Asia is the largest part of the world, forming Eurasia together with Europe. If we calculate the approximate area of ​​Asia, then together with all the islands it will be 43.4 million square kilometers. As for the population, according to the situation in 2009, its number was 4.117 billion people, which corresponds to more than 60% of the total population of the planet.

The mainland of Asia is located in the northern and eastern hemispheres, with the exception of the Chukotka Peninsula. The Isthmus of Suez connects it with Africa, while North America is separated from Asia only by the narrow Bering Strait.

At the present time, the border between Europe and Asia is determined conditionally, taking into account, first of all, administrative units. It is traditionally believed that the eastern foot of the Ural Mountains is such a line that further extends to the southern continuation of the Urals - Mugodzhary - mountains located in the western part of Kazakhstan. Then it continues along the Emba River, originating at western slope Mugodzhar and lost in salt marshes just five kilometers from the Caspian Sea. Further, the border goes along the Araks River, the upper reaches of which are located on the territory of Turkey, separating most of the Ararat plain to Armenia, while the lower reaches already belong to Azerbaijan. In the same way, the Black and Marmara Seas are intermediate points between Asia Minor and Europe, in particular, the Bosphorus Strait, as well as further, the Dardanelles Strait, connecting the Marmara Sea with the Aegean.

In addition to these seas, Asia in its western part is washed by other inland seas related to Atlantic Ocean: Azov and Mediterranean. However, this part of Eurasia is washed by all the other oceans - both the Pacific and Indian, and the Arctic.

The coast of Asia is relatively poorly dissected - a number of large peninsulas are distinguished in it: Asia Minor, which makes up the middle part of Turkey, and in the southwest of the mainland there is Arabian Peninsula, with southern Iraq and Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, UAE and Oman; Hindustan, most of which is occupied by the Deccan Plateau; Korean Peninsula - between the Japanese and Yellow Seas; and in Russia - Taimyr, Chukotka and Kamchatka.

More than two million square kilometers are occupied in Asia by large islands, for the most part of continental origin, such as, for example, Sri Lanka; Greater Sunda, forming the Malay Archipelago, which includes the islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi; Japanese, the largest of which are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku; Taiwan and adjacent Pescadores; the archipelago of the Philippine Islands, consisting of more than seven thousand islands, the largest of them are Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Leyte, Samar, Negros and Panay.

There are 54 states in Asia, of which four are only partially recognized: these are Abkhazia, South Ossetia, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of China (Taiwan). A number of countries geographic location could refer to this continent, but for socio-cultural reasons, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Cyprus are still often referred to as Europe.

Asia is part of the Eurasian continent. The continent is located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. border with North America passes through the Bering Strait, and Asia is separated from Africa by the Suez Canal. Also in Ancient Greece attempts were made to establish the exact border between Asia and Europe. Until now, this boundary is considered conditional. AT Russian sources the border was established along the eastern foot of the Ural Mountains, the Emba River, the Caspian Sea, the Black and Marmara Seas, along the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

In the west, Asia is washed by inland seas Black, Azov, Marmara, Mediterranean and Aegean seas. The largest lakes of the continent are Baikal, Balkhash and the Aral Sea. 20% of all reserves are concentrated in Lake Baikal fresh water on the ground. In addition, Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. Its maximum depth in the middle part of the basin is 1620 meters. One of the unique lakes in Asia is Lake Balkhash. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is freshwater in its western part, and salty in its eastern part. The Dead Sea is considered the deepest sea in Asia and the world.

The continental part of Asia is occupied mainly by mountains and plateaus. The largest mountain ranges in the south are Tibet, Tien Shan, Pamir, Himalayas. In the north and northeast of the mainland are Altai, the Verkhoyansk Range, the Chersky Range, and the Central Siberian Plateau. In the west, Asia is surrounded by the Caucasian and Ural mountains, and in the east - this is the Big and Small Khingan and Sikhote-Alin. On the map of Asia with countries and capitals in Russian, the names of the large mountain ranges of the region are distinguishable. All types of climate are found in Asia - from arctic to equatorial.

According to the UN classification, Asia is divided into the following regions: Central Asia, East Asia, Western Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. There are currently 54 states in Asia. The borders of all these countries and capitals are marked on political map Asia with cities. In terms of population growth, Asia is second only to Africa. 60% of the world's population lives in Asia. China and India make up 40% of the world's population.

Asia is the ancestor of ancient civilizations - Indian, Tibetan, Babylonian, Chinese. This is due to favorable agriculture in many areas of this part of the world. The ethnic composition of Asia is very diverse. Representatives of the three main races of mankind live here - Negroid, Mongoloid, Caucasoid.



Southeast Asia is a major world economic center, known to most for its popular tourist destinations. This vast region is very diverse in terms of ethnic composition of the population, culture and religion. All this eventually affected the general life, is of great interest to tourists from all over the world.

Sometimes this list includes some other territories controlled by states that are part of Asia, but in general, by location, they are not from among the countries of the southeast. Most often these are islands and territories controlled by China, India, Australia and Oceania, these include:

• (China).
• (China).
• (Australia).
• (China).
• Nicobar Islands (India).
• islands (India).
• Ryukyu Islands (Japan).

In countries South-East Asia lives, according to various sources, about 40% of the world's population, many have united in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Thus, in 2019, almost half of the world's GDP is produced here. Economic characteristics recent years marked by high development in the region in many areas.

Tourism sector

The end of the war between the US and Vietnam had a positive impact on the popularization of resorts in the late 60s. They are still actively developing today, especially since citizens of our country can go to most of these states under a simplified visa regime, and many do not require a visa at all. The countries of Southeast Asia, due to the tropical climate, are suitable for a beach holiday all year round.

Yet in some parts of this gigantic peninsula, the climate is different time year is different, so it will be useful to study the maps beforehand. In the middle and second half of winter, it is better to go to India to the island or to Vietnam, since at this time of the year there is no constant precipitation inherent in the tropical climate. Still suitable for recreation Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

• south of China;
• Indonesia;
• Malaysia;
• pacific islands.

The most popular destinations among our tourists are Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Peoples and cultures

The racial and ethnic composition of Southeast Asia is very heterogeneous. This also applies to religion: the eastern part of the archipelago is mostly inhabited by followers of Buddhism, and there are also Confucians - due to the large number of Chinese immigrants from the southern provinces of the PRC, there are about 20 million of them here. These countries include Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and a number of other states. It is also not uncommon to meet Hindus and Christians. In the western part of Southeast Asia, Islam is predominantly practiced, it is this religion that ranks first in terms of the number of followers.

The ethnic composition of the region is represented by the following peoples:

And in this list - only a small part of all ethnic groups and subgroups, there are also representatives of the peoples of Europe. By and large, the culture of the southeast is a mixture of Indian and Chinese cultures.

The Spaniards and the Portuguese, who colonized the islands in these places, had a great influence on the population. Arab culture also played a huge role, with about 240 million people practicing Islam here. Over the centuries, common traditions have developed here, almost everywhere in all these countries people eat using Chinese chopsticks, they are very fond of tea.

Yet there are amazing cultural features that will interest any foreigner. One of the most superstitious peoples in the archipelago are the Vietnamese.. For example, it is customary for them to hang mirrors on the outside of the entrance: if a dragon comes, he will immediately run away, frightened by his own reflection. There is still a bad sign to meet a woman in the morning, leaving the house. Or it is considered bad form to lay out cutlery on the table for one person. It is also not customary to touch a person’s shoulder or head, as they believe that good spirits are nearby, and touching can frighten them away.

The inhabitants here are settled very heterogeneously, the most densely populated place is the island of Java: density per 1 square kilometer is 930 people. All are settled on the Indochina Peninsula, which occupies the eastern part of Southeast Asia, and on the western Malay Archipelago, consisting of many large and small islands. The population prefers to live in the deltas of numerous rivers, the highlands are less populated, and the forests are almost deserted.

Most of all people live outside the cities, the rest settle in developed centers, more often the capitals of states, the lion's share of the economy of which is replenished by the tourist flow.

Thus, almost all of these cities have a population of over 1 million, yet most of the population lives outside their borders and is engaged in agriculture.

Asia map

Detailed map of Asia in Russian. Examine the map of Asia from a satellite. Zoom in and see the streets, houses and sights on the map of Asia.

Asia- the largest part of the world on the planet. It stretches from the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East to the far shores of the Pacific Ocean, including China, Korea, Japan, India. Humid hot regions in southern Asia are separated from the cooler ones by a giant mountain range - the Himalayas.

Together with Europe, Asia forms a continent Eurasia. The dividing border between Asia and Europe runs through the Ural Mountains. Asia is washed by the waters of the rhinestone of three oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Indian. Also, many regions of Asia have access to the seas of the Atlantic Ocean. 54 states are located on the territory of this part of the world.

The highest mountain peak on Earth is Chomolungma (Everest). Its height above sea level is 8848 meters. This peak is part of the Himalayas - a mountain range that separates Nepal and China.

Asia is a very long part of the world, so the climate in Asian countries is different and differs depending on the landscape and topography. In Asia, there are states with both subarctic and equatorial climatic zones. In the south of Asia, powerful winds - monsoons - blow from the sea. Air masses saturated with moisture bring heavy rains with them.

Located in Central Asia gobi desert which is called cold. Its lifeless, windswept expanses are covered with stone debris and sand. Orangutans, the only large monkeys living in Asia, live in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra. This species is now under threat of extinction.

Asia- it is also the most densely populated part of the world, because more than 60% of the world's inhabitants live there. The largest population in three Asian countries - India, Japan and China. However, there are also regions that are completely deserted.

Asia- this is the cradle of civilization of the entire planet, since Asia is home to the most ethnic groups and peoples. Each of the Asian countries is distinctive in its own way, having its own traditions. Most of them live along the banks of rivers and oceans and are engaged in fishing and agriculture. Today, many peasants are moving from the countryside to the cities, which are growing rapidly.

About 2/3 of the rice the globe grown in only two countries - China and India. Rice fields where young shoots are planted are covered with water.

The Ganges River in India is the busiest trading place with numerous "floating markets". Hindus consider this river sacred and make mass pilgrimages to its banks.

The streets of Chinese cities are filled with cyclists. Bicycle is the most popular mode of transport in China. Almost all tea in the world is grown in Asia. Tea plantations are processed by hand, only young leaves are plucked, which are dried. Asia is the birthplace of such religions as Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. There is a giant Buddha statue in Thailand.

Southeast Asia from A to Z: population, countries, cities and resorts. Map of Southeast Asia, photo and video. Descriptions and opinions of tourists.

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And so it happened: people go to Southeast Asia to see the amazing nature, touch the millennial cultures, sunbathe on tropical beaches, and finally, relax with varying degrees of severity (yes, we are talking about Pattaya permissiveness). In general, with any wishes for relaxation (except, perhaps, "skiing" and "ice" hotels) - welcome here!

There are practically no countries in Southeast Asia where tourism would not be developed. Rather, it is more or less massive. For example, if Thailand can be safely called an "all-Union health resort" - perhaps only a principled stay-at-home has not been here, then Brunei and Myanmar are countries that are more closed, chamber, "for those who understand." But first things first. Why is it worth going to the expanses of Southeast Asia?

Let's start with the main subject of interest for vacationers of all ages and nationalities - the sea, sun and beaches. There is more than enough of this in the region, and the available recreational resources can always boast of high quality- from a “combed” beach to pleasant hotel details, such as a morning orchid in the toilet bowl. In general, we think, the reason for the popularity of a good half of the "yuvash" resorts is the sincere desire of the local population to please the overseas guest.

A look at Southeast Asia

Secondly, people go to the Southeast Asian expanses in order to be surprised. Rare animals and active volcanoes, sometimes dumbfounding the traditions of local peoples (which is worth at least two weeks of fun in honor of a deceased relative!) And the vagaries of local delis (we are talking about rotten fish intestine sauce) - in a word, all the riches that Asia has in store for the inquisitive their bins.

Last but not least, Southeast Asia is popular due to the fact that its territory hosts a truly extraordinary collection of ancient treasures and cultural heritage. What are at least breathtaking Buddhist monuments - from the Myanmar Shwedagon Pagoda to the Lao "footprint of the Buddha".

Finally, enthusiastic athletes from all over the world rush to the local underwater and surface beauties. For example, Vietnamese diving has been unanimously recognized for several years as one of the best in the world in terms of price-quality ratio, and surfing in Malaysia is becoming more and more popular every season - thanks to the efforts of the eastern monsoon, which gives beautiful waves to the “boarders”.