Asia is the largest continent and occupies about 30% of the total area of the Earth. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean in the south; Arctic Ocean in the north; the Pacific Ocean in the east; Ural Mountains, Caspian Sea, Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
General facts about Asia
Below is list of some general information on such as total population, land area, biggest lake, highest mountain and other general facts about Asia that might be interesting to know.
- Total Population: 4,46 billion people
- Demonym: Asian
- Population density: 100/km2 (260/sq mi)
- Total countries: 49 UN members, 1 UN observer, 5 other not fully recognized states
- Largest city: Tokyo
- Land area: 44,579,000 km2 (17,212,000 sq mi)
- Largest Lake: Baikal Lake
- Religion: Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism
- Time zones: UTC+2 to UTC+12
Interesting geographical fact about Asia
- It is located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres.
- The Equator, Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle passes through it.
- It is separated from Africa by the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
- 14 of the tallest mountains in the world can be found in Asia, and they are all over 8000 meters above the sea.
- It is separated from North America by Berling Strait.
- Arabian Peninsula is the largest Peninsula in the World.
- The deepest trench of the world: Mariana Trench lies in the Pacific Ocean near Philippines.
- Pamir Plateau is known as ‘Roof of the World’ situated in the Central Asia.
Important Islands and Peninsulas in Asia
- Important Peninsulas: Arabian Peninsula, Indo-Chinese Peninsula and Deccan Peninsula
- Important Island groups: Andaman and Nicobar, Indonesia, Philippines and Japan
- Major Food crops: Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Jowar-Bajra and Ragi
- Major Strait: Malacca Strait, Palk Strait, Sunda Strait, Bering Strait, Bonne-Fasio Strait, Bosporous Strait, Hormuz Strait, Makkassar Strait, Tsungaru Strait and Formosa Strait
- Major Cash Crops: Tea, Sugarcane, Jute, Cotton, Rubber and Tobacco
5 X Asia Facts for Kids
- There are wild Asian elephants
- The Gobi Desert is the largest desert in Asia
- More than 2300 languages are recognized on the continent
- Baikal Lake is the largest lake in the world
- The Yangtze River is the largest river on the Asian continent
5 X Fun Facts About Asia
- Some Asian men have long fingernails to pick their nose
- The majority of Asian women stay away from the sun because they want light skin
- The concept of being “Asian” is mostly a foreign concept
- Crazy Rich Asians quickly became a popular movie around the world
- K-Pop (Korean Pop) has taken Asia and the world by storm
Not just this, Asia is also a part of supercontinent which is known as Eurasia, and the Asian and European continents aren’t technically separated.
Interesting fact No. 1
It’s a female name
The word “Asia” is used as a female name and means sunrise. After all, the sun rises in the east, home of the far East.
Interesting fact No. 2
Most populous country
Three out of the four most populous countries in the world are located in Asia. The top four in order by population:
- China
- India
- United States
- Indonesia
Interesting fact No. 3
Japan has the longest life expectancy
The average life span in Japan is 80.9 years for men and 86.6 years for women. The average life expectancy for a male in the U.S. is 76.4 years (per 2015 UN data).
Interesting fact No. 4
90% of the world’s rice is consumed in Asian countries
Rice is a staple food on the continent, and most of the produced rice is eaten here as well. Asians eat up to 90% of the total world production of rice.
Interesting fact No. 5
Top 3 countries with the highest IQ on average are Asian
Singapore, South Korea, and Japan have the highest average IQ on the planet. These are also some of the continent’s strongest economies and most prosperous nations in the world.