Asia is one of the five continents of planet Earth, the largest and the most populated of all.
The word "Asia" comes from the Greek and is originally attributed to the historian Herodotus. There are various meanings of its meaning, some of which link it to the concept of "god" and others to the expression used to refer to the ascent of the sun. Asia is located in the eastern or eastern half of the northern hemisphere and stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. It is bordered to the west by the Ural Mountains and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The Asian continent occupies around 45 million km2 and has more than 4 billion inhabitants, which represents more than 60% of the world's human population. Although in terms of land location both Asia and Europe occupy the same territorial continent called Eurasia, they are considered two different entities for historical, political and cultural reasons.
Asia has enormous climatic and geographic diversity. In it you can find desert landscapes and lush tropical forests, as well as mountains and rural areas that contrast with its hyper-developed cities. Climatically, it contains warm, temperate and cold climates.
It is believed that Asia and Europe were the cradle of civilization and among the most relevant countries that compose it can be counted mainly China, Japan, Korea, Turkey, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and many others.
The Asian economy is one of the strongest and emerging in the world today. Asia is today the world's largest food producer and China is currently a very important trading partner of the European Union. In 2005 China was registered as the 6th world economy and continues to grow.
The population of Asia has a number of often shared characteristics, including the whitish yellow skin and oblique eyes seen in many of its inhabitants. Many languages and practice of various religions can also be counted among Asians. The most widely spoken language is Mandarin Chinese and the most widely professed religion is Buddhism.
