Asia Regions and Countries

Asia is a massive continent with the highest population density in the world. Covering about 30% of the land area on Earth, Asia can mainly be divided into Central Asia, East Asia (Far East), South Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Asia (The Middle East/Near East), and North Asia (Siberia). For Asia regions, there are different definitions of the exact boundaries, political, cultural, or geological. And the whole area of Asia is shared by nearly 49 countries. Let's read on to know more basic information about Asia regions and countries.

Central Asia

• Area: 4,003,451 km² (1,545,741 sq mi)
• Population: 72,960,000
• Countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia is politically divided into Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, which are Muslim countries. Central Asia is also called The Stan's, because the names of these five countries all end with the Persian suffix "-stan". Central Asia is geographically located at the junction of the Eurasian continent, stretching from the Caspian Sea in the west to China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It is an important transportation hub through Asia and Europe. What's more, the ancient Silk Road passed through Central Asia as well.

East Asia (Far East)

• Area: 11,839,074 km² (4,571,092 sq mi)
• Population: 1,666,471,330
• Countries: China, Hong Kong (SAR of PRC), Macau (SAR of PRC), Taiwan (People's Republic of China), North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia

East Asia is located in the eastern region of Asia, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, with plateaus and mountains in the west, plains, coastlines and islands in the east. East Asia is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, consisting of about 38% of the population in continental Asia and 22% of the global population. This region is home to many ancient civilizations for ancient China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia.

China, or the People's Republic of China, is the largest country in this region, and the culture of East Asia has deeply been influenced by China since ancient times. Economy and technology in East Asia are developing rapidly in the recent years, with China, Japan and South Korea are some of the largest and most prosperous economies in the world.

South Asia

• Area: 5,134,641 km² (1,982,496 sq mi)
• Population: 1,814,014,121
• Countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives

South Asia is bordered by the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south, included the Himalayas in the north. This region also has complex geographical conditions, with deserts, glaciers, rainforests and grasslands. South Asia is the most populous and the most densely populated geographical region in the world, with a total population of more than 1.8 billion, which is almost a quarter of the world's population. Meanwhile, South Asia also has a large population of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians.

Southeast Asia

• Area: 4,545,792 km² (1,755,140 sq mi)
• Population: 655,298,044
• Countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

Southeast Asia has the lowest latitude in Asia, and the only region in Asia which is on both sides of the equator. Southeast Asia is located in the north of Australia, south of East Asia, west of the Pacific Ocean, and east of the Bay of Bengal. It consists of Mainland Southeast Asia (Indochina) and Maritime Southeast Asia (Malay Archipelago). And Malay Archipelago is the largest archipelago in the world. Southeast Asia lies at the intersection between Asia and Oceania, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, with heavy seismic and volcanic activities. The Malacca Strait is the most important hub for many countries in Southeast Asia.

Western Asia (The Middle East/Near East)

• Area: 5,994,935 km² (2,314,657 sq mi)
• Population: 313,428,000
• Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Cyprus

Western Asia mainly consists of plateaus, with a dry climate. It's separated from Africa by the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt and separated from Europe by the waterways of the Turkish Straits and the drainage divide of the Caucasus Mountains. The geographical location of Western Asia is very important, as Western Asia connects other Asia regions, Europe and Africa. In ancient times, the ancient Silk Road started from Xi'an, China, out of Xinjiang along the Hexi Corridor, and through Central Asia and Western Asia to Europe.

North Asia (Siberia)

• Area: 13,100,000 km² (5,100,000 sq mi)
• Population: 33,765,005
• Country: Russia

North Asia refers to Siberia, which is part of Russia. With the West Siberian Plain in the west, Central Siberian Plateau in the middle, North Siberian Lowland in the north, and the East Siberian mountains in the east, Siberia is a vast area of North Asia. Siberia is bordered in the north by the Arctic Ocean, in the west by European Russia, and in the east by the Bering Sea.

Siberia is rich in natural resources, with mineral deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, gold, diamonds, etc., and various types of resources are relatively concentrated. Baikal Lake, the world's deepest and largest freshwater lake, is situated in southern Siberia, containing about 20% of the freshwater reserves in the world.