| Revision as of 00:06, 17 October 2011 view sourceChipmunkdavis (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers66,852 editsm Reverted edits by Johnmarston101 (talk) to last version by ClueBot NG← Previous edit | Revision as of 16:19, 17 October 2011 view source 166.205.14.75 (talk) ←Replaced content with 'Asia is famous for their sushi, bad drivers, and yellow toned skin. Their accents are rather silly and have very narrow eyes. They also say their "L's" like ...'Tag: blankingNext edit → | ||
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| Asia is famous for their sushi, bad drivers, and yellow toned skin. Their accents are rather silly and have very narrow eyes. They also say their "L's" like "R's". | |||
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| {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2011}} | |||
| {{Other uses}}{{Infobox Continent | |||
| |image = ] | |||
| |area = {{convert|44579000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}<ref name=NG264>{{cite book | publisher=National Geographic Society (U.S.) | title= National Geographic Family Reference Atlas of the World | location=Washington, D.C. | year=2006 | page=264}}</ref> | |||
| |population = 3,879,000,000 (])<ref name=wa>{{cite web | url=http://www.worldatlas.com/geoquiz/thelist.htm | title=Continents of the World | work=The List | publisher=Worldatlas.com | accessdate=25 July 2011}}</ref> | |||
| |density = 87/km<sup>2</sup> (225/sq mi) | |||
| |demonym = ] | |||
| |countries = 48 | |||
| |list_countries = List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Asia | |||
| |dependencies = | |||
| {{Collapsible list | |||
| | title = {{voidd}} | |||
| | frame_style = border: none; padding: 0; | |||
| | list_style = display: none; | |||
| | 1 = ] | 2 = ] | 3 = ] | 4 = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| |unrecognized = | |||
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| | list_style = display: none; | |||
| | 1 = ] | 2 = ] | 3 = ] | 4 = ] | 5 = ] | |||
| | 6 = ] | 7 = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| |languages = ] | |||
| |time = ] to ] | |||
| |internet = ] | |||
| |cities = ] | |||
| {{Collapsible list | |||
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| | 1 = Tokyo | 2 = ] | 3 = ] | 4 = ]| 5 = ] | 6 = ] | |||
| | 7 = Shanghai | 8 = ] | 9 = Hong Kong | 10 = ] | 11= ] | 12 = ] | |||
| | 13 = Beijing | 14 = ] | 15 = ] | 16 = ] | 17 = ] | 18 = ] | 19 = ] | 20 = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Asia''' is the world's largest and most populous ], located primarily in the ] and ]s. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land area) and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current ]. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://www.economist.com/diversions/millennium/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=346605 | title=Like herrings in a barrel | journal=The Economist | date=23 December 1999 | issue=Millenium issue: Population | publisher=The ''Economist'' online, The Economist Group}}.</ref> | |||
| Asia is defined according to similar definitions presented by the ]<ref name=Britannica>{{cite encyclopedia | title=Asia | url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110518/Asia | encyclopedia=eb.com, ] | year=2006 | location=Chicago | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.}}</ref> and the ]<ref name="NatlGeoAtlas">{{cite book|title=National Geographic Atlas of the World|edition=7th|year=1999|location=Washington, DC|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-7922-7528-2}} "Europe" (pp. 68–9); "Asia" (pp. 90–1): "A commonly accepted division between Asia and Europe is formed by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and Dardanelles."</ref> as 4/5 of the ] of ] – with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe – located to the east of the ], east of the ] and south of the ] (or the ]) and the ] and ]s. It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. Given its size and diversity, Asia – a ] dating back to ] – "is more a ]" incorporating diverse regions and peoples than a ]<ref name=McG-H>{{cite web | title=Asia | url=http://accessscience.com/abstract.aspx?id=054800&referURL=http%3a%2f%2faccessscience.com%2fcontent.aspx%3fid%3d054800 | work=AccessScience | publisher=McGraw-Hill | accessdate=26 July 2011}}</ref> Asia differs very widely among and within ] with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and government systems. | |||
| == Definition and boundaries == | |||
| <!--This is referenced by Geography of Asia - leave if possible - thanks.--> | |||
| ===Three-continent system of the Greek geographers=== | |||
| ] of Asia and surrounding landmasses.]] | |||
| The original distinction between Europe and Asia was made by the ]s. They used the ], the ], the ], the ], the ], the ], and the ] as the border between Asia and Europe. The ] was often used as the border between Asia and Africa (then called Libya), although some Greek geographers suggested the ] would form a better boundary. ]' canal between the Nile and the Red Sea introduced considerable variation in opinion. Under the ], the ] emptying into the Black Sea was the western border of Asia. It was the northernmost navigable point of the European shore. | |||
| ===The Europe-Asia boundary=== | |||
| The Don River became unsatisfactory to northern Europeans when ], king of the ], defeating rival claims of ] and the ] to the eastern lands, and armed resistance by the tribes of ], synthesized a new ] extending to the ] and beyond, founded in 1721. The major geographical theorist of the empire was actually a former Swedish prisoner-of-war, taken at the ] in 1709 and assigned to ], where he associated with Peter's Siberian official, ], and was allowed freedom to conduct geographical and anthropological studies in preparation for a future book. | |||
| At home in Sweden again, five years after Peter's death, in 1730 von Strahlenberg published a new atlas proposing the Urals as the border of Asia. The Russians were enthusiastic about the concept, which allowed them to keep their European identity in geography as well as other cultural heritage. Tatishchev announced that he had proposed the idea to von Strahlenberg. The latter had suggested the ] as the lower boundary. Over the next century various proposals were made until the ] prevailed in the mid-19th-century. The border had been moved perforce from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea into which the Ural River projects.<ref>{{harvnb|Lewis|Wigen|1997|pp=27–28}}</ref> In the maps of the period, ] was counted as Asian. The incorporation of most of that region into the ] tended to push views of the border to the south. | |||
| ===The Oceania-Asia boundary=== | |||
| The border between Asia and Oceania is placed somewhere in the ]. The terms Southeast Asia and Oceania, devised in the 19th century, have had vastly different geographic meanings since their inception. Oceania has never been Asia, whatever it may have been defined to be. The chief factor in determining what islands of the Malay Archipelago are Asian has been the location of the colonial possessions of the various empires there (not all European). Lewis and Wigen assert, "The narrowing of 'Southeast Asia' to its present boundaries was thus a gradual process."<ref name="Myth">{{harvnb | Lewis | Wigen | 1997 | pp=170–173}}</ref> Currently ] and ] with the ] of ] are in Southeast Asia (although the New Guinea territory of Indonesia is being disputed by the natives). | |||
| ===The ongoing process of definition=== | |||
| Geographical Asia is a cultural artifact, an imprecise concept causing endemic contention about what it means. In contrast to Europe, Asia is the largest and most culturally diverse of the continents in the seven-continent system.<ref>{{harvnb|Lewis|Wigen|1997|pp=36–37}}</ref> It does not exactly correspond to the cultural borders of its various types of constituents.<ref>{{harvnb|Lewis|Wigen|1997|pp=7–9}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| In addition to its general inherited geographical meaning, to which the entire literate world subscribes, Asia has any number of agency-specific meanings organizationally and operationally of use in more restricted fields of interest. For example, the World University Service of Canada is a volunteer organization dedicated to bringing educational, health and other services to nations that need them the most. The regional divisions most convenient to its operations include, among others, the Middle East and Europe, and South and Southeast Asia, termed just "Asia."<ref>{{cite web | title=WUSC in Asia: Map | url=http://www.wusc.ca/en/overseas/asia/map_asia | publisher=WUSC | accessdate=27 July 2011}}</ref> Its administrative Asia is substantially different from the overall geographic and the same may be said of many hundreds more agencies across the globe that operate in Asia from headquarters elsewhere. Some of the most innovative and perhaps the most transitory uses of "Asia" have been promulgated by the news media reporting on current events. Their classifications must be the most suitable for the news and the sources of it. For example, the ] News has an Asia-Pacific section, which acquires news from anywhere in ], Oceania or the Pacific side of the Americas.<ref>{{cite news | title=Asia-Pacific | work=BBC Mobile News | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/asia_pacific/ |publisher=BBC | accessdate=28 July 2011}}</ref> | |||
| ===Supercontinent=== | |||
| From the time of ] a minority of geographers have rejected the three-continent system (Europe, Africa, Asia) on the grounds that there is no or is no substantial physical separation between them.<ref name=McG-H /> For example, Sir ], the emeritus professor of European archeology at Oxford, argues that Europe has been geographically and culturally merely "the western excrescence of the continent of Asia."<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200812/editors-choice |title=Geography Is Destiny | first=Benjamin | last=Schwartz | journal=The Atlantic | date=December 2008 |publisher=Atlantic Magazine}}</ref> Geographically, Asia is the major eastern constituent of the continent of ] with Europe being a northwestern ] of the landmass – or of ]; geologically, Asia, Europe and Africa make up a single continuous landmass (except for the Suez Canal) and share a common ]. Almost all of Europe and most of Asia sit atop the ], adjoined on the south by the ] and ] and with the easternmost part of Siberia (east of the ]) on the ]. | |||
| {{details3|], ], ] and ]|Asian borders}} | |||
| == Etymology == | |||
| ] | |||
| The place name, Asia, in various forms in a large number of modern languages is of unknown ultimate provenience. Its etymology and language of origin are uncertain. It appears to be one of the most ancient of recorded names. A number of theories have been published. English Asia can be traced through the formation of English literature to Latin literature, where it has the same form, Asia. Whether all uses and all forms of the name derive also from the Latin of the ] is much less certain. | |||
| ==="Asia" in classical antiquity=== | |||
| Latin Asia and Greek Ἀσία appear to be the same word. Roman authors translated Ἀσία as Asia. The Romans named a province Asia, which was in the location of the then Asia. There was an Asia Minor and an Asia Maior (Iraq), of which the name of Minor survived. As the earliest evidence of the name is Greek, it is likely circumstantially that Asia came from Ἀσία, but ancient transitions, due to the lack of literary contexts, are difficult to catch in the act. The most likely vehicles were the ancient geographers and historians, such as ], who were all Greek. Roman civilization Hellenized extensively. ] certainly evidences early and rich uses of the name.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D*%29asi%2Fa | title=Ἀσία | author=Henry George Liddell | coauthors=Robert Scott; Henry Stuart Jones; Roderick McKenzie | encyclopedia=A Greek-English Lexicon | year=2007 | location=Medford | publisher=Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University | origyear=1940}}</ref> | |||
| The first continental use of Asia is attributed to ] (about 440 BC), not because he innovated it, but because his ''Histories'' are the earliest surviving prose to describe it in any detail. He defines it carefully,<ref>Book IV, Articles 37–40.</ref> mentioning the previous geographers whom he had read, but whose works are now missing. By it he means ] and the ], in contrast to ] and ]. Herodotus comments that he is puzzled as to why three women's names were "given to a tract which is in reality one" (], ], and ], referring to Africa), stating that most Greeks assumed that Asia was named after the wife of ] (i.e. ]), but that the ]ns say it was named after Asies, son of Cotys, who passed the name on to a tribe at ].<ref>Book IV, Article 45.</ref> In ], "Asia" (''Ἀσία'') or "Asie" (''Ἀσίη'') was the name of a "] or ] goddess of ]."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NympheAsie.html | title=Asie | work=Encyclopedia: Greek Gods, Spirits, Monsters | publisher=Theoi Greek Mythology, Exploring Mythology in Classical Literature and Art | date=2000-2011}}</ref> | |||
| Herodotus' geographical puzzlement was perhaps only a form of disagreement, as, having read the earlier Greek poetry along with everyone else literate, he would have known perfectly well why places received female names. Athens, Mycenae, Thebes and many other locations in fact had them. In ancient Greek religion, places were under the care of female divinities, parallel to guardian angels. The poets detailed their doings and generations in allegoric language salted with entertaining stories, which subsequently playwrights transformed into classical Greek drama and became "Greek mythology." | |||
| For example, ] mentions the daughters of ] and ], among whom are a "holy company", "who with the Lord ] and the Rivers have youths in their keeping."<ref>''Theogony'', Line 345 ff.</ref> Many of these are geographic: Doris, Rhodea, Europa, Asia. Hesiod explains:<ref>''Theogony'', Line 364ff.</ref><blockquote>"For there are three-thousand neat-ankled daughters of Ocean who are dispersed far and wide, and in every place alike serve the earth and the deep waters."</blockquote> The ] (attributed by the ancient Greeks to ]) mentions two Phrygians (the tribe that replaced the ] in ]) in the ] named ] (an adjective meaning "Asian");<ref>Μ95, Π717.</ref> and also a marsh or lowland containing a marsh in Lydia as ασιος.<ref>Β461.</ref> | |||
| ==="Asia" in the Bronze Age=== | |||
| Before Greek poetry, the ] area was in a ], at the beginning of which syllabic writing was lost and alphabetic writing had not begun. Prior to then in the ] the records of the ], the ] and the various ] states of Greece mention a region undoubtedly Asia, certainly in Anatolia, including if not identical to ]. These records are administrative and do not include poetry. | |||
| The Mycenaean states were destroyed about 1200 BC by unknown agents although one school of thought assigns the ] to this time. The burning of the palaces baked clay diurnal administrative records written in a Greek syllabic script called ], deciphered by a number of interested parties, most notably by a young World War II cryptographer, ], subsequently assisted by the scholar, ]. A major cache discovered by ] at the site of ancient ] included hundreds of male and female names formed by different methods. | |||
| Some of these are of women held in servitude (as study of the society implied by the content reveals). They were used in trades, such as cloth-making, and usually came with children. The epithet, lawiaiai, "captives," associated with some of them identifies their origin. Some are ethnic names. One in particular, aswiai, identifies "women of Asia."<ref>{{harvnb|Ventris|Chadwick|1973|p=536}}.</ref> Perhaps they were captured in Asia, but some others, Milatiai, appear to have been of ], a Greek colony, which would not have been raided for slaves by Greeks. Chadwick suggests that the names record the locations where these foreign women were purchased.<ref>{{harvnb|Ventris|Chadwick|1973|p=410}}</ref> The name is also in the singular, Aswia, which refers both to the name of a country and to a female of it. There is a masculine form, aswios. This Aswia appears to have been a remnant of a region known to the Hittites as Assuwa, centered on Lydia, or "Roman Asia." | |||
| Alternatively, the ] of the term may be from the ] word ''{{Unicode|(w)aṣû(m)}}'', which means 'to go outside' or 'to ascend', referring to the direction of the sun at sunrise in the Middle East and also likely connected with the Phoenician word ''asa'' meaning east. This may be contrasted to a similar etymology proposed for ''Europe'', as being from Akkadian ''erēbu(m)'' 'to enter' or 'set' (of the sun). | |||
| T.R. Reid supports this alternative etymology, noting that the ancient Greek name must have derived from ''asu'', meaning 'east' in ]n (''ereb'' for ''Europe'' meaning 'west').<ref name="reid">Reid, T.R. ''Confucius Lives Next Door: What living in the East teaches us about living in the west'' Vintage Books(1999).</ref> The ideas of ''Occidental'' (form ] ''Occidens'' 'setting') and ''Oriental'' (from Latin ''Oriens'' for 'rising') are also European invention, synonymous with ''Western'' and ''Eastern''.<ref name="reid"/> Reid further emphasizes that it explains the Western point of view of placing all the peoples and cultures of Asia into a single classification, almost as if there were a need for setting the distinction between Western and ] on the ]n continent.<ref name="reid"/> Ogura Kazuo and Tenshin Okakura are two outspoken Japanese figures on the subject.<ref name="reid"/> | |||
| Also, ''Assuwa'' has been suggested as the origin for the name of the continent "Asia".<ref>"Bossert, Helmut T., ''Asia'', Istanbul, 1946.''</ref> The ] was a confederation of states in western Anatolia, defeated by the ] under ] around 1400 BC. | |||
| {{details3|]| Asia in classical antiquity}} | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{Main|History of Asia}} | |||
| The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions: East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, linked by the interior mass of the Central Asian ]. | |||
| ] connected many civilizations across Asia<ref></ref>]] | |||
| The coastal periphery was home to some of the world's earliest known civilizations, each of them developing around fertile river valleys. The civilizations in ], the ] and the ] shared many similarities. These civilizations may well have exchanged technologies and ideas such as ] and the wheel. Other innovations, such as writing, seem to have been developed individually in each area. Cities, states and empires developed in these lowlands. | |||
| The central steppe region had long been inhabited by horse-mounted nomads who could reach all areas of Asia from the steppes. The earliest postulated expansion out of the steppe is that of the ], who spread their languages into the Middle East, South Asia, and the borders of China, where the ] resided. The northernmost part of Asia, including much of ], was largely inaccessible to the steppe nomads, owing to the dense forests, climate and ]. These areas remained very sparsely populated. | |||
| The center and the peripheries were mostly kept separated by mountains and deserts. The ] and ] mountains and the ] and ] deserts formed barriers that the steppe horsemen could cross only with difficulty. While the urban city dwellers were more advanced technologically and socially, in many cases they could do little in a military aspect to defend against the mounted hordes of the steppe. However, the lowlands did not have enough open grasslands to support a large horsebound force; for this and other reasons, the nomads who conquered states in China, India, and the Middle East often found themselves adapting to the local, more affluent societies. | |||
| The Islamic ] took over the Middle East and Central Asia during the ] of the 7th century. The ] conquered a large part of Asia in the 13th century, an area extending from China to Europe. | |||
| ==Geography== | |||
| {{Expand section|date=July 2011}} | |||
| {{main|Geography of Asia}} | |||
| ] is the study of the major divisions of a specified region, here Asia. Most anciently it described the major ] subdivisions, but more recently includes other bases, such as geology. | |||
| == Economy == | |||
| {{Main|Economy of Asia}} | |||
| ] has one of the ] and is the world's fourth largest ] trading centre.]] | |||
| Asia has the second largest ] GDP of all continents, after Europe, but the largest when measured in ]. As of 2010, the largest economies in Asia are the People's Republic of China, Japan, ], South Korea and ]. Based on Global Office Locations 2011, Asia dominated the office locations with 4 of top 5 were in Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, London and Shanghai. Around 68 percent of international firms have office in Hong Kong.<ref>http://www.cfoinnovation.com/content/hong-kong-singapore-tokyo-worlds-top-office-destinations</ref> | |||
| In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the economies of the PRC<ref>, Legal Issues of Economic Integration, Kluwer Law International, Volume 33, Number 3, pp. 263–304, 2006. by </ref> and India have been growing rapidly, both with an average annual growth rate of more than 8%. Other recent very high growth nations in Asia include ], Indonesia, ], Thailand, ], Mongolia, ], Cyprus and the ], and mineral-rich nations such as ], Turkmenistan, ], Brunei, ], Qatar, ], Saudi Arabia, ] and ]. | |||
| China was the ] on earth for much of recorded history,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/SRR/Volume14/nalapat.html |title=Professor M.D. Nalapat. Ensuring China's "Peaceful Rise". Accessed January 30, 2008 |publisher=Bharat-rakshak.com |date=2001-09-11 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED460052&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED460052 |title=Dahlman, Carl J; Aubert, Jean-Eric. China and the Knowledge Economy: Seizing the 21st century. WBI Development Studies. World Bank Publications. Accessed January 30, 2008 |publisher=Eric.ed.gov |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_PNTJQTR |title=The Real Great Leap Forward. The Economist. Sept 30, 2004 |work=The Economist |date=2004-09-30 |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref><ref></ref> until the ] (excluding ]) overtook it in the mid 19th century. Japan has had for only several decades after WW2 the largest economy in Asia and second-largest of any single nation in the world, after surpassing the ] (measured in net material product) in 1986 and Germany in 1968. (NB: A number of supernational economies are larger, such as the ] (EU), the ] (NAFTA) or ]). | |||
| In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Japan's GDP was almost as large (current exchange rate method) as that of the rest of Asia combined.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} In 1995, Japan's economy nearly equaled that of the USA as the largest economy in the world for a day, after the Japanese currency reached a record high of 79 ]/US$. Economic growth in Asia since World War II to the 1990s had been concentrated in Japan as well as the four regions of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore located in the ], known as the ], which have now all received developed country status, having the highest ] in Asia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emergingdragon.com/ |title=Rise of Japan and 4 Asian Tigers from |publisher=emergingdragon.com |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> | |||
| ] is one of the most populous cities on the continent, is a hub for infrastructure & tourism and plays a crucial role in the ]]] | |||
| It is forecasted that ] will overtake Japan in terms of nominal GDP by 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbcglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=507|title=Commonwealth Business Council-Asia|accessdate=12 April 2007|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070728122032/http%3A//www.cbcglobal.org/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D84%26Itemid%3D507 |archivedate = 28 July 2007|deadurl=yes}}</ref> In terms of GDP per capita, both nominal and PPP-adjusted, South Korea will become the second wealthiest country in Asia by 2025, overtaking Germany, the United Kingdom and France. According to IMF statistics for the year 2010, the mostly unrecognized ] PPP-adjusted GDP per capita, at USD 34,743, is already higher than that of Finland, France, or Japan.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} By 2027, according to ], China will have the largest economy in the world. Several trade blocs exist, with the most developed being the ]. | |||
| Asia is the largest continent in the world by a considerable margin, and it is rich in natural resources, such as petroleum, forests, fish, water, rice, copper and silver. Manufacturing in Asia has traditionally been strongest in East and Southeast Asia, particularly in the ] (PRC), Taiwan, ], Japan, India, Philippines and ]. Japan and ] continue to dominate in the area of ], but increasingly the PRC and India are making significant inroads. Many companies from Europe, North America, South Korea and Japan have operations in Asia's developing countries to take advantage of its abundant supply of cheap labour and relatively developed infrastructure. | |||
| According to ] 9 of 11 ] countries came from Asia driven by population and income growth. They are ], the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, ], Mongolia, Philippines, ] and Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sme.com.ph/sme-news/news.php?newsid=2324 |title=Philippine potential cited |publisher=sme.com.ph |date=24 February 2011 |accessdate=1 March 2011}}</ref> Asia has four main financial centres: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. ]s and ] (BPOs) are becoming major employers in India and the Philippines due to the availability of a large pool of highly skilled, ] workers. The increased use of outsourcing has assisted the rise of India and the China as financial centres. Due to its large and extremely competitive information technology industry, India has become a major hub for outsourcing. | |||
| In 2010, Asia had 3.3 million millionaires (people with net worth over US$1 million excluding their homes), slightly below North America with 3.4 million millionaires. Last year Asia had toppled Europe.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-news/asian-pacific/asias-millionaire-population-overtakes-europe/article2072205/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2072205 | location=Toronto | deadurl=yes}} {{Dead link|date=September 2011|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> | |||
| ==Demographics== | |||
| {{Main|Demographics of Asia}} | |||
| {{Historical populations | |||
| |title = Historical populations | |||
| |type = Asia | |||
| |align = right | |||
| |footnote = Source: | |||
| |1500 |243000000 | |||
| |1700 |436000000 | |||
| |1900 |947000000 | |||
| |1950 |1402000000 | |||
| |1999 |3634000000 | |||
| }} | |||
| East Asia had by far the strongest overall ] (HDI) improvement of any region in the world, nearly doubling average HDI attainment over the past 40 years, according to the report’s analysis of health, education and income data. The ], the second highest achiever in the world in terms of HDI improvement since | |||
| 1970, is the only country on the “Top 10 Movers” list due to income rather than health or education achievements. Its per capita income increased a stunning 21-fold over the last four decades, also lifting hundreds of millions out of income poverty. Yet it was not among the region’s top performers in improving school enrolment and life expectancy.<ref name="UNDP">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/PR6-HDR10-RegRBAP-E-rev5-sm.pdf |title=2010 Human Development Report: Asian countries lead development progress over 40 years |publisher=UNDP |accessdate=2010-12-22}}</ref> | |||
| <br>], a South Asian country, emerges as one of the world’s fastest movers since 1970 mainly due to health and education achievements. Its present ] is 25 years longer than 1970s.; more than four of every five children of school age in Nepal now attend primary school, compared to just one in five 40 years ago.<ref name="UNDP"/> | |||
| <br> Japan and South Korea ranked highest among the countries grouped on the HDI (number 11 and 12 in the world, which are in the “very high human development” category), followed by Hong Kong (SAR)(21) and ] (27). ] (155) ranked lowest amongst Asian countries out of the 169 countries assessed.<ref name="UNDP"/> | |||
| ===Languages=== | |||
| {{Main|Languages of Asia}} | |||
| Asia is home to several ] and many ]s. Most Asian countries have more than one language that is natively spoken. For instance, according to ], more than 600 languages are spoken in Indonesia, more than 800 languages spoken in India, and more than 100 are spoken in the Philippines. China has many languages and dialects in different provinces. | |||
| === Mythology === | |||
| {{See also|List of Asian mythology}} | |||
| Asian mythology is complex and diverse. The story of the Great Flood for example, as presented to Christians in the Old Testament, is first found in ], in the '']''. ] tells about an ] of the ] in the form of a ] who warned ] of a terrible flood. In ancient ], ], the Chinese ruler ], had to spend 10 years to control a deluge which swept out most of ancient China and was aided by the goddess ] who literally fixed the broken sky through which huge rains were pouring. | |||
| ] at the ] in ].]] | |||
| === Religions === | |||
| {{See also|Eastern philosophy|Religion in Asia}} | |||
| Almost all Asian religions have philosophical character and Asian philosophical traditions cover a large spectrum of philosophical thoughts and writings. ] includes ] and ]. They include elements of nonmaterial pursuits, whereas another school of thought from India, ], preached the enjoyment of material world. Christianity is also present in most Asian countries. | |||
| ] monks in Thailand.]] | |||
| ==== Abrahamic ==== | |||
| The ]s of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and ] originated in West Asia. Judaism, the oldest of the Abrahamic faiths, is practiced primarily in Israel (which has the world's largest Jewish population),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/jewpop.html |title=The Jewish Population of the World |publisher=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> though small communities exist in other countries, such as the ] in India. In the Philippines and ], Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion; it was introduced by the ] and the ], respectively. In ], Cyprus, ] and ], ] is the predominant religion. Various Christian ] have adherents in portions of the Middle East, as well as China and India. The world's largest Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in ]. South Asia (mainly ], India and ]) holds 30% of Muslims. There are also significant Muslim populations in China, ], Malaysia, southern ] (]), Russia and most of West Asia and Central Asia. The Bahá'í Faith originated in Asia, in Iran (Persia), and spread from there to the Ottoman Empire, Central Asia, India, and Burma during the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh. Since the middle of the 20th century, growth has particularly occurred in other Asian countries, because the Bahá'í Faith's activities in many Muslim countries has been severely ] by authorities. | |||
| ==== Dharmic and Taoist ==== | |||
| ]s believe that taking a dip in the holy water of ] removes all past sins.]] | |||
| The religions of ], ], ] and ] originated in India, South Asia. In East Asia, particularly in China and Japan, ], ] and ] took shape. | |||
| Over 80% of the populations of both India and Nepal adhere to Hinduism, alongside significant communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bali. Many overseas Indians in countries such as Burma, Singapore and Malaysia also adhere to Hinduism. | |||
| Buddhism has a great following in mainland Southeast Asia and East Asia. Buddhism is the religion of the majority of the populations of ] (98%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cb.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (95%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (89%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bm.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> Japan (84–96%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (75%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bt.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (69%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (67%–98%)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/la.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> and ] (50%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mg.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> Large Buddhist populations also exist in ] (42.5%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (35.1%–93%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tw.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=China (includes Taiwan only): International Religious Freedom Report 2005 |url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51508.htm |publisher=US Department of State: ] |date=2005-11-08 |accessdate=2008-01-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=China (includes Taiwan only): International Religious Freedom Report 2006 |url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71337.htm |publisher=]: ] |date=2006-09-15 |accessdate=2008-02-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=China (includes Taiwan only): International Religious Freedom Report 2007 |url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90134.htm |publisher=]: ] |date=2006-09-15 |accessdate=2008-02-24}}</ref> ] (23.2%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ](19.2%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/my.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (10.7%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/np.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> ] (9.3–80%),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> People's Republic of China(8–80%),<ref>, , , , </ref> ] (4.5%–60%),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/North-Korea.html|title=Culture of North Korea – Alternative name, History and ethnic relations|work=Countries and Their Cultures|publisher=Advameg Inc.|accessdate=2009-07-04}}</ref><ref></ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm|title=Background Note: North Korea|coauthors=Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs|date=2009-2|publisher=U.S. State Department|accessdate=2009-07-04}}</ref> ] (<2%);<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html |title=CIA — The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2010-12-20}}</ref> and small communities in ] and ]. In many Chinese communities, Mahayana Buddhism is easily syncretized with Taoism, thus exact religious statistics is difficult to obtain and may be understated or overstated. The Communist-governed countries of China, Vietnam and North Korea are officially atheist, thus the number of Buddhists and other religious adherents may be under-reported. | |||
| Jainism is found mainly in India and in oversea Indian communities such as India and Malaysia. | |||
| Sikhism is found in Northern India and amongst overseas Indian communities in other parts of Asia, especially Southeast Asia. | |||
| Confucianism is found predominantly in Mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan and in overseas Chinese populations. | |||
| Taoism is found mainly in Mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. Taoism is easily syncretized with Mahayana Buddhism for many Chinese, thus exact religious statistics is difficult to obtain and may be understated or overstated. | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| {{Expand section|More information about general cultural topics other than Nobel prizes|date=June 2011}} | |||
| {{Main|Culture of Asia}} | |||
| === Nobel prizes === | |||
| ] | |||
| The ] ], a ] Indian poet, dramatist, and writer from ], now in ], India, became in 1913 the first Asian ]. He won his ] for notable impact his prose works and poetic thought had on English, French, and other national literatures of Europe and the Americas. He is also the writer of the national anthems of Bangladesh and India. | |||
| Tagore is said to have named another Bengali Indian Nobel prize winner, the 1998 laureate in Economics, ]. Sen's work has centered on global issues including famine, welfare, and third-world development. Amartya Sen was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge University, UK, from 1998 to 2004, becoming the first Asian to head an 'Oxbridge' College. | |||
| Other Asian writers who won Nobel Prizes include ] (Japan, 1966), ] (Japan, 1994), ] (People's Republic of China, 2000) and ] (Turkey, 2006). | |||
| Also, ] of India and ] of Iran were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially for the rights of women and children. Ebadi is the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the prize. Another Nobel Peace Prize winner is ] from ] for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under a military dictatorship in Burma. She is a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma(Myanmar) and a noted prisoner of conscience. She is a ] and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Most recently, Chinese dissident ] was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." He is the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize of any kind while residing in China. | |||
| Sir ] is the first Asian to get a Nobel prize in Sciences. He won the ] "for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the ]". | |||
| Other Asian Nobel Prize winners include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and Bishop ] of ], ], and 13 Japanese scientists. Most of the said awardees are from Japan and ] except for Chandrasekhar and Raman (India), Salam (Pakistan), Arafat (Palestinian Territories) Kim (South Korea), Horta and Belo (Timor Leste). | |||
| In 2006, Dr. ] of Bangladesh was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the establishment of ], a community development bank that lends money to poor people, especially women in Bangladesh. Dr. Yunus received his PhD in economics from Vanderbilt University, United States. He is internationally known for the concept of micro credit which allows poor and destitute people with little or no collateral to borrow money. The borrowers typically pay back money within the specified period and the incidence of default is very low. | |||
| The Dalai Lama has received approximately eighty-four awards over his spiritual and political career.<ref>{{cite web|author=His Holiness's Teachings at TCV |url=http://www.dalailama.com/biography/a-brief-biography |title=A Brief Biography – The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama |publisher=Dalailama.com |accessdate=2010-06-01}}</ref> On 22 June 2006, he became one of only four people ever to be recognized with Honorary Citizenship by the Governor General of Canada. On 28 May 2005, he received the Christmas Humphreys Award from the Buddhist Society in the United Kingdom. Most notable was the Nobel Peace Prize, presented in ] on 10 December 1989. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{portal box|Asia|Geography<!-- |Eurasia -->|}} | |||
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| {{main|Outline of Asia|Index of Asia-related articles}} | |||
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| == References == | |||
| {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
| ==Bibliography== | |||
| * {{Cite book | ref=harv | title=The myth of continents: a critique of metageography |first=Martin W. |last= Lewis |first2= Kären |last2= Wigen |publisher=University of California Press |year= 1997 |isbn= 0-520-20743-2 | location=Berkeley and Los Angeles}} | |||
| * {{cite book | ref=harv | first=Michael | last=Ventris | first2=John | last2=Chadwick | title=Documents in Mycenaean Greek | edition=2nd | year=1973 | location=Cambridge | publisher=University Press}} | |||
| == Further reading == | |||
| * Higham, Charles. ''Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations''. Facts on File library of world history. New York: Facts On File, 2004. | |||
| * Kamal, Niraj. "Arise Asia: Respond to White Peril". New Delhi:Wordsmith,2002, ISBN 978-81-87412-08-3 | |||
| * Kapadia, Feroz, and Mandira Mukherjee. ''Encyclopaedia of Asian Culture and Society.'' New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 1999. | |||
| * Levinson, David, and Karen Christensen. ''Encyclopedia of Modern Asia''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. | |||
| == External links == | |||
| {{Sister project links|Asia}} | |||
| * {{cite web | title=Display Maps | work=The Soil Maps of Asia | publisher=European Digital Archive of Soil Maps – EuDASM | url=http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/esdb_archive/EuDASM/asia/indexes/idx_country.htm | accessdate=26 July 2011}} | |||
| * {{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 | accessdate=20 July 2011}} | |||
| * {{cite web | title=Asia | publisher=Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library | url=http://maps.bpl.org/search_advanced/?mtid=786 | accessdate=26 July 2011}} | |||
| * {{cite journal | title=What is Asia? | url=http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/geography/geo_whatis.html | first=Philp | last=Bowring | journal=Eastern Economic Review | volume=135 | number=7 | date=12 February 1987 | publisher=Columbia University Asia For Educators}} | |||
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Revision as of 16:19, 17 October 2011
Asia is famous for their sushi, bad drivers, and yellow toned skin. Their accents are rather silly and have very narrow eyes. They also say their "L's" like "R's".