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Asia

Thailand South Coast

Asia is the eastern part of Eurasia and the continent with the largest and highest population density in the world. Some 60% of the world's population lives in Asia and the landmass constitutes 33% of the worlds total landmass.

Asia is in many ways a continent of extremes. No other continent in the world has so many different cultural systems. In contrast to the other continents, which have one main religion, like Christianity in Europe and Islam in Africa, Asia is represent by all 5 world faiths. Many of the Asian born religions have also become quite popular in Europe and North America. Asia is also home to a great diversity of languages, several of which are considered to be the most widely spoken in the world.

The cultural differences between the Middle East, which begins in Turkey, and the Far East, could hardly be larger. Asia has seen many great empires rise and fall. Since the 20th century, Asia's population has steadily increased, with high growth rates in India and China leading the way. Each country has over one billion people. There is also great disparity between the poor developing countries and the highly-developed industrialized nations.

As a continent, Asia also has some geographical extremes. In the north lies the sparsely settled Siberian tundra. In the south, in regions of China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia, the land is densely populated. Of the 20 largest metropolises in the world, twelve are located in Asia. China alone is home to several of the world's biggest cities.

Eastern Asia is crossed by a number of big rivers. The Yenisei, Lena and Ob all flow into the polar sea. The Amur, Jangtse, Mekong and the Yellow river all empty into the Pacific Ocean. The Ganges and Indus flow into the Indian Ocean. All of these rivers build the cultural and industrial backbones of the countries they wind through. Many of them also have mystical and religious significance

In Central Asia there are spacious deserts and some of the highest mountains in the world. All of the earth's mountains over 8000 meters can be found here, along with the highest mountain in the world - Mount Everest. In stark contrast to these mountains are the rainforests of Southeast Asia. The climate is very tropical and there are frequently natural disasters such as flooding. Also, earthquakes are not unusual in the rim of Asia.