Asia is the largest and most populous continent, spanning over 44 million km² across the eastern portion of Eurasia. It contains 49 UN member states and one UN observer state, with diverse cultures, religions, and climates ranging from equatorial to subarctic. The continent was the birthplace of most of the world's major religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and others. It shares the landmass of Eurasia with Europe, with the border between the two being a historical and cultural construct rather than a clear geographic division.
Asia is the world's largest continent both by land area and population, comprising approximately 30% of Earth's total land area and home to about 60% of the global population. The continent extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Indian and Pacific Oceans in the south, covering diverse geographic regions including East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia. It contains some of the world's largest and most influential economies, including China and India, which have traded positions as the largest economies throughout history. Asia exhibits tremendous diversity across ethnic groups, cultures, environments, and government systems, with climates ranging from equatorial in the south to subarctic in the north.
