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{{Lead too short|date=December 2020}}
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[[File:1730 C. Homann Map of Asia - Geographicus - Asiae-homann-1730.jpg|thumb|350px|Recentissima Asiae Delineatio, the 1730 geographical map of Johan Christoph Homann. Asia is shown in color. The names are in Latin.]]
[[File:Asia satellite orthographic.jpg|thumb|350px|Satellite view of Asia]]
[[File:Modern Asia (1796).tif|thumb|350px]]
'''Geography of Asia''' reviews geographical concepts of classifying [[Asia]], comprising 58 countries and territories.

== Geographical characteristics ==
=== Boundary ===
{{Main|Asia#Definition and boundaries|l1=Definition and boundaries of Asia}}
The area of Asia is not the sum of the areas of each of its regions, which have been defined independently of the whole. For example, the borders of [[South Asia]] and [[West Asia]] depend on who is defining them and for what purpose. These varying definitions are not generally reflected in the map of Asia as a whole; for example, [[Egypt]] is typically included in the [[Middle East]], but not in Asia, even though the bulk of the Middle East is in Asia.

The demarcation between Asia and [[Africa]] is the [[Suez Canal]], the [[Gulf of Suez]], the [[Red Sea]], and the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]].

The border with Europe starts with the coast of the eastern Mediterranean, even though Turkey in the [[Near East]] extends partly into the [[Aegean Islands]] and includes [[Istanbul]] on the European side of the [[Bosphorus]]. On the north the boundary between the continents of Asia and [[Europe]] is commonly regarded as running 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 a long border generally following the eastern side of the [[Ural Mountains]] to the [[Kara Sea]], [[Russia]]. The [[Arctic Ocean]] is the northern border. The [[Bering Straits]] divide Asia from North America.

On the southeast of Asia are the [[Malay Peninsula]] (the limit of mainland Asia) and [[Indonesia]] ("Isles of India", the former East Indies), a vast nation among thousands of islands on the [[Sunda Shelf]], large and small, inhabited and uninhabited. [[Australia]] nearby is a different continent. The Pacific islands northeast of Australia more remotely removed from [[Japan]] and [[Korea]] are [[Oceania]] rather than Asia. From Indonesia the border runs along the [[Indian Ocean]] to the Red Sea. Most of the islands in the Indian Ocean are Asian.

=== Overall dimensions ===
Multiple sources give different estimates of the area enclosed by the imaginary border of Asia. The [[New York Times]] ''Atlas of the World'' gives {{convert|43608000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book|author=The New York Times and Bartholomew, Edinburgh | title=The New York Times Atlas of the World | year=1992 | location=New York | publisher=Times Books (Random House) | page=44}}</ref> ''Chambers World Gazetteer'' rounds off to {{convert|44000000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title=Asia | encyclopedia=Chambers World Gazetteer | year=1988 |edition=5th}}</ref> while the ''Concise Columbia Encyclopedia'' gives {{convert|44390000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title=Asia | encyclopedia=The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia | year=1989 | edition=2nd}}</ref> The 2011 Pearson's has {{convert|44030000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book | author=Edgar Thorpe |author2=Shawick Thorpe | title=The Pearson General Knowledge Manual | year=2011 | location=India | publisher=Dorling Kindersley | page=A.25}}</ref> The methods of obtaining these figures and exactly what areas they include have not been divulged.

The map surface of mainland Asia is entirely contained within a [[World Geodetic System|Geodetic quadrangle]] formed from segments of [[latitude]] going through its north and south extremes and segments of [[longitude]] passing through the east and west extremes. [[Cape Chelyuskin]] is at 77° 43′ N; [[Tanjung Piai|Cape Piai]] in the [[Malay Peninsula]] is at 1° 16′ N; [[Cape Baba]] in [[Turkey]] is at 26° 4′ E; [[Cape Dezhnyov]] is at 169° 40′ W; that is, mainland Asia ranges through about 77° of latitude and 165° of longitude,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title=Asia: The Land | encyclopedia=The New Encyclopædia Britannica | edition=15th}}</ref> distances of about {{convert|8560|km|mi|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|9600|km|mi|abbr=on}} wide according to Chambers, or {{convert|8700|km|mi|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|9700|km|mi|abbr=on}} wide according to Pearson's.

[[Indonesia]] to the southeast, a nation consisting of thousands of islands, adds a significant amount of territory to mainland Asia and extends the extreme Asian latitude further south. The geographic nature of the country raises such questions as whether the sea and the seabed count as Asia. The [[Australia–Indonesia border]] is still being negotiated. Currently, a 1997 treaty remains unratified. As there are questions of fishing rights in the waters and mineral rights in the seabed, two different boundaries are being negotiated, one for the water column and one for the seabed. The southernmost seabed boundary is 10° 50' S, the latitude of Point A3, the Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea common tripoint. The southernmost water column boundary is still further south at Point Z88, 13° 56' 31.8".

== European views of Asia ==
=== Geographical or traditional view ===
[[File:1916 physical map of Asia.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A 1916 physical map of Asia by Tarr and McMurry]]

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]]. Definition of continents has long been and remains primarily the realm of [[geographer]]s, including cultural geographers as well as physical geographers.  A wide majority of geographers, in nearly all atlases and many other publications from [[National Geographic]] to the [[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]] and [[Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary]], define Europe, Asia, and Africa as continents.

==== Hellenic origin ====
[[File:Ixia beach Rhodos Greece 4.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The coast of Turkey, original Asian shore seen from a beach on [[Rhodes]]]]
The three-continent system was an idea devised in [[Archaic Greece]], a time of Greek colonial expansion and trade throughout the Mediterranean and the spread of writing again. Writing is a prerequisite of written geography. It had been lost during the preceding [[Greek Dark Ages]], a period of piracy at sea and defensive parochialism on land. The preceding [[Mycenaean Greece]] left scant record of some serving women from a locality in the later [[Asia Minor]] called Asia. Europe was mainly Greece, while Libya was a small region to the west of Egypt. There was no systematic definition of "continent;" however, the Greek mariners did make a distinction that was to become one: the islands, nēsoi, versus the mainland, ēpeiros.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title=ēpeiros | encyclopedia=A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges | author=Georg Autenrieth | year=1876}}</ref> One [[etymology]] relates ēpeir- to the same [[Indo-European language|Indo-European]] root from which English "over" came.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title=ēpeiros | encyclopedia=Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen | author=J.B. Hofmann | language=de | year=1950 | location=München | publisher=Verlag von R. Oldenbourg}}</ref> The Armenian form means "bank, coast." The Greek form must be some sort of "overland," whether continuous land or a coast that looms over. In Latin it became continens terra, "the continuous land," shortened to just continens, stem continent-.

Most ships of the Archaic Period were not ocean-going. They followed the shores closely, ready to put in at the first sign of trouble. It is not surprising that the first continents were "shores," as they are in [[Herodotus]], first historian whose works are extant, who relies on earlier geography now missing except for fragments. Asia is defined by two akrai, "bluffs" or "shores." One runs from [[Phasis (town)|Phasis]] in [[Colchis]] ([[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]) at the eastern end of the [[Black Sea]] around the coast of [[Anatolia|Asia Minor]] to [[Phoenicia]]. The second runs from Phoenicia to the [[Red Sea]] (the ancient Red Sea comprised also the [[Persian Gulf]] and the [[Indian Ocean]]) and from there to India, after which "no man can say what sort of region it is."<ref>''Histories'', Book IV, Articles 37-40.</ref>

[[File:Museum für Antike Schiffahrt, Mainz 02. Spritsail.jpg|thumb|300px|Ancient ships in trouble on the sea]]
Asia is equal to its shores, which also define Europe and Libya. The northern shore runs eastward along the line if the Phasis and [[Araxes River]]s; that is, south of the [[Caucasus Mountains]], and around the south of the [[Caspian Sea]]. The southern shore continues the Red Sea and the Nile River, as [[Darius the Great]] had constructed a canal between them. This division and system was already in place before Herodotus. He professes not to understand it: "I am astonished that men should ever have divided Libya, Asia and Europe as they have, for they are exceedingly unequal."<ref>''Histories'', Book IV, Article 42.</ref> His astonishment continues: "I cannot conceive why three names, and women's names especially, should ever have been given to a tract which is in reality one ... nor can I even say who gives the three tracts [akrai] their names." Previously he had spoken of two tracts. He says that an alternate northern border is the mouth of the [[Don River (Russia)|Don River]].<ref>''Histories'', Book !V, Article 45</ref>

[[Strabo]], geographer of the Early Roman Empire, has an explanation of the geography Herodotus found so puzzling. The key is the coast-hugging requirement of most ancient navigation. As the ancient navigator passed under the [[Rock of Gibraltar]] on his way into the [[Mediterranean Sea]] ("our sea" to those who lived there), two paths appeared to him, the north shore or the south shore. Strabo says:<ref>''Geography'', 2.5.26.</ref><blockquote>"Now as you sail into the strait at the [[Pillars of Hercules|Pillars]], Libya lies on your right hand as far as the stream of the [[Nile River|Nile]], and on your left hand across the strait lies Europe as far as the [[Don River (Russia)|Tanais]]."</blockquote>
To the ancient navigators of Our Sea, the continents were separated by seas. The canal extended the southern shore into the [[Red Sea]]. The symmetry of the scheme was too geometric for the Greeks to resist, as they represented all geographic masses by regular figures if they could. A triangle prevailed in the Greek imagination with points at the Pillars, the Tanais and the Red Sea. As the sides were three shores, the continents were three.
{{further|topic= the etymology of Asia|Name of Asia}}

==== Imperial Roman geography ====
The geographer, [[Claudius Ptolemaeus]], distinguishes between geography, which is "a representation in picture of the whole known world," and chorography ("study of places"), which "treats more fully the particulars."<ref>''Geography'', Book I, Chapter 1.</ref> The idea of the continents is geography and is presented as such. A chorographer in Ptolemy's view was the expert in a specific locality, such as a ship captain, a merchant, or a native. Geographers consult them but they do not write geography unless they happen to be both.

Ptolemy was a geographer of the middle Roman Empire, an Egyptian. The idea of the continents preceded the imperial Romans but through them reached to modern time to determine today's geographic views, which are enhancements and refinements of the classical. Stating that "continents are bounded more properly, when it is possible, by seas than by rivers," Ptolemy defines a three-continent system: Europe, Libya, Asia. His Libya is the North Africa of today, containing a province, Africa, whose name replaced Libya. Rejecting the [[Nile River]] as the Asian border so as not to split [[Egypt]], Ptolemy designates the [[Red Sea]] as the border between Libya and Asia. In the north, the border between Asia and Europe is a meridian through the mouth of the [[Don River (Russia)|Don River]] northward "to the unknown region."<ref>''Geography'', Book II, Prologue.</ref> [[Anatolia|Asia Minor]] remains "Asia properly so called."<ref>''Geography'', Book V, Chapter 11.</ref>

Ptolemy's Asia extends to the [[Far East]], approximately identical to today's Asia, except that the European border runs through the future location of [[Moscow]], then a wilderness of forest skirted by [[Sarmatia]]n tribesmen. In a striking foreshadowing of [[European Russia|European]] and [[Asian Russia]], [[Sarmatia Europea|European Sarmatia]] lies between the [[Vistula River]] and the [[Don River (Russia)|Don River]], while [[Sarmatia Asiatica|Asiatic Sarmatia]] runs east of the Don to [[Scythia]].<ref>''Geography'', Book V, Chapter 8.</ref>

=== Geologic view ===
{{See also|North Asia#Geomorphology|Geology of India}}
The relatively recent study of [[plate tectonics]] has discovered that Asia has several regions that would be considered distinct landmasses if strictly geologic and tectonic criteria were used (for example, South Asia and East Asia). Definition of ''continental plates'' is the realm of [[geologist]]s. Strictly in terms of geological landmasses or tectonic plates, Europe is a western peninsula of [[Eurasia]] and of the Africa-Eurasia landmass. In the latter, Europe and Asia are parts of the Eurasian Plate, which excludes the Arabian and Indian tectonic plates.

=== Regional view ===
In human geography, there are several schools of thought. The more common school follows historical convention and treats Europe and Asia as different continents, categorizing East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East as specific regions for more detailed analysis. Other schools equate the word "continent" to geographical "region" when referring to Europe and Asia in terms of physical geography. {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

=== Ethnic view ===
In European languages, the term "Asian" more commonly refers to ethnic heritage rather than a strict geographic area. In American English, "Asian" often refers to [[Orientalism|East and Southeast Asians]], while in British English, Asian often refers to South Asians. See the [[List of transcontinental countries]] for further geographic definitions. The term [[Asia–Pacific]] generally refers to a combination of [[East Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]], and islands in the [[Pacific Ocean]] – and most are also considered part of [[Australasia]] or [[Oceania]]. Asia contains the [[Indian subcontinent]], [[Iranian Plateau]], [[Arabian Peninsula]], as well as a piece of the North American plate in Siberia.

== Regions ==
{{Further|Subregion#Asia}}
Since the 18th century, [[Asia]] has been divided into several regions and subregions. There has been no universal consensus on the use of these terms.

The six regions of Asia include:

; [[Central Asia]]
: Commonly understood as comprising the former [[Soviet Central Asia]]n countries of [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], and [[Uzbekistan]].
; [[East Asia]]
: Commonly understood as comprising [[China]], [[Hong Kong]] ([[China]]), [[Japan]], [[Macau]] ([[China]]), [[Mongolia]], [[North Korea]], [[South Korea]], and ''[[Taiwan]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_eas.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602040600/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_eas.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 June 2011|title=East Asia|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref> [[Greater China]] ([[Mainland China]], the two [[special administrative regions of China]], and the [[free area of the Republic of China|Taiwan Area]]) comprises the bulk of this region. [[Mainland China]] can be further subdivided into five smaller subregions: [[China proper]], [[Inner Mongolia]], [[Northeast China]] (a.k.a. [[Manchuria]]), [[Tibet]], and [[Xinjiang]] (a.k.a. [[Chinese Turkestan]] or [[East Turkestan]]). A common synonym for East Asia is [[Northeast Asia]], although some geographers only include the [[Japanese Archipelago]], the [[Korea|Korean Peninsula]], the [[Mongolian Plateau]], and the [[Northeast China Plain]], as well as [[East Siberian Mountains|the mountainous regions]] of the [[Russian Far East]] (a part of [[Siberia]]) in this region.
; [[North Asia]]
: Commonly understood as comprising [[Siberia]] ([[Russia]]), which is also a common synonym for [[North Asia]].
; [[South Asia]]
: Commonly understood as comprising [[Afghanistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan]], the [[British Indian Ocean Territory]] ([[United Kingdom]]), [[India]], [[Maldives]], [[Nepal]], [[Pakistan]], and [[Sri Lanka]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The World Factbook: South Asia |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/south-asia/ |website=Cia.gov |access-date=9 September 2021}}</ref> A common approximate synonym for South Asia is the [[Indian subcontinent]] which excludes [[Afghanistan]].
; [[Southeast Asia]]
: Commonly understood as comprising the [[ASEAN]] countries of [[Brunei]], [[Cambodia]], [[East Timor]], [[Indonesia]], [[Laos]], [[Malaysia]], [[Myanmar]], the [[Philippines]], [[Singapore]], [[Thailand]], and [[Vietnam]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_eas.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602040600/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_eas.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 June 2011|title=Southeast Asia|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref> This region can be further subdivided into two smaller subregions: [[Mainland Southeast Asia]] (a.k.a. the [[Mainland Southeast Asia|Indochinese Peninsula]]) and [[Maritime Southeast Asia]] (a.k.a. the [[Malay Archipelago]]).
; [[West Asia]]
: Commonly understood as comprising ''[[Abkhazia]]'', [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]] ([[United Kingdom]]), [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Bahrain]], [[Cyprus]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Iran]], [[Iraq]], [[Israel]], [[Jordan]], [[Kuwait]], [[Lebanon]], ''[[Northern Cyprus]]'', [[Oman]], [[Palestine]], [[Qatar]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] ([[Egypt]]), ''[[South Ossetia]]'', [[Syria]], [[Turkey]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], and [[Yemen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_mde.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501100605/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_mde.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 May 2011|title=West Asia/Middle East|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref> Common synonyms for West Asia are the [[Middle East]], the [[Near East]], and Southwest Asia. The Middle East generally includes [[Egypt]] (a [[list of transcontinental countries|transcontinental country]] between Africa and Asia) but excludes the [[South Caucasus|South Caucasian]] countries.

== Asia's changing climate ==
{{excerpt|Climate change in Asia}}

== General data for countries defined as Asian by the UNSD ==
The [[United Nations Statistics Division]], charged with collecting statistical data on global regions including Asia, publishes a classification standard, [[UN M.49|United Nations M49]], which assigns code numbers to continental regions, areas and countries, based on statistical purposes,<ref name="millenniumindicators.un.org">{{cite web|url=http://millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm|title=United Nations Statistics Division- Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications (M49)|publisher=[[United Nations Statistics Division]]|access-date=24 July 2010|date=31 October 2013|archive-date=13 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713041240/http://millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the countries and regions grouped together don't imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliations between the grouped countries.<ref name="millenniumindicators.un.org" /> Some general data on the countries listed in M49 for the continental region, Asia (142), and one non-official region, "Northern Asia," are presented below.

M49 is a device for collecting useful statistics for the UNSD and is a suggested reference guide offered as a global standard for all agencies and institutions within the various UN departments that might be interested. The United Nations Statistics Division does not present it as an authoritative standard or as one that is more valid or more worthy of adoption than some other. It is not a requirement for other agencies within the United Nations, which use their own standards as are convenient for their operations.

No nations have adopted M49 as a mandatory standard. It does, however, reflect general usage concerning the political geography of Asia. M49 is updated frequently to reflect changing geopolitical circumstances.

One problematic aspect of the classification of Asia not yet definitively addressed by the Statistics Division is "Northern Asia," which has no regional code and is not currently officially a [[United Nations geoscheme for Asia|region of Asia]]. Russia, or "the Russian Federation," is a nation of Europe. The "Northern Asia" name is unofficially recognized; for example, the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names includes an Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia Division. "Northern Asia"  comes from traditional usage, which divides Europe from Asia at the Ural Mountains. No one at the UN is suggesting that European Russia be included in Asia or that Asian Russia be included in Europe. Their policy is that a nation shall appear once in one region. They have selected Europe. The problem remains unsolved.
<!--{{editnote |NOTE: The countries in this table are categorized according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations etc., and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated. If you have arguments or evidence to the contrary, please provide them on the talk page and wait until the consensus supports making proposed edits. Thank you!}}-->

=== Geopolitical map of Asia ===
The nations of this map with one major exception (and a few minor ones) are those defined by [[The World Factbook]]. Short forms of the names are used; sometimes abbreviations. All the nations can be found in the table below. The one major exception to the scheme is "Russia," not currently officially in the continental region of Asia, but unofficially [[North Asia|partly in it]] even though classified as Europe.

{{Asia.png|width=750|8000px|float=left}}

[[File:1916-Asia-political-map.jpg|thumb|A 1916 political map of Asia by Tarr and McMurry]]

{{Clear}}
<!-- {{editnote|NOTE: If you have arguments or evidence to the contrary, please provide them on the talk page and await until the consensus supports making proposed edits. - to the contrary of what?}} -->

=== Geopolitical data for Asia ===
==== Introduction ====
The countries in this table are categorised mainly, but not entirely, according to the [[UN geoscheme|UNSD scheme for statistical purposes]] used by the [[United Nations Statistics Division]]. For example, the UNSD statistical geoscheme does not recognize a "North Asia," but problematic differences in point of view reach down to the country level elsewhere as well. Part of [[Egypt]] ([[Sinai Peninsula]]) is geographically in West Asia, and the [[States and territories of Australia|Australian external territories]] of [[Christmas Island]] and the [[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]] are often associated with Asia. However, these are not present in the UNSD geoscheme.

There is no universally defined standard Asia. Traditional views are approximate at best. Even today borders are still being defined, as between Indonesia, Australia and Oceania. As long as conflict over territory remains a human trait there may well be "an eastern question," as the British Empire said of the Ottoman Empire.

In evaluating the geographic position of nations of the edge of Asia some writers utilize the amorphous concept of "[[transcontinental countries]],"  which has different meanings to different authorities. Merriam-Webster defines it as "going across a continent," as might a railroad.<ref>{{cite web| title=transcontinental | work=Merriam-Webster Dictionary | url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transcontinental | publisher=m-w.com, Encyclopædia Britannica | access-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> With regard to Asia, there is only one such country, the Russian Federation.

In a second definition, Petrovsky refers to a new tendency to form transcontinental agencies, meaning agencies whose jurisdictions cross continental borders, rather than the whole continent.<ref>{{citation | first=Vladimir | last=Petrovsky | editor-first=Najeeb | editor-last=Al-Nauimi | editor2-first=Richard | editor2-last=Meese | contribution=Preventative & Peace-Making Diplomacy & the Role of International Law in Conflict Resolution | title=International Legal Issues Arising Under the United Nations Decade of International Law | series=Proceedings of the Qatar International Law Conference '94 | location=The Hague, London, Boston | publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers (Kluwer) | year=1995 | page=22}}</ref> Petrovsky's examples put together widely scattered sections of continents. There is no question of their trans- status. More precise views, however, require definitions of continents, which in the case of Asia are not quite so facile.

A third definition emphasizes transformation in place from one continent to another. Fahey at first defines Turkey as transcontinental by virtue of being in both [[Anatolia]] and the Balkans, neglecting the historical circumstance that the Balkans as part of the Ottoman Empire were once Asian, as was much of North Africa. He then hypothesizes that Turkey, accepted into the [[European Union]], is defined by that circumstance to be European.<ref>{{cite book | first=Tony | last=Fahey | editor-last=Immerfall | editor-first=Stefan | editor2-last=Göran | editor2-first=Therborn | year=2009 | title=Handbook of European Societies: Social Transformations in the 21st Century | url=https://archive.org/details/handbookeuropean00imme | url-access=limited | contribution=Population | location=New York | publisher=Springer | page=[https://archive.org/details/handbookeuropean00imme/page/n432 417]}}</ref> By this usage, the very region to which "Asia" was first applied is now Europe. If it is, Turkey cannot be transcontinental by being split between two continents. This sort of paradox only underlines that Asia has no precise definition in the same way that nations do, to whom a mere 100 yards of border may be of great concern.

Data included in the table below are per sources in linked articles when available, the CIA World Factbook when not. No attempt is made to split populations. That of Russia is for the whole country; thus, the populations and areas cannot be summed to produce those of any defined Asia. The notes state which nations might be considered transcontinental by some agency, but there is little agreement generally.

==== Table ====
{|class=wikitable
!Code!!Name of [[subregion|region]] and<br />territory, with [[flag]]
![[List of countries by area|Area]]<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)!![[List of countries by population|Population]]
![[List of countries by population density|Pop. density]]<br />(/km<sup>2</sup>)!!Date!![[Capital (political)|Capital]]
|-
!143!!colspan=6|[[Central Asia]]
|-
|align=center|398||{{KAZ}}{{Cref|b}}
|align=right| 2,724,927 ||align=right| 16,536,000 ||align=right| 6.1
| Jan 2011 ||[[Astana]]
|-
|align=center|417||{{KGZ}}
|align=right| 199,951 ||align=right| 5,587,443 ||align=right| 27.9
| Jul 2011 ||[[Bishkek]]
|-
|align=center|762|| {{TJK}}
|align=right| 143,100 ||align=right| 7,627,200 ||align=right| 53.3
| Jul 2011 ||[[Dushanbe]]
|-
|align=center|795||{{TKM}}
|align=right| 488,100 ||align=right| 4,997,503 ||align=right| 10.2
| Jul 2011 ||[[Ashgabat]]
|-
|align=center|860||{{UZB}}
|align=right| 447,400 ||align=right| 28,128,600 ||align=right| 62.9
| Jul 2011 ||[[Tashkent]]
|-
!030||colspan=6|[[East Asia|Eastern Asia]]
|-
|align=center|156||{{CHN}}{{Cref|g}}{{Cref|h}}
|align=right| 9,640,821 ||align=right| 1,322,044,605 ||align=right| 134.0
| ||[[Beijing]]
|-
|align=center|344||''{{HKG}}''{{Cref|g}}
|align=right| 1,104 ||align=right| 7,122,508 ||align=right| 6,451.5
|Jul 2011||—
|-
|align=center|392||{{JPN}}
|align=right| 377,947 ||align=right| 127,920,000 ||align=right| 338.5
|Jul 2011||[[Tokyo]]
|-
|align=center|408||{{PRK}}
|align=right| 120,540 ||align=right| 23,479,095 ||align=right| 184.4
| ||[[Pyongyang]]
|-
|align=center|410||{{KOR}}
|align=right| 98,480 ||align=right| 49,232,844 ||align=right| 490.7
| ||[[Seoul]]
|-
|align=center|446||''{{MAC}}''{{Cref|g}}
|align=right| 25 ||align=right| 460,823 ||align=right| 18,473.3
| ||—
|-
|align=center|496||{{MNG}}
|align=right| 1,565,000 ||align=right| 2,996,082 ||align=right| 1.7
| ||[[Ulaanbaatar]]
|-
|align=center|158||{{TWN}}{{Cref|g}}
|align=right| 35,980 ||align=right| 22,920,946 ||align=right| 626.7
| ||[[Taipei]]
|-
!N/A||colspan=6|[[North Asia|Northern Asia]]
|-
|align=center|643||{{RUS}}<ref>Russia is a [[List of transcontinental countries|transcontinental country]] located in [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Northern Asia]], but is considered European historically, culturally, ethnically, and politically, and the vast majority of its population (78%) lives within its [[European Russia|European part]].</ref>
|align=right| 13,119,600 ||align=right| 37,630,081 ||align=right| 2.9
| ||[[Moscow]]<ref>Moscow is located in [[Europe]].</ref>
|-
!035||colspan=6|[[Southeast Asia|Southeastern Asia]]
|-
|align=center|096||{{BRN}}
|align=right| 5,770 ||align=right| 381,371 ||align=right| 66.1
| ||[[Bandar Seri Begawan]]
|-
|align=center|104||{{MMR}}
|align=right| 676,578 ||align=right| 68,758,224 || align="right" | 70.3
| Jul 2022||[[Naypyidaw]]
|-
|align=center|116||{{KHM}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.go.jp/english/info/meetings/cambodia/pdf/pre_rep1.pdf |title=General Population Census of Cambodia 2008 – Provisional population totals, National Institute of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, released 3rd September 2008 |access-date=1 June 2010}}</ref>
|align=right| 181,035 ||align=right| 13,388,910 ||align=right| 74
| ||[[Phnom Penh]]
|-
|align=center|360||{{IDN}}{{Cref|c}}
|align=right| 1,919,440 ||align=right| 230,512,000 ||align=right| 120.1
| ||[[Jakarta]]
|-
|align=center|418||{{LAO}}
|align=right| 236,800 ||align=right| 6,677,534 ||align=right| 28.2
| ||[[Vientiane]]
|-
|align=center|458||{{MYS}}
|align=right| 329,847 ||align=right| 27,780,000 ||align=right| 84.2
| ||[[Kuala Lumpur]]
|-
|align=center|608||{{PHL}}
|align=right| 343,448 ||align=right| 92,681,453 ||align=right| 308.9
| ||[[Manila]]
|-
|align=center|702||{{SGP}}
|align=right| 704 ||align=right| 4,608,167 ||align=right| 6,545.7
| ||[[Singapore]]
|-
|align=center|764||{{THA}}
|align=right| 514,000 ||align=right| 65,493,298 ||align=right| 127.4
| ||[[Bangkok]]
|-
|align=center|626||{{TLS}}{{Cref|c}}
|align=right| 15,007 ||align=right| 1,108,777 ||align=right| 73.8
| ||[[Dili]]
|-
|align=center|704||{{VNM}}
|align=right| 331,690 ||align=right| 86,116,559 ||align=right| 259.6
| ||[[Hanoi]]
|-
!034||colspan=6|[[South Asia|Southern Asia]]
|-
|align=center|004||{{AFG}}{{Cref|j}}
|align=right| 647,500 ||align=right| 32,738,775 ||align=right| 42.9
| ||[[Kabul]]
|-
|align=center|050||{{BGD}}
|align=right| 147,570 ||align=right| 153,546,901 ||align=right| 1040.5
| ||[[Dhaka]]
|-
|align=center|064||{{BTN}}
|align=right| 38,394 ||align=right| 682,321 ||align=right| 17.8
| ||[[Thimphu]]
|-
|align=center|356||{{IND}}{{Cref|h}}
|align=right| 3,287,263 ||align=right| 1,147,995,226 ||align=right| 349.2
| ||[[New Delhi]]
|-
|align=center|462||{{MDV}}
|align=right| 300 ||align=right| 379,174 ||align=right| 1,263.3
| ||[[Malé]]
|-
|align=center|524||{{NPL}}
|align=right| 147,181 ||align=right| 29,519,114 ||align=right| 200.5
| ||[[Kathmandu]]
|-
|align=center|586||{{PAK}}{{Cref|g}}
|align=right| 881,913 || align="right" |207,774,520 || align="right" | 244.4
| ||[[Islamabad]]
|-
|align=center|144||{{LKA}}
|align=right| 65,610 ||align=right| 21,128,773 ||align=right| 322.0
| ||[[Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte]]
|-
!145||colspan=6|[[West Asia]]
|-
|align=center|051||{{ARM}}{{Cref|e}}
|align=right|29,800 ||align=right|3,299,000 ||align=right|280.7
| ||[[Yerevan]]
|-
|align=center|031||{{AZE}}{{Cref|a}}{{Cref|b}}
|align=right| 86,660 ||align=right| 8,845,127 ||align=right| 102.736
| ||[[Baku]]
|-
|align=center|048||{{BHR}}
|align=right| 665 ||align=right| 718,306 ||align=right| 987.1
| ||[[Manama]]
|-
|align=center|196||{{CYP}}{{Cref|e}}
|align=right| 9,250 ||align=right| 792,604 ||align=right| 83.9
| ||[[Nicosia]]
|-
|align=center|818||{{EGY}}{{Cref|f}}
|align=right| 60,000 ||align=right| 600,000 ||align=right| 10
| ||[[Cairo]]<ref>Cairo is located in [[Africa]].</ref>
|-
|align=center|268||{{GEO}}{{Cref|a}}
|align=right| 69,700 ||align=right| 4,636,400 ||align=right| 65.1
| ||[[Tbilisi]]
|-
|align=center|364||{{IRN}}<!--{{editnote | NOTE: Do not alter or move this entry without discussion -- in the UN scheme for countries/regions (used in the table), Iran is in South Asia, not West Asia.}}-->
|align=right| 1,648,195 ||align=right| 70,472,846 ||align=right| 42.8
| ||[[Tehran]]
|-
|align=center|368||{{IRQ}}
|align=right| 437,072 ||align=right| 28,221,181 ||align=right| 54.9
| ||[[Baghdad]]
|-
|align=center|376||{{ISR}}
|align=right| 20,770 ||align=right| 7,112,359 ||align=right| 290.3
| ||[[Jerusalem]]{{Cref|i}}
|-
|align=center|400||{{JOR}}
|align=right| 92,300 ||align=right| 6,198,677 ||align=right| 57.5
| ||[[Amman]]
|-
|align=center|414||{{KWT}}
|align=right| 17,820 ||align=right| 2,596,561 ||align=right| 118.5
| ||[[Kuwait City]]
|-
|align=center|422||{{LBN}}
|align=right| 10,452 ||align=right| 3,971,941 ||align=right| 353.6
| ||[[Beirut]]
|-
|align=center|512||{{OMN}}
|align=right| 212,460 ||align=right| 3,311,640 ||align=right| 12.8
| ||[[Muscat, Oman|Muscat]]
|-
|align=center|275||{{flag|State of Palestine}}
|align=right| 6,257 ||align=right| 4,277,000 ||align=right| 683.5
| ||[[Ramallah]]
|-
|align=center|634||{{QAT}}
|align=right| 11,437 ||align=right| 928,635 ||align=right| 69.4
| ||[[Doha]]
|-
|align=center|682||{{SAU}}
|align=right| 1,960,582 ||align=right| 23,513,330 ||align=right| 12.0
| ||[[Riyadh]]
|-
|align=center|760||{{SYR}}
|align=right| 185,180 ||align=right| 19,747,586 ||align=right| 92.6
| ||[[Damascus]]
|-
|align=center|792||{{TUR}}{{Cref|a}}{{Cref|b}}
|align=right| 783,356|| align="right" | 84,680,273|| align="right" |110
| ||[[Ankara]]
|-
|align=center|784||{{UAE}}
|align=right| 82,880 ||align=right| 4,621,399 ||align=right| 29.5
| ||[[Abu Dhabi]]
|-
|align=center|887||{{YEM}}
|align=right| 527,970 ||align=right| 23,013,376 ||align=right| 35.4
| ||[[Sanaá]]
|-
!align=center|142!!Asia
!align=right| 43,810,582 !!align=right| 4,162,966,086 !!align=right| 89.07
! !!—
|}

==== Table notes ====
{{Cnote|a|[[Azerbaijan]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and [[Turkey]] are often considered to be [[List of countries spanning more than one continent|transcontinental countries]], spanning both Asia and Europe. Many organisations, such as the [[BBC]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/europe |title=News Europe |publisher=BBC |access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref> place them in [[Europe]], while others such as the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_mde.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501100605/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/wfbExt/region_mde.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 May 2011 |title=Middle East |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref> include them in Asia, [[West Asia]] and the [[Middle East]] to be precise. All are included in European organisations such as the [[Council of Europe]]<ref name="CoE">{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/aboutCoe/index.asp?page=47pays1europe&l=en |title=47 countries, one Europe |publisher=[[Council of Europe]] |access-date=5 April 2011}}</ref> and are considered to be European, and thus eligible to join, by the [[European Union]].<ref name="EU">{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/others/index_en.htm |title=European countries |publisher=[[European Union]] |access-date=5 April 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715172926/http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/index_en.htm |archive-date=15 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
{{Cnote|b|[[Azerbaijan]], [[Kazakhstan]], and [[Turkey]] are considered split by some between two continents: Azerbaijan north of the Caucasus, Kazakhstan west of the Ural River and Turkey west of the Bosphorus might be construed as in Europe. Only national data is presented. Splitting a nation would be more problematic; for example, the Ural River is not a well-defined boundary in places; moreover, some geopolitical units straddle it. The UN convention is followed here, which does not define any transcontinental regions.}}
{{Cnote|c|[[Indonesia]] is often considered a transcontinental country with territory in both Asia and [[Oceania]], and [[East Timor]] can be placed in either Asia or Oceania. Population and area figures for Indonesia do not include [[Irian Jaya]] and [[Maluku Islands]], frequently reckoned in Oceania.}}
{{Cnote|d|Russia is considered a transcontinental country with territory in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia; population and area figures are for the [[Ural Federal District]], [[Siberian Federal District]] and [[Far Eastern Federal District]] of Russia, which belong to Asia.}}
{{Cnote|e|The island of [[Cyprus]] is located on the Asian [[Anatolian Plate]],<ref name="wdowinski">{{cite journal |author=Shimon Wdowinski |author2=Zvi Ben-Avraham |author2-link=Zvi Ben-Avraham |author3=Ronald Arvidsson |author4=Goran Ekström |title=Seismotectonics of the Cyprian Arc |journal=Geophysical Journal International |volume=164 |issue=164 |pages=176–181 |year=2006 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-246X.2005.02737.x |bibcode=2006GeoJI.164..176W |doi-access=free }}</ref> but is a member of European organisations such as the Council of Europe<ref name="CoE" /> and the European Union.<ref name="EU" /> [[Armenia]] is similarly located fully within Asia, but is a member of the Council of Europe.<ref name="CoE" />}}
{{Cnote|f|[[Egypt]] is often considered a transcontinental country with territory in North Africa and West Asia; population and area figures are for the [[Sinai Peninsula]], which belongs to Asia.}}
{{Cnote|g|[[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] are [[Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China|Special Administrative Regions]] (SAR) of [[China]]. [[Taiwan]] (officially the Republic of China) is a ''de facto'' [[Sovereign state|state]] [[Political status of Taiwan|claimed]] by the PRC. Figures given for China do not include these areas.}}
{{Cnote|h|The area of [[India]] includes [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], a disputed territory contested between India, [[Pakistan]], and [[China]].}}
{{Cnote|i|In 1980, [[Jerusalem]] was proclaimed Israel's united capital, following its annexation of Arab-dominant [[East Jerusalem]] during the [[Six-Day War|1967 Six-Day War]]. The [[United Nations]] and many countries do not recognize this claim, with most countries maintaining embassies in [[Tel Aviv]] instead.}}
{{Cnote|j|[[Afghanistan]] is also considered to be a Central Asian country. It only joined the [[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation]] in 2007.}}

== Regional maps of Asia ==
{| class="mw-collapsible toccolours" align="center"
| style="background:#f8eaba; text-align:center;"|
{{center|
; Regional maps of Asia
}}
|-
|<gallery>
File:Map of Asia.png|Map of Asia
File:Caucasus regions map2.svg|Map of the Caucasus
File:Map of Central Asia.png|Map of Central Asia
File:Map of East Asia.png|Map of East Asia
File:Map of Middle East.png|Map of the Middle East
File:Map of South Asia.png|Map of South Asia
File:Map of Southeast Asia.png|Map of Southeast Asia
</gallery>
|}

== See also ==
{{portal|Asia}}
* [[List of Asian countries by population]]
* [[United Nations geoscheme for Asia]]
* [[Indo-Pacific]]
* [[Asia-Pacific]]
* [[Pacific Rim]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Geography of Asia}}
* {{cite web | title=Estimated Population Densities | url=http://www.grida.no/prog/global/cgiar/images/asia.gif | publisher=[[UNEP/GRID-Arendal]] | access-date=13 July 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182931/http://www.grida.no/prog/global/cgiar/images/asia.gif | archive-date=3 March 2016 | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web | title=The Soil Maps of Asia | url=http://eusoils.jrc.it/esdb_archive/EuDASM/asia/indexes/map.htm | work=European Digital Archives of Soil Maps – EuDASM | publisher=European Commission Joint Research Centre | access-date=20 July 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013083603/http://eusoils.jrc.it/esdb_archive/EuDASM/Asia/indexes/map.htm | archive-date=13 October 2008 | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web | title=Asia Maps | work=Perry–Castañeda Library Map Collection | url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/asia.html | publisher=University of Texas Libraries | access-date=20 July 2011}}
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