wars and other sad
things, is also present in memorials and museums. Finally, Moderna is
the place to go if you want to immerse yourself in Moderna cities with
most of the tallest buildings in the World, glass, steel and huge LED
screens, extensive and modern transportation systems and entertainment
and amusement centers, Asia is also the place to go, especially the Gulf
States and East Asia.
The Asian Games is an international multi-sport event similar to the
Olympics, albeit with participation restricted to Asian countries as
well as some dependent territories in Asia. The games were first held in
1951 and then held every four years from the 1954 games, two years after
the Summer Olympics, and feature all Olympic sports as well as several
non-Olympic sports.
The previous edition of the Asian Games was
held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, in 2018, while the next
edition will be held in Hangzhou, China, in 2022.
Cruise among the dramatic islets and islands in the emerald-blue sea
of Ha Long Bay.
Sleep aboard a houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala,
India.
Experience the architecture of the Taj Mahal in India.
Dive
into a crystal clear blue sea in Bunaken, Indonesia to see a colorful
coral reef and its wide variety of tropical fish.
Climb Mount
Everest, the highest point on Earth (Nepal) or K2, the second highest,
in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Explore Borneo, an island divided between
Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei that contains one of the oldest
rainforests in the world.
Climb Mount Bromo, Indonesia, an active
volcanic mountain that has amazing scenery during sunrise.
Tour
Yogyakarta, the cultural center of Indonesia and gateway to see the
magnificent Borobudur Buddhist temple and Prambanan hindu temple.
Explore Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake in Indonesia and the world.
Visit Lombok, a popular island east of Bali with its beautiful white
sandy beaches, the famous Gili Trawangan island and Mount Rinjani
located in Indonesia.
Climb Mount Fuji, an icon of Japan
Watch
anime and manga in Japan.
Go shopping for Persian carpets in the
bazaars of Central Asia.
For the seasoned traveler, visit the world's
two Stalinist countries, Turkmenistan or North Korea on a guided tour.
Play at some of the world's biggest casinos in Macau.
Relax on a
beach in the Maldives.
Visit the Holy Land in Israel and Palestine.
Travel through the Asian cradles of humanity, such as Mesopotamia.
Visit the national parks and protected areas of India
By plane
Asia's busiest airports include Hong Kong (IATA: HKG),
Dubai (IATA: DXB), Beijing (IATA: PEK), Singapore (IATA: SIN), Bangkok
(IATA: BKK), Seoul (IATA: ICN), Tokyo (IATA: NRT, IATA: HND) and Jakarta
(IATA: CGK). If you're going anywhere in Asia, chances are you'll pass
through at least one of these airports, either as an intermediary or as
a final stop. Fortunately for those with long travel times, they are
some of the best-equipped airports in the world, known for their
efficient service and great distractions. In addition, Shanghai (IATA:
PVG), Guangzhou (IATA: CAN), New Delhi (IATA: DEL), Mumbai (IATA: BOM)
and Chennai (IATA: MAA) are major travel hubs for China and the Indian
subcontinent. For the Middle East, Doha (IATA: DOH) and Abu Dhabi (IATA:
AUH) also have reasonably good connections.
By train
If you
are coming to Asia by train, you will most likely come via Russia or
Turkey, although there may be other options. For an interesting
experience, try the Trans-Siberian Railway or, alternatively, some of
the lines from Moscow to Central Asia.
By boat
Asian ports are
cruise destinations, and several companies, such as Royal Caribbean and
Princess, cruise in Australia, while Holland America travels the Pacific
from North America. Traveling by freighter is another option, including
if you want to travel to ports in the Asian part of the Mediterranean.
Coming from Africa, maritime piracy is a threat to be taken seriously.
There is ferry access from Asia to Africa and vice versa via Jordan
and Egypt. As of 2019, ferries still connect African Egypt with Asia via
ABMarine. However, you will not be allowed to leave Sinai for the rest
of Africa unless you take the ferry from Nuweiba, Egypt, to Aqaba,
Jordan. Leaving Asia for Africa via Israel will make you unable to leave
Sinai for the rest of Africa as you cannot get permission to go further
into Africa when using Israeli borders or even the Port of Taba, Egypt.
The Nuweiba ferry is the only option if you want to travel by ferry
and overland to Africa. If you enter Asia on this route, several
nationalities can enter without a visa, provided that you leave Jordan
through the same city within 30 days due to the AZEA Trade Agreement.
On foot
Some cities, including Yekaterinburg and Istanbul, are
built under what is commonly considered the dividing line between Europe
and Asia and you can comfortably walk along this line if you are already
in the city.
By plane
Air travel is a good means of transportation among the
many tourist destinations in this large region. Fares are on average
lower than in Europe or America, and low-cost airlines in Asia are
rapidly expanding their networks, especially in Southeast Asia. In
addition, Asia is also home to some of the most reputable full — service
airlines in the world, such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific of
Hong Kong, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines of South Korea, All Nippon
Airways of Japan (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL), EVA Air of Taiwan and
The Big Three airlines of the Middle East — Emirates, Qatar Airways and
Etihad Airways-which are good options for those who want to spend some
extra money to fly with relative comfort and better service.
By
boat
Ferry services connect China, South Korea and Japan in East
Asia. There are also many services to Southeast Asian island nations,
including the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
By
train
There are highly developed rail networks in India, China, South
Korea, Taiwan and Japan, as well as less developed services throughout
Southeast Asia. Most of these countries, but especially China, have also
invested heavily in high-speed railways, and even for longer distances,
trains can be an advantageous option not only in terms of views and
comfort, but also in terms of price and speed, especially if you
calculate the time and money saved. In Russia and India, large parts of
the country are mainly served by slow trains and it is an excellent way
to get in touch with the locals or just watch the country go by through
the window. China and Japan are expanding their high-speed networks,
with China even planning to build international links with Southeast
Asia and possibly South or North Korea. South Korea's relatively young
network of high-speed lines is also planned to expand in the coming
decades; however, due to the political situation, international
connections are unlikely in the immediate future.
By bus
Traveling by bus is an option for the budget-conscious traveler in most
Asian countries and often a good way to get in touch with the locals.
The quality of services varies enormously, from luxurious, comfortable
and fast buses to old school buses, where you could really sit next to a
live chicken.
By car
Since Asia has a high population density
in many places and the construction of new roads has not always kept
pace with traffic growth, congestion is a major problem, especially in
urban centers. That said, a car is usually a good and sometimes the only
way to explore more remote areas. Keep in mind that bringing a car may
require a number of forms and permits; you will likely need an
international driver's license and other red tape.
Mainland China
(excluding Macau and Hong Kong) does not accept international driver's
licenses. If you want to go to or through China by car, you need to get
a local driver's license or hire a driver.
Local transportation
Many places have taxis, many of the big cities have good rail systems or
city buses, it is possible to walk or bike in some places, and some
travelers will get around mainly by tour buses. Japan, for example, has
had world-class (albeit expensive) urban railways for decades.
In
many places other options are also available and these are usually the
ones that the locals mostly use. If "when in Rome, do as the Romans do"
is part of your travel philosophy, then you should definitely consider
them. In much of Asia, there are various types of trucks or vans
modified to carry passengers. In many places there are also
pedal-powered tricycles or motorcycles.
Some areas also have
motorcycle taxis (habal-habal in filipino). These are very risky and
uncomfortable for many travelers, but some like them.
Many languages are spoken throughout Asia, which comprises a number
of families and some unrelated isolates. While local languages are
always best, some Manta languages can be useful in multiple countries.
In the Middle East, Arabic is widely known, while knowledge of Russian
will help you in Mongolia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Hindi/Urdu is
useful in South Asia and Malay/Indonesian will help you in Southeast
Asia. Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the majority in China, and
understood in Taiwan and, to a lesser extent, Singapore, but there are
many other languages spoken including different dialects.
In most
Asian countries, local languages use their own alphabets, so the feeling
of being completely lost in them is multiplied several times. To avoid
this, it is advisable to go first to the local tourist office, and there
ask for a map in English or some Western language. Once this is done, at
least you can get your bearings, even if things still sound Chinese to
you.
Cross between the spectacular limestone cavities, islets and islands,
in the emerald blue sea of Ha Long Bay.
Sleep aboard a houseboat on
the Kerala backwaters in India.
Experience the excitement and
architecture of the Taj Mahal in Agra in India.
Dive into a crystal
blue sea in Bunaken, Indonesia to see a colorful coral reef and its wide
variety of tropical fish.
Climb Mount Everest, the highest point on
earth on earth (Nepal).
Explore Borneo, one of the oldest living
rainforests in the world, in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Climb Mount
Bromo, Indonesia, an active volcanic mountain that has amazing scenery
during sunrise.
Take a tour of Yogyakarta, the cultural center of
Indonesia, and the gateway to see the magnificent Borobudur Buddhist
temple and Prambanan Hindu temple. and there are also beautiful palaces,
beaches, mountains, and a wide variety of shops Cheap handicrafts only
found in Jogja
Dive in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, one of the best diving
destinations in the world. It is estimated that more than 75% of the
world's coral species live here. There are also at least 1,320 coral
reef fish fauna here.
Explore Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake in
Indonesia and the world.
Visit Lombok, a popular island to the east
of Bali, with its beautiful white sand beaches and famous island of Gili
Trawangan and Mighty Mount Rinjani located in Indonesia.
Climb Mount
Fuji, an icon of Japan.
Snorkel in the crystal clear waters of the
Maldivian atolls and watch a wide variety of tropical marine life swim
past you.
Asian cuisine is incredibly diverse, from pita bread to Chinese noodles, there's really no shortage of different food for you to try. Rice, in its many varieties, is a very common staple food throughout Asia. Street food is also available almost anywhere in wide variations. Southeast Asia offers a wide variety of tropical fruits and wonderful food at cheap prices. Many parts of Asia have also developed their own versions of Western food.
Tea is the most common drink, especially in South and East Asia. In
tropical areas, enjoy fresh fruit and coconut juices. Fresh juice from
sugar cane is available in many cities of India. It can be served neat
or with ginger and lemon. In some areas, drinking water may not be
readily available. Yogurt-based drinks are common in some areas.
Alcohol is widely available in North, Southeast and East Asia. Often,
large cities or tourist areas have a moderna nightlife. Alcohol is
illegal in some parts of India and some countries in the Middle East.
Although beer is commonly available in countries that serve alcoholic
beverages, it often uses rice as a staple grain, which affects the taste
somewhat. Another common drink — especially in Japan, Korea and China —
is "rice wine" (closer to beer as it contains more starch than sugar),
sold and produced under various names and with a number of variations on
the basic recipe.
Depending on where you are, everything is available, from a tent with
only the most basic facilities (if any) to a full-fledged five-star
hotel. Prices tend to reflect this.
There are all kinds of
traditional local lodging too: try a ryokan in Japan, a yurt in
Mongolia. Any of them is not just a place to rest, but a unique cultural
experience.
Due to the large size, security in Asia varies greatly. It is a safe
place in general and most of the mainland's tourist attractions are far
from conflict. There are, however, some regions in which there are
conflicts and/or lawlessness in general. The most obvious examples are
Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and much of Iraq. A terrorist group controls
Afghanistan, and also Iraq is in a state of continuous armed conflict.
There are large-scale civil wars in Syria and Yemen. These countries are
considered no-go areas and should be completely avoided by travelers (if
you really need to go, check with war zone security and your country's
authorities beforehand).
Although much of the Middle East can be
visited without great risks, it is known for its political tensions. The
Gaza Strip is sometimes a war zone between Palestinian factions and the
Israeli army, and kidnappings of foreigners have occurred. Israel has
dealt with missile attacks as well as suicide bombings by radical
militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, but mostly in areas near
the Gaza Strip and Lebanon (and attacks from Lebanon happen only
occasionally). Lebanon and the West Bank usually deals with an unstable
political situation and internal conflict.
Some regions of the
Caucasus are considered dangerous due to active insurgent groups.
Bahrain has experienced some political violence in the past, so check
current conditions before you go.
More dangerously, Pakistan is
active in local conflicts. Kashmir, claimed by Pakistan and India, is
also a region with tens of thousands of casualties since 1989 due to
political conflicts and insurgencies. Northeast India deals with dozens
of insurgent groups, some of which have armed factions.
Southeast
Asia is an important travel region and most of it is perfectly safe to
visit. One notable exception is Timor-Leste, which continues to face
sporadic ethnic tensions and internal politics, and related violence may
occur. But even in some popular countries, there are some areas that
should be avoided. Bangsamoro, a Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao in
the southern Philippines, is an area of conflict between the government
and Muslim separatist movements. The rest of the country is safe.
Thailand, Southeast Asia's most visited country, is generally safe, with
the notable exception of four southern provinces, where fighting between
the Thai military and Islamist insurgent groups still rages, though
tourists are rarely targets of violence. Indonesia is a very diverse
country, with armed groups fighting for independence in Papua.
East Asia is generally the safest area on the continent for visitors,
but there are also political tensions in this region. You should be
aware that North and South Korea are still officially at war and
hostilities could in theory resume at any time, although the border
between them is still a valid tourist destination in its own right
(check current conditions if you plan a visit). Some visitors have also
been arbitrarily arrested in North Korea and, less frequently, in China.
Rising tensions between Hong Kong locals and the Chinese central
government in Beijing have led to violent protests and a growing
independence movement.
Being by far the largest continent, virtually every natural disaster imaginable is a risk, at least somewhere in Asia. The Silk Road area is prone to earthquakes and the areas along the Pacific "Ring of Fire" — Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia — feature volcanoes and earthquakes. Especially in South and Southeast Asia, rainfall often results in massive flooding. Tropical storms (typhoons and cyclones) are a risk across much of tropical Asia during the northern hemisphere summer and autumn. Smoke and dust storms often occur, especially in the northern part of China, making them very unpleasant for people with breathing difficulties.
Many areas of Asia, especially Southeast Asia and South Asia, are
tropical humid and there are health risks associated with travel in
these regions. See tropical diseases and country articles for specific
information.
Parts of Asia, such as Mongolia and Siberia, have
extremely harsh winters. Please refer to the country or region articles
for details. In some areas, such as Tibet, travelers will need to take
precautions against altitude sickness.
Some of the best and cheapest internet connections in the world can
be found in parts of Asia, with lightning-fast speeds in South Korea,
Japan, Singapore, and many other countries on both landlines and mobile.
On the other hand, many countries also lag behind and connections can be
difficult to find.
Censorship is a major problem for connectivity
in a handful of countries, including China, North Korea and
Turkmenistan, where many popular websites and social networks are
actively blocked for use.
The term "Asia" was received by the Portuguese language through
Latin, from the ancient Greek Ασία. The first record of the toponym is
found in Herodotus: in about 440 BC, that Greek historian mentioned a
division of the world into three parts, whose names referred to
characters of Greek mythology: Europe, in honor of the Oceanid nymph or
the daughter of Agenor; Libya (which is what the ancient Greeks called
Africa), in honor of the mother of Agenor; and Asia (Ασία), in honor of
another Oceanic nymph, better known as Climene. At the time, the term
Asia served to designate the current Asia Minor (Anatolia) or, as
opposed to the Greek or Egyptian world, the Achaemenid Empire. The term
Ασία, in turn, can be derived from the Akkadian (w)aṣû(m), which means
"to rise", "to go out", with respect to Sunrise.
Another
explanation for the etymology refers to Homer, who mentions in The Iliad
a certain Asius, an ally of the Trojans and the son of Hirtacus. The
name " ASIO "would have come from Assuwa, a confederation of states of
the fourteenth century BC located in western Anatolia and whose name
would have originated in the Hittite assu, which means"good".
The
gentilic of "Asia" is Asiatic (or asiano, Asianic, ASIO).
The history of Asia can be understood as the collective history of
several distinct coastal regions — East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle
East — linked by the Eurasian steppe within the continent. Cities, then
States and empires arose in those areas.
The coastal periphery
was the cradle of some of the world's oldest civilizations. Each of
those regions developed a civilization along fertile river valleys. The
civilizations of Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and China had much in
common and probably exchanged technology and ideas, such as mathematics
and the wheel. Other advances, such as writing, developed independently
in each region.
The steppe was inhabited by nomads on horseback,
who from the central steppes reached any part of the Asian continent.
The first known expansion from the steppes to the coast was that of the
indo-Europeans, who brought their language family to the Middle East,
India and the borders of China. The northern part of the continent,
corresponding to Siberia, remained inaccessible to nomads, due to its
dense forests and tundra, and remained poorly inhabited.
The
central steppe and the periphery are separated by mountain ranges and
deserts. The Caucasus, the Himalayas, the Karakum Desert and the Gobi
Desert represented barriers that the steppe Knights overcame with
difficulty. Although the inhabitants of the cities were more
technologically and culturally advanced, there was little they could do
to defend themselves militarily from the horse hordes coming from the
steppes. However, the nomads who conquered states in China, India and
the Middle East eventually adapted and integrated into the culturally
stronger local societies.
Many great civilizations and cultures
have existed on the Asian continent. Judaism and Christianity were
founded in Palestine. The culture of ancient Israel was established in
the second millennium B.C. Alexander the Great conquered the territory
from present-day Turkey to the Indian subcontinent in the fourth century
B.C.. The Roman Empire would later control parts of Western Asia. The
Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian and Sassanian Empires succeeded each
other in Persia. Many ancient civilizations were influenced by the Silk
Road, which linked China, India, the Middle East and Europe. Hinduism
and Buddhism, which began in India, were also an important influence in
South and East Asia.
The Islamic Caliphate and other Muslim
states took over the Middle East from the seventh century and later
expanded into the Indian subcontinent and Insulindia. The Crusades,
attempts by Christian Europe to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims,
followed from the twelfth century. the Mongol Empire conquered much of
Asia in the thirteenth century, extending from China to Europe. The
Russian Empire began to expand towards Asia in the seventeenth century,
until it controlled Siberia and most of Central Asia in the late
nineteenth century. In the seventeenth century, the manchus conquered
China and established the Qing dynasty, which declined in the nineteenth
century and was overthrown in 1912.
Several European powers
seized parts of Asia, such as British India, French Indochina, and Macau
and Goa, which were under Portuguese control. In the nineteenth century,
the so-called "Great Game" took place between the Russian Empire and the
British Empire, a dispute for control of Central Asia. In the twentieth
century, Japan expanded into China, Korea, and Southeast Asia during
World War II. After the conflict, many countries of the continent became
independent from the European powers. During the Cold War, the northern
portion of Asia was communist, controlled by the Soviet Union and the
people's Republic of China, while the Western allies formed pacts such
as CENTO and SEATO. Representatives of the capitalist and communist
blocs clashed in such confrontations as the Korean War, The Vietnam War,
and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Arab-Israeli conflict has
dominated most of the recent history of the Middle East. The collapse of
the Soviet Union in 1991 gave rise to several independent countries in
Central Asia.
The area of the Asian continent is more than 44.5 million square
kilometers, corresponding to almost a third of all emerging lands on our
planet. The continent alone is home to approximately 4 000 000 000
billion * inhabitants, a figure that exceeds almost 50% of the world's
population, as a result of the unusual demographic density and more than
70 inhabitants per square kilometer.
This vast territorial area
is crossed by three parallels: at the extreme northern point, on Russian
territory, by the Arctic Circle; in the southern part, by the Tropic of
cancer; and, in the center of the Indonesian archipelagic territory, by
the equator.
Located almost entirely in the northern hemisphere,
with only a portion of the island territories of southern Indonesia
occupying the southern hemisphere, the Asian continent extends from 10
degrees of latitude south of the equator to 80 degrees of latitude north
of the equator. Extending throughout the Eastern Hemisphere, it extends
from 25 to beyond 180 degrees of longitude east of the Greenwich
Meridian.
Being composed of a large continental extension from
the northern part to the southern part, Asia fills space of all climate
areas of the northern hemisphere: equatorial, tropical, temperate and
polar. Becoming extensive with grandiosity also from the eastern part to
the western part, it is crossed by 11 time zones.
It is bordered
on the northern side by the Arctic Glacial Ocean; on the southern side
by the Indian Ocean; on the eastern side by the Pacific Ocean; and on
the western side by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, and the Caspian,
Black, Mediterranean, and Red Seas.
The Asian continent is thus
the largest of all, where the most diverse landscape panoramas and
climate typologies can be found, as well as diversity of ethnicities and
patterns of economic development.
Asia has contrasting features: huge alluvial and coastal lowlands and
large planaltic formations with very high mountain ranges, which become
extensive over a vast south-central area, between the Turkish and
Indonesian national territories. All this makes the Asian continent the
only one with approximately 1 000 meters of average elevation. The
highest mountains are located in the Himalayan range, but there are
others that spread throughout the territorial area, the 18 highest
mountains in the world are located on the Asian continent.
The
Asian relief is characterized by the presentation of its contrasts of
altimetric extremity:
the highest mountain ranges and plateaus on
Earth: Himalayas, Pamirs and Tibet, where the maximum altitudes of the
globe are located: (Everest, 8 840 meters, Kanchenjunga, 8 598 meters,
and many others with altitudes over 7 000 meters).
the largest
absolute depressions on the planet: the Dead Sea, 395 meters.
Some regions bathed by the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean are part of
the circle of fire, that is, because of their geological formation that
occurred not so long ago, they are subject to volcanic eruptions and
seismic shocks. This is the case of the Japanese archipelago and
Indonesia.
Some planaltic formations are very high and are
interspersed with mountain ranges, as is the case of the Pamir and
Tibet, contrasting with others of greater antiquity, of lower altitudes,
such as those of Armenia, of the Deccan.
The river plains of Asia
are lined with alluvial deposit brought by the fluvial landforms that
run through them and that are mainly directed to the salty waters of the
Indian and Pacific oceans. The main river plains are the Indo-Gangetic
(India), Mesopotamian (Iraq), Siberian (Russia) and those of the Yangtze
(China) and Mekong (Vietnam) rivers.
Asia projects, heading to
the adjacent oceans, several Peninsular portions, the most relevant
being that of Anatolia, Arabica, Hindustani, Indochina and Korea.
The vast territorial extension and, therefore, the differences in
latitude, the alternating presence of low and high areas, the great
influence of air masses and still continentality and maritimity bring to
the continent a great variety of types of climate and, consequently, of
plant formations.
In the lands located in the far north, the
polar climate predominates, which becomes milder towards the South. The
center of the continent, because it is located far from maritime
influences and, in part, due to the altitude of the relief, which blocks
the passage of ocean winds, is dominated by the temperate continental
climate, which alternates summers of high temperatures with very cold
winters. On the other hand, the oceanic temperate, occupying large areas
of the continent, undergoes variations depending on the altitude of the
relief, latitude and interiority.
Further south, to the rear of
the great mountain ranges, which prevent the passage of humid ocean
winds, lie vast expanses dominated by semi-arid climate and arid
climate, forming an extensive strip of deserts. Asia is home to most of
the deserts existing on Earth: from Arabia (Saudi Arabia), from Syria,
from Thal (Pakistan), from Thar (or Great Indian desert), from Lut (or
desert of Iran), from Gobi (Mongolia), from Taklamakan (China), Caracum
(Turkmenistan), Carmania (Iran), from Judea (Israel), from Negev
(Israel).
On the coast of Western Asia, a narrow strip of
Mediterranean-type climate appears, while in the southern archipelagos
of the continent, in the vicinity of the equator, warm-type climates
appear: equatorial and tropical.
Among all the types of climate
of Asia, however, the one that most directly influences local living
conditions, above all guiding agricultural activities, is the tropical
monsoon. Encompassing the most populous regions of the continent, it
extends across the coastal plains of India and Southeast and eastern
China, with violent rains during the summer. It is characterized by the
activity of winds, known as monsoons, which blow from the Indian and
Pacific oceans to the mainland during the summer, and from the interior
of Asia to these oceans during the winter.
The occurrence of
monsoons is due to the fact that Continental lands warm and cool faster
than ocean waters. During the summer, the interior of Asia, when
warming, forms an area of low pressure, which contrasts with the high
pressures of the oceans, causing the displacement of humid winds from
the sea to land. These winds are the summer monsoon. In winter, the
reverse occurs: the oceans are warmer than the mainland, forming areas
of low pressure and attracting continental winds. It's the winter
monsoon.
The mountainous regions, regardless of their
geographical location, have very low temperatures, due to the altitude.
Both the abundant rains of the region influenced by the equatorial
and tropical climates and the large amount of melted snow from the high
mountains favor the existence of large rivers, which flow in almost all
directions of the Asian continent. We can highlight:
rivers flowing
into the Pacific Ocean. Some have a large volume of water due to the
summer monsoon. Noteworthy are the Huang-ho (or yellow), Si-kiang and
Yang-tsé-kiang (or blue) rivers, all in China, in addition to the
Mekong, in Indochina;
rivers flowing into the Indian Ocean. Some of
them are also Monsoon and become very bulky during the summer.
Noteworthy rivers of India and Bangladesh, such as the Bramaputra,
Ganges, Godavari, and the Indus River in Pakistan;
rivers that flow
north and empty into the Arctic Glacial ocean. Examples are the Obi,
Yenisei and Lena rivers, which freeze for much of the year. Since the
thaw occurs from its high courses, the waters, upon reaching the middle
course and encountering ice barriers, spread over vast expanses of its
banks, causing frequent flooding;
rivers flowing into the Persian
Gulf. Of particular note are the Tigris and Euphrates, which form the
Mesopotamian plain;
rivers of East-Central Asia that flow into lakes.
We can mention the Sir Daria and the Amu Daria, which flow into the Aral
Sea, in addition to others that disappear within the desert.
Asia
has few, albeit large, lakes, such as Baikal and Balkhash, located in
Russia. If the lakes exist in small numbers, the Asian seas appear much
more prominently: Red Sea, which borders the African and Asian coasts;
Arabian Sea; to the Southeast, South China Sea, East China Sea, Andaman
Sea and Yellow Sea; the seas of Indonesia: Java, Timor, Banda, Celebes;
to the Northeast, the seas of Okhotsk, Japan and Bering. On the border
with Europe, the largest closed sea in the world, the Caspian Sea,
appears.
Since plant formations depend on the type of soil and especially on
the climate, Asia presents many plant varieties, even if partially
destroyed or altered by millennial human occupation.
In the
extreme north of the continent, near the pole, there are no conditions
for the existence of vegetation, however, further south, on the Siberian
plain, tundra formations begin to appear. Still towards the south, as
the polar climate becomes less intense and the cold extends for a
smaller number of months, the vast taiga region appears, almost entirely
belonging to Russia.
The greatest prominence, however, is in the
steppes, which occupy large expanses of Central Asia, appearing in areas
of temperate continental climate.
The archipelagos located in
South Asia are covered by Equatorial and tropical forests, not very
different from those that exist in the Brazilian Amazon. These
formations can also be observed in the center-south, where there is also
the presence of savannas, in which herbaceous vegetation is dominant,
presenting shrubs and trees in sparse associations, such as the Jangal
in India.
There is also the occurrence of temperate forests in
considerable extensions in the Far East and xerophytic vegetation in
desert or semi-arid areas of the continent.
Considering that a geographical region is a more or less defined area, characterized by certain physical and human aspects, it would be possible to find dozens of them on the continent and even some in the same country. For this reason, and to facilitate the study and understanding of the characteristics and political and social problems of such a vast continent, we will simplify its division by studying it through six major geographical regions. They are: the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Central East, the Far East and the Asian part of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
This area, which extends from Turkey to Afghanistan, presents as a
dominant physical characteristic the predominance of dry climate, which
results in the existence of deserts. As a population characteristic, it
stands out the occupation by whites and one of the lowest demographic
densities on the continent.
The Middle East brings together 16
independent countries, very important for the remarkable oil reserves
that some have and for its strategic position, since this region is the
link between Europe, Asia and Africa. It is an area constantly agitated
by conflicts of diverse origins: the historical antagonism between these
countries; the great mixture of sects and religions (Islam,
Christianity, Judaism); the political-economic systems in force, leading
to alignment with the United States or with Russia.
Despite all
these differences, there are many similarities, especially at the
economic level: the countries are all underdeveloped (with the exception
of Israel, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) and in them the
industrial activity of processing is quite scarce, with small textile
and food industries predominating. Agriculture is practiced in the few
regions where deserts do not occur. The main agricultural products are
wheat, barley, maize, rice and citrus fruits, grown mainly in Turkey,
Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Iraq. Livestock is restricted to the nomadic
pastoralism of camels, goats and sheep.
The great economic
highlight of the Middle East, at the international level, is the
exploration of oil, which has been responsible for the entry of fabulous
profits in the producing countries. Oil profits, however, have done
little to mitigate the high degree of underdevelopment in most of the
countries in this area, accentuating, on the contrary, the enormous
disparity in income distribution.
In 1960, Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
Iran, Cuaite and Venezuela created the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC), to which they joined during the 1960s and
1970s: Qatar and Abu Dhabi (one of the United Arab Emirates), Indonesia
(island country), Ecuador, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria and Gabon. Led by
Arab Countries, OPEC aims to control the price of oil. In 1973, this
organization multiplied the price of a barrel of oil, causing a series
of economic maladjustments in importing countries, which became known as
the oil crisis. Several of these countries began to exploit deposits
previously considered unprofitable and developed alternative energy
sources. As a result, OPEC was later forced to reduce the price of a
barrel of oil, the consumption of which retreated.
Most of the
Middle East is occupied by Arab countries. Located in the Arabian
Peninsula and neighborhoods, they are fundamentally agropastoral
nations, in the case of Yemen, while in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United
Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain oil is the great national
wealth, imposing a landscape of towers and pipelines where for centuries
there was only a desert without economic benefit.
There is also
Lebanon and Syria, countries whose agriculture and industry are more
developed, although Lebanon, devastated by endless conflicts, survives
with great difficulties. Jordan differs from all by its mining activity
characterized by the exploitation of phosphate and marble.
Among
the non-Arab countries there is Israel, the most industrialized and
developed nation in the Middle East, as well as three large states —
Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. Turkish industry is developing rapidly,
thanks to government incentives and the country's mineral riches such as
coal, iron, manganese, chromium and copper. The Iranian economy is
mainly based on the extraction and marketing of oil, while agriculture
is the economic base of Afghanistan.
In South Asia lies the great Hindustani Peninsula, which advances
over the Indian Ocean. Presenting the Himalayan range to the north, the
relief of the region is dominated by the vast Deccan Plateau, and,
between this and the mountains, by the great Indo-Gangetic Plain,
traversed by the Indus and the Ganges, rivers of great volume of water.
The region is typically tropical and summers are marked by the arrival
of monsoon winds.
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the Central
countries of the region; in the middle of the Himalayas, the small
kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan are also located. To the southeast of India
is Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, and to the Southwest, the
Maldives archipelago.
Approximately half of India's territory is
covered by rice plantations, which benefit from the monsoon climate;
wheat and maize are also grown on a large scale, as well as cotton, tea,
jute and other products. Animal husbandry, despite the huge cattle herd,
does not have great economic importance.
In mineralogical terms,
India has large deposits of iron, as well as producing most of the oil
it consumes. It also has abundant reserves of coal, mica, manganese,
aluminum and others of lesser importance.
Among the Asian
countries, it is one of those with the highest degree of
industrialization, with some large industrial areas, such as Bombay,
Calcutta, in the East, Punjab–New Delhi, in the North, and Madras, in
the South. The most important industrial branches are textile, food,
mechanical, steel and chemical.
In addition, India dominates
nuclear energy, possessing technology for the manufacture of atomic
bombs. Also in the area of artificial satellites, this country has made
great progress, having already launched its first communications
satellite.
The Indian population is extremely poor: three
quarters live in poor conditions of food, health, education and housing.
With more than 700 inhabitants per square kilometer, Bangladesh
resembles India for its low living conditions. The situation in Pakistan
is not much better, because although it has a population density
significantly lower than that of its neighbors, it has relatively small
areas for agricultural and pastoral activity, which constitutes the
economic activity of most of the inhabitants.
Sri Lanka, with
less shocking social contrasts, is a republic that supports its economy
on the cultivation of tea, rice, rubber and coconut and, of course,
fishing. The Maldives has a precarious economy, based mainly on the
rudimentary practice of fishing and the extraction of copra (dried
coconut) oil.
The mountainous countries-Nepal and Bhutan-face the
problem of isolation, determined by the high altitudes of the relief and
climatic particularities, which make it difficult to build and maintain
roads, and also by the lack of access to the ocean. In these small
countries, agriculture is practiced in the few areas where this is
possible, in addition to raising animals. More than half of the
population is illiterate, and the traditional habits and customs of the
tribes govern the life of almost all inhabitants.
In all
central-South Asian countries the rural population is dominant, although
there are some large cities, especially in India, where industrial
activity is diverse and the level of information and politicization of
the inhabitants is much more advanced. The largest cities in the region
are Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, New Delhi (India), Karachi (Pakistan) and
Dhaka (Bangladesh).
This region is made up of nine independent countries: Myanmar
(Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore —
located on the Indochina Peninsula — and Indonesia, Brunei, the
Philippines and Timor-Leste — which make up the archipelago of
Insulindia. Malaysia has a part of its territory located on the
Indochina Peninsula and another on the island of Borneo, most of which
belongs to Indonesia. Brunei is located entirely on this island.
The main economic highlight of Southeast Asia is the exploitation of
ores for export, mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia. Indonesia, a member
of OPEC, is one of the world's largest exporters of oil (Borneo) and
metal minerals, with emphasis on tin, iron, bauxite and gold. Brunei, a
sultanate located on the island of Borneo, depends mainly on oil
exports.
Despite being rich in minerals, Southeast Asia has a
poorly developed industry due to the lack of capital to be applied in
infrastructure services. The main industries are processing raw
materials for export, such as textile manufactures in Indochina and
sugar mills in Indonesia. Singapore is an exception to the region's weak
industrialization. This small island is one of the" Asian Tigers",
countries of recent industrialization and sharp growth. Malaysian and
Thai industry is also expanding, but the remaining economies continue to
rely primarily on agricultural activities.
Along with subsistence
activities, in which the cultivation of rice stands out, the Agriculture
of this Asian region also offers tropical products, cultivated under
plantation regime, a heritage of European colonization. Turning mainly
to exports, this branch of the economy employs most of the working
population. The main crops for export are rubber in Malaysia, Myanmar
and Indonesia; tea in Indonesia; and rice — grown on terraces on
mountain slopes — which is exported by Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The main cities in the region are: Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila
(Philippines) and Bangkok (Thailand), whose metropolitan areas are home
to more than five million inhabitants.
This region of the globe
has been characterized by several political problems, from successive
coups d'état to long and bloody wars involving the confrontation between
capitalism and socialism, such as the one that occurred in Vietnam
(1960-1975). The diversity of ethnic groups, the large number of
professed religions and the extremely different living standards are
factors that contribute to make this region even more troubled.
Possessing the third largest territory in the world and home to more
than one billion people — about 20% of all humanity —, China acquires
great prominence in the world. However, due to the fact that most of its
territory is occupied by deserts and mountains, the Chinese population
is almost entirely concentrated on the eastern side of the country, the
only region that can be fully exploited.
The economic activity
that employs the largest number of workers is agriculture, whose main
goal is the feeding of the immense population. This activity develops
through a community system, in which the state lends the land and
provides the means for production (machines, tools, fertilizers, etc.).
China stands out worldwide in the production of rice, wheat, soybeans
and other genera, grown mainly in the Yangtze-kiang Valley. Also in
animal husbandry (pigs, sheep and cattle), this country ranks among the
five largest producers in the world.
China has abundant mineral
reserves and considerable hydraulic and petroleum potential, which,
combined with the fact that its labor is very cheap and its large
population, provides conditions for the development of industry, even if
it is nationalized and turns almost exclusively to the domestic market.
The production basically aims to provide articles considered necessary,
without concern for luxury finishing and, therefore, always within the
reach of workers and peasants.
The country also has a large park
of basic industries, essential to state enterprises. The main industrial
areas are located in the vicinity of large urban centers of eastern
China, such as Shanghai and Beijing, or in new areas, such as Manchuria.
China has a degree of development similar to that of the great world
powers, it is a nation in which the distribution of income and goods is
less unbalanced. Everyone's standard of living is relatively equal and
there is virtually no such thing as personal misery and its myriad
consequences.
From 1984, the Chinese government began to promote
the entry of foreign investments in the country, which were retracted in
1989 with the repression of greater political freedoms.
Formosa,
or Taiwan, became an independent country from China in 1949, on the
occasion of the end of the Chinese Communist revolution. With a
capitalist structure, the country had the help of capital from the
United States and Japan and was economically projected in the
agricultural and industrial plan, thanks to the abundance of mineral
resources and cheap labor.
Taiwan is one of the countries known
as the "Asian tigers", in the same way as Hong Kong, a British colony
that was re-annexed to China in 1997, functioning as a Special
Administrative Region.
Mongolia occupies the most central part of
the Asian territory. Located between China and the Soviet Union, it was
for a long time a reason for rivalry between these countries. It is now
aligned with the Soviet bloc. The population of the country is greatly
reduced in relation to its extensive territory, which presents a number
of natural obstacles to economic development. Its main activity is
farming and its main city is the capital Ulan Bator.
Japan is a monarchical state, highly developed and industrialized,
located east of the Asian continent, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,
and consists of more than three thousand islands, although only the four
most extensive are economically important.
Its total area is
slightly larger than that of the state of Maranhão, but it has a large
absolute population (127 million inhabitants in 2007) and a high
demographic density (337 inhabitants per square kilometer). This
population agglomeration becomes even more serious when it is found that
only a fifth of the Japanese territory can be inhabited, since the rest
is occupied by high mountains. On the other hand, Japan's vegetative
growth is almost nil, as birth rates only offset those of mortality.
Part of the first World, therefore, capitalist and developed, Japan
has, among others, the following characteristics: fairly high per capita
income; housing, health and education of a good level, accessible to
all; technologically advanced agriculture, industry and service network.
The development and prosperity of Japan, especially after the end of
World War II, when the country was partially destroyed by bombing,
constitute a real economic miracle, in the opinion of experts in the
sector. To this end, the following factors contributed: military and
financial aid from the United States, through the Marshall Plan;
adoption of a policy of strict population control; priority to education
and mastery of technology; export-oriented production. From the 1950s,
Japan reached a stage of great development and is today one of the
largest world powers.
Although it has few raw materials and
almost no fuel, the country is well served by hydroelectricity. Today it
is the world's leading producer of ships, the second of automobiles and
the third of steel and aluminum, and its electrical and electronic
products, such as radios, televisions, calculators and countless others,
are spread throughout the world.
Due to the high degree of
industrialization of Japan, most of its inhabitants live in urban areas,
and the Tokyo Metropolitan Region has more than 37 million inhabitants,
which makes the Tokyo agglomeration, regardless of how it defines
itself, as the most populous urban area in the world; nationally, it is
followed by Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama and Kyoto.
Located on the
Korean Peninsula are the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North
Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), which until 1948 formed
a single country. The division into two states was due to the occupation
of the territory by the Soviets in the North, and the Americans in the
south, at the end of World War II.
Since the separation, North
Korea has been socialist, with a poor and underdeveloped economy, and
South Korea, capitalist, is a developed country with very high HDI
values (15.In 2011) and GDP (PPP) per capita (27.World in 2011,
according to the IMF and 29.º according to the World Bank and the CIA,
with an economy with big bets on services and high technology. North
Korea remains largely agricultural, with an underdeveloped economy,
mainly growing rice and wheat, but South Korea — which, like Singapore,
Taiwan and Hong Kong, is one of the "Asian Tigers" — achieved major
industrial development in the 1980s.
The differences between the
flags of the two Koreas are as follows:
The flag of South Korea is a
white rectangle with a circle with two wavy halves of red above and blue
below, which represents positive and negative; the four trigrams
represent the four elements of the Earth: Water, Earth, air and fire;
hence the notion of position and balance;
The flag of North Korea is
a rectangle composed of three horizontal stripes of unequal size and
proportion of blue, red (three-fifths) and blue; the three-fifths of red
band are edged with white; in the center left is a white circle with a
large red five-pointed star, which represents the hope of building
socialism under the leadership of the Labor Party of Korea.
The Asian part of the Commonwealth of Independent States, although it
corresponds to approximately four-fifths of the territory administered
by this international organization, has modest economic importance
compared to the European part.
Mainly due to the hostility of the
natural environment — deserts, large icy areas to the North and high
mountains to the south — this region does not have ideal conditions for
farming. Even then, on the borders with Europe, wheat and corn are
grown; to the south-west, in the steppes near the Caspian and Aral Seas,
sheep and goats are extensively bred and cotton and fruit are grown, and
in the colder areas of Siberia reindeer are bred.
From the
socialist revolution of 1917 and, particularly, after the end of World
War II, this region known as the former Soviet Union began to be more
valued, mainly due to the abundance of its mineral wealth. Thanks to
this feature, it began to house basically Heavy Industries, which were
located in some centers of Siberia and Kazakhstan. It can also be
mentioned the city of Vladivostok, located in the eastern end, which, in
addition to being an important strategic point, centralizes numerous
different industries.
The Asian continent occupies a space that corresponds to about a
third of all the lands of the planet, being therefore greater than the
combined extension of all the Americas, or of Europe with Africa. On
these lands live more than three billion inhabitants, that is, more than
half of the world's population, resulting in a demographic density of 70
inhabitants per square kilometer, approximately three times higher than
the average density of the Earth.
Although very numerous, the
Asian population is poorly distributed: in the plains, especially those
irrigated by the monsoons, and in large cities, the demographic
densities are very high, while in the desert, mountainous and icy
regions, and even in areas with very hot climates, the population is
rarefied. Countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan and
Bangladesh are among the most populous on Earth, while others such as
Mongolia or even northern stretches of Russia have the lowest
demographic densities on the planet.
A factor that aggravates the problem of demographic maldistribution
is the high birth rates and the tendency to urban concentration,
characteristic of all underdeveloped countries, as is the case with most
Asian nations. Only a few countries have succeeded in their family
planning campaigns, slowing population growth in China and virtually
stalling it in Japan.
In other cases, the situation remains
alarming; This is the case, for example, with India, where each year the
population shows a vegetative growth of 2.1%. This represents around 14
million children each year waiting for training and, in the future, for
employment. In practice, this turns out to be economically impossible,
which makes the underdevelopment of this and other Asian countries even
more acute.
Another serious aspect of very high population growth
is that it usually occurs in the most populous areas, further
accentuating the contrast with demographic gaps. Currently, in an area
that is equivalent to a quarter of the Asian territory, 90% of the
inhabitants of the continent live, while no less than two-fifths of the
territory is practically uninhabited, housing only 3% or 4% of the total
population. One of the main reasons for this phenomenon is urbanization.
In general, the regions that present satisfactory natural conditions
are those that shelter the largest population clusters; those that
present natural obstacles to human settlement, such as the high altitude
of the relief, the very cold climate and the aridity of the soil, remain
little inhabited.
The Earth is witnessing extraordinary
population growth, driven in large part by the formidable Asian
population growth. In the table it is clear that the contribution of
underdeveloped countries is much higher than that of developed ones,
hence the importance of Asian countries in this process.
Although most of the Asian population is made up of people of yellow
race, there are also expressive numbers of representatives of the other
ethnic trunks, the black and the White.
The yellows make up the
dominant ethnicity and are distributed in the taiga and tundra regions
(to the north), the plateaus of Central Asia and especially in the East
and southeast of the continent, more intensely populated Asian regions.
There are great physical, linguistic and cultural differences between
these peoples (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Malays, Indonesians), but
above all between them and the more isolated groups, such as the Kyrgyz,
Mongols and Tibetans.
Whites or Caucasoids predominate in the
Middle East, where Arabs, Turks, Israelis, Kurds, etc.are found., and in
Central Asia, whose countries received large contingents of Slavic
population (mostly Russians) upon being incorporated into the defunct
Soviet Union. Also in India and Pakistan there is a white ethnic branch,
but its representatives are well-loved.
Also, they appear in
smaller numbers, distributed in southern India and on islands in the
Indian Ocean. They belong to the Dravidian group, whose influence is
marked in hindu culture.
In a continent that presents such great ethnic diversity and that has registered a long period of colonial domination in a large part of its territory, it is very natural that there is a great diversity of languages. The main ones, spoken by more than 100 million people, are: Mandarin (the most widely spoken language in the world), Arabic, malayo-Indonesian, Korean, Japanese and, among the many languages spoken in India, hindi-urdu and bengali. However, there are more than a hundred languages or dialects in current use throughout Asia.
Asia is also home to the great religions of humanity, having been the birthplace of almost all of them. 22% of Asians profess Hinduism about 792 897 000, common in India and surroundings, and Buddhism, common throughout the Far East with 9.1% about 350 000 000 followers, where in addition to this religion, Catholic and Orthodox Christianity are practiced with 135 000 000 and Protestants with approximately 50 000 000 followers, in addition to Chinese religions, Confucianism (China) and Shinto (Japan). Islam is another fairly widespread religion in Asia with about 807,034,000 making it the largest religion in absolute numbers of people in Asia, especially in the Middle East, Turkestan, India and India. Judaism, centered in Israel, is also worth mentioning.
In 2007, the largest national economy in Asia, in terms of gross
domestic product (GDP), is that of China, followed by India and Japan.
In the late 1990s and early 21st century, the Chinese and Indian
economies have grown rapidly, at average annual rates of more than 8%.
However, by the criterion of nominal GDP (calculated by the exchange
rate), China is still the largest Asian economy and the second largest
in the world. Asia's economic growth from World War II to the 1990s was
concentrated in a few Pacific Rim countries; recently, it has spread to
other regions. The main trading blocs of the continent are: Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Europe economic Meeting, Association
of Southeast Asian countries (ASEAN), agreements on closer economic and
trade relations (China with Hong Kong and Macau), Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) and South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC).
The continent has large productions of gold (mainly in China, Russia,
Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan); silver (mainly in China and
Russia); copper (mainly in China, Russia, and Kazakhstan); platinum
(Russia); iron ore (China, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey); zinc
(China, India, Kazakhstan, and Russia); molybdenum (China, Armenia,
Iran, Russia, Mongolia, and Turkey); lithium (China); lead (China,
Russia, India, Turkey, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan); bauxite (China,
India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Vietnam and Malaysia); tin (China,
Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Russia and Laos); manganese
(China, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Georgia);
Mercury (China, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan); antimony (China, Russia,
Tajikistan, Myanmar, Turkey, Iran, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Laos); nickel
(Indonesia, Philippines, Russia and China); rhenium (South Korea, China,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia); iodine (Japan, Turkmenistan,
Azerbaijan, Indonesia and Russia), among others.
In oil
production, the continent had 14 of the world's 30 largest producers in
2020: Russia (2nd), Saudi Arabia (3rd), Iraq (5th), China (6th), United
Arab Emirates (7th), Iran (9th), Kuwait (10th), Kazakhstan (12th), Qatar
(15th), Oman (18th), Indonesia (21st), Azerbaijan (22nd), India (23rd)
and Malaysia (25th).
In natural gas production, the continent had
18 of the world's 30 largest producers in 2015: Russia (2nd), Iran
(3rd), Qatar (4th), China (6th), Saudi Arabia (8th), Indonesia (9th),
Turkmenistan (10th), Malaysia (13th), United Arab Emirates (14th),
Uzbekistan (15th), Thailand (22nd), Pakistan (23rd), Oman (24th),
Azerbaijan (25th), India (26th), Bangladesh (27th), Kazakhstan (28th)
and Bahrain (30th).
In coal production, the continent had 10 of
the world's 30 largest producers in 2018: China (1st), India (2nd),
Indonesia (5th), Russia (6th), Kazakhstan (10th), Turkey (11th),
Mongolia (14th), Vietnam (18th), Thailand (23rd) and the Philippines
(28th).
The most widespread economic activity throughout the continent is
agriculture, especially rice cultivation throughout the vast region
affected by the monsoon. Further north, wheat is intensively cultivated;
in less fertile areas, the soil is still used for the production of
barley, corn and other cereals. In all these cultures, China stands out,
presenting itself as one of the four largest producers in the world.
In addition to cereals, tobacco, tea, jute, cotton, pepper and
rubber crops are noteworthy. In China and Japan, Mulberry is also grown,
the leaves of which serve as food for The Silkworm. From the cocoons of
this animal, threads are extracted with which fabrics that are highly
appreciated throughout the world are made.
Animal husbandry is
another very common activity on the continent. China is a large producer
of small animals, being the world's first producer of pigs, the third of
sheep and the fifth of cattle. India, for its part, has the largest
cattle herd in the world, which, however, is not used to feed the
population, most followers of Hinduism, a religion that considers these
animals sacred.
In vehicle production, the continent had 10 of the world's 30 largest
producers in 2020: China (1st), Japan (3rd), South Korea (5th), India
(6th), Russia (10th), Thailand (11th), Turkey (14th), Iran (18th),
Indonesia (20th) and Malaysia (23rd).
In steel production, the
continent had 12 of the world's 30 largest producers in 2019: China
(1st), India (2nd), Japan (3rd), Russia (5th), South Korea (6th), Turkey
(8th), Iran (10th), Taiwan (12th), Vietnam (14th), Bangladesh (20th),
Indonesia (25th) and Saudi Arabia (29th).
Japan has long been the
most industrialized of the Asian countries. Thanks to massive U.S. aid
after World War II and the adoption of a series of domestic measures,
its industrial development took place on a firm footing, transforming
the country, in a short time, into an industrial power.
Having a
large and diverse industrial park, Japan excels in the production of
ships, automobiles, and electrical and electronic products.
The
eastern region of Russia, although economically less important than the
European part of the country, is home to several centers of basic
industries (in Kazakhstan), located near ore exploration areas such as
iron and coal.
Another country that presents an evolved
industrialization, despite being underdeveloped, is India, which uses
its agricultural production and mineral wealth to provide its textile,
food, steel and metallurgical industries. This country is also notable
for being one of the few in the third world to use advanced technology
in the areas of energy and communications.
In China, whose
industrialization was effectively implemented after the socialist
revolution of 1949, the industrial park has been devoted almost entirely
to the production of essential items for the domestic market. Only from
the mid-1970s did the Chinese economy begin to turn, albeit slowly
outward. In the following decade, the economic opening was greater, but,
due to internal political problems, it retracted again in 1989,
becoming, currently, the 2nd largest industrial power in the world and
the largest in Asia.
Also noteworthy are the so — called "Asian
Tigers" — South Korea, The Republic of China, Singapore and Hong
Kong-whose economic and industrial growth rates are among the highest in
the world. Their production is aimed, in general, at the foreign market,
which allows them to obtain large balances in their trade balances.
The other Asian regions (Middle East, Southeast Asia, Mongolia,
Indian Ocean countries) have an incipient and insignificant
industrialization.
The culture of Asia is the artificial aggregate of the heritage of
many nationalities, societies, religions, and ethnic groups in the
region, traditionally called a continent from a central western
perspective, of Asia. The region or "the continent"are most commonly
divided into more natural geographic and cultural subregions, including
Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia ("the Indian Subcontinent"), North
Asia, West Asia, and Southeast Asia. Geographically, Asia is not a
distinct continent; culturally, there has been little unity or common
history of many of Asia's cultures and peoples.
Art, music, and
cuisine, as well as literature, are important parts of Asian culture.
Eastern philosophy and religion also play a major role, with Buddhism,
Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity all playing
major roles. One of the most complex parts of Asian culture is the
relationship between traditional cultures and the Western world.
In Asia there are developed countries such as Japan, South Korea,
Israel, Singapore or Taiwan that reveal levels of economic and social
prosperity comparable to those of Europe or North America. These areas,
however, represent little compared to many of the other countries,
generally quite poor and violently affected by underdevelopment. Even
those oil exporters, who made fabulous profits from the beginning of the
1970s, do not escape this characteristic.
There are numerous
factors that contribute to Asia exhibiting great backwardness and
misery. Among them can be cited:
the colonization and exploitation
developed by European countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and others, who ruthlessly extracted Asian
riches only for their own benefit;
certain cultural values specific
to some countries, which somehow inhibit the overcoming of economic and
social problems. The best known and most extensive is the rigid Indian
caste system, by which society is divided into layers, from the noblest
to the most commoner, with no possibility of passing from one to
another. Although it was legally abolished, this system strongly
influences the life of Indians from their birth. Also the religious
factor, through fatalism, creates obstacles to broader social care,
since it stimulates the passive acceptance of poor living conditions,
even as a way of spiritual improvement;
high rates of population
growth. In India and the people's Republic of China, the state has
implemented family planning campaigns, which preach a reduction in the
number of children per household and the spread of contraceptive
methods;
very high illiteracy in several countries, which makes it
difficult for populations to acquire knowledge and information;
as
throughout the third world, the existence of foreign companies that
exploit the natural resources of many Asian countries — taking advantage
of the low cost of labor -, sending most of their profits to their
headquarters.