Asia

*It covers about one-third of the land surface of the world.

*It contains about 60% of the world population.

*This vast continent comprises the greatest diversity in terms of physical features, climate, vegetation, wildlife and people.

*It has 49 and 5 disputed countries.

*Latitude: 10°S and 80°N.

*Longitude: 25°E and 170°W.

*Area 44579000 km2.

Important Information about Asia

*Caspian Sea is the world’s largest lake and five times larger than the Lake Superior. It separates Europe from Asia.

*Dast-e-Kavir is the largest salt desert of the world situated in the Northern Iran.

*Lop Nor Lake in China is a site for numerous nuclear tests. *Hwang Ho is called as China’s Sorrow.

*Amur River forms the boundary between Russia and China. *Yangtze Kiang is the longest river of Asia.

*Mekong river flows through China, Thailand-Laos border, Cambodia and Vietnam to South China Sea.

*Laos is the only landlocked country in South-East Asian peninsula.

*Group of islands is called an Archipelago. Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world.

* Irrawaddy River is known as the lifeline of Myanmar. It falls into Gulf of Martaban.

* Lake Van of Turkey is the most saline waterbody in Asia.

*Japan is the most industrialised nation of Asia.

*Myanmar is called land of mountains and rivers.

* Pakistan is called country of canals.

*Japan is called land of Rising Sun.

*Dead Sea, the third saltiest waterbody in the world, is a landlocked sea. It lies between Israel and Jordan.

*Osaka is called the Manchester of Japan.

*It has the coldest place, Votok. Antarctica has winter temperature of–89°C. Jacobabad in Sindh is the hottest place on the Earth.

*Mausynram, Cherrapunji (India) has the world’s highest average rainfall of 2600 cm.

*Asia has the world’s deepest fresh water lake, i.e. Baikal Lake (Russia).

*Highest point: mt. Everest (8848 m).

*Lowest point: Dead Sea (396 m).

*It has the largest delta ‘Sunderbans’ the most fertile river valleys.

*Asia has been the cradle of ancient civilizations like the Mesopotamian Civilization, the Indus Civilization and the Chinese Civilization which sustained in the fertile river valleys of Asia.

*Asia has the privilege of being the birthplace of major religions of the world Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Shintoism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, etc.

*Asia wholly lies in the Northern Hemisphere. Latitude: It lies between 10°S and 80°N latitudes, i.e. it spans over 90° of latitudes. Longitude: It lies almost entirely in the Eastern Hemisphere.

*Large longitudinal extent brings about a difference of 11 hours between the local times of the easternmost part and the westernmost part of Asia.