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Asia

• Asia is the largest continent in the world, spanning an area of 44,444,100 square kilometers.
• It accounts for approximately 30% of Earth’s total land area and 8.7% of its total surface area, with a population of 4.4 billion, making up 60% of the global population.
• The continent is known for its contrasts in landscape, climate, vegetation, and cultures.
• Asia lies to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains, as well as the Caspian and Black Seas.
• It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

Asia is home to both the highest and lowest points on Earth:

• The highest point: Mount Everest
• The lowest point: The Dead Sea shoreline

Regional Divisions of Asia

Asia can be categorized into six major physiographic regions:

• Central Asia: Includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
• Eastern Asia: Comprises China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia, and Taiwan.
• Northern Asia: Consists of Russia.
• Southeastern Asia: Encompasses Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
• Southern Asia: Covers Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
• Western Asia: Includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Major Physical Divisions of Asia

1. The Northern Lowlands

The Northern Lowlands are the extensive plain areas that comprise of several patches of lowlands of this large continent.
The major lowlands are:

• Great Siberian plain: It extends between the Ural Mountains in the west and the river Lena in the east. It is the largest lowland in the world covering an area of 1,200,000 square miles approx.

• Manchurian Plain: It is the area adjoining Amur river and its tributaries of the northern part of China with an area of 135,000 square miles approx.

• Great Plains of China: It is contributed by two major rivers of China, Hwang Ho and Yangtze river which covers an area of 158,000 square miles approx.

Tigris-Euphrates plains

Ganga plains

Irrawaddy plains

2. The Central Mountains

Central Asia is home to several major mountain ranges, including the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges, which stretch across parts of Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. These mountain ranges are recognized as biodiversity hotspots by Conservation International, as they include various montane and alpine ecoregions. The region hosts a wide range of habitats, such as montane grasslands, shrublands, temperate coniferous forests, and alpine tundra.
A mountain knot refers to a point where multiple mountain ranges converge. In Asia, two major mountain knots exist:

• The Pamir Knot, where five mountain ranges meet: the Sulaiman, Hindu Kush, Kunlun, Karakoram, and Himalayan ranges. Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, is located in the Himalayas.
• The Armenian Knot, linked to the Pamir Knot through the Elburz and Zagros ranges, also gives rise to the Tian Shan and Altai mountain ranges.

Peaks of Asia

• Mount Everest (8848 m), Nepal-Tibet, China border
• K2 (8,61,1 m), (POK) India -China
• Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), Nepal-Sikkim (India).
• Lhotse (8,516 m), Nepal-Tibet, China
• Makalu (8,462 m), Nepal-Tibet, China
• Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Nepal

3. The Central and Southern Plateaus

Plateaus are the land areas having a relatively that surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyon.
Major Plateaus of Asian Continent –

4. Peninsulas

A peninsula is a mass of land surrounded by water but attached to the mainland. The Deccan plateau region is also a peninsula. The major peninsulas of Arabia, India, and Malay are in southern Asia. The Kamchatka peninsula lies in northeastern Asia.

5. Deserts

Asia has some big deserts such as the Gobi, the Takla Makan, the Thar, the Kara-Kum, and the Rub-al-Khali Deserts. The Rub’ al Khali desert, considered the world’s largest sand sea, covers an area larger than France across Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

6. (a) Islands of Asia

Asia also has a cluster of islands, also called an archipelago. An archipelago sometimes called an island group or island chain, which is formed close to each other in large clusters. Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Andaman, and Nicobar are some examples of archipelagos.

(b) Drainage of Asia

The drainage of Asia consists of mighty oceans, extensive seas, lengthy rivers, and their tributaries and distributaries, major lakes, etc.

Oceans: Asian continent is surrounded by three major ocean from three sides such as

• The Pacific Ocean – It covers the eastern part of Asia where major rivers of eastern Asia drain, such as Menam Mekong, Xi Jiang, Chang Xiang, Huang Ho, and Amur.
• The Indian Ocean – It covers the southern part of Asia and the major rivers that flow into the Indian Ocean are Tigris, Euprates, the Indus, the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween.
• The Arctic Ocean – It covers the Noth east part of Asia and consists of three major rivers such as Ob, Yenisey, and Lena.

Seas: As the continent is covered by sea from its three sides, It has also characterized by the long stretch of bay and gulf.
Major seas contributing to Asian Drainage are Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Banda Sea, Barents Sea, Bering Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, East Siberian Sea, Java Sea, Kara Sea, Laccadive Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk. The South China Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Lakes: Major lakes of Asia are

• Lake Baikal, Onega, Ladoga, and Peipus in Russia;
• Lake Akan, Mashu, Biwa, Shikotsu in Japan;
• Qinghai Lake, Lake Khanka in China;
• Dal Lake, Chilka, Vembanada, Pullicat and Sukhna in India;
• Lake Matano and Toba in Indonesia, etc.

Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. It is in Southern Siberia, Russia.

Freshwater

• Lake Baikal, situated in southern Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, with a depth of 1,620 meters (5,315 feet). It holds 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen freshwater, making it the largest freshwater reservoir on Earth. Additionally, it is the oldest lake in the world, estimated to be around 25 million years old.
• The Yangtze River, the longest in Asia and the third-longest globally (after the Amazon and Nile), stretches 6,300 kilometers (3,915 miles). It flows from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau to its mouth on the East China Sea. Often referred to as the lifeblood of China, the Yangtze is of immense importance to the country.
• The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers originate in the highlands of eastern Turkey, flowing through Syria and Iraq. They converge in the city of Qurna, Iraq, before emptying into the Persian Gulf. The fertile land between these rivers, known as Mesopotamia, was home to some of the earliest civilizations, including Sumer and the Akkadian Empire.

Saltwater

• The Persian Gulf has an area of more than 234,000 square kilometers (90,000 square miles). It borders Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. The gulf is subject to high rates of evaporation, making it shallow and extremely salty.
• The Sea of Okhotsk covers 1.5 million square kilometers (611,000 square miles) between the Russian mainland and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world, covering almost 2.2 million square kilometers (839,000 square miles) and bordering Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Burma. Many large rivers, including the Ganges and Brahmaputra, empty into the bay.

Straits

The important straits in Asia are the Strait of Malacca, Bering Strait, etc.

• Longest Straits: Strait of Malacca (800 km) connects the Andaman Sea with the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean). 
• Narrowest Strait: Strait of Bosphorus connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea. 
• Bering Strait: separates Asia from America. 
• Bass Strait: seperates Australia from Tasmania. 
• Gibraltar Strait: Seperates Africa from Europe.

Resources

Asia's climate can generally be divided into three main zones:

North/Central Zone

• The northern and central regions of Asia experience cold and dry winds from the Arctic, particularly in Siberia, Russia. In the central and southern parts of this zone, where permanent frost hinders plant growth, hardier grains such as barley, buckwheat, millet, oats, and wheat are cultivated. 
• Livestock farming is also a key component of agriculture in this area, with Mongolia dedicating 75 percent of its agricultural land to the raising of animals like sheep, goats, and cattle.

Southwest Zone

• This region is characterized by dry and hot conditions, stretching from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia through Pakistan, Iran, and into the Arabian Peninsula. 
• Few areas in this zone receive enough moisture for crop cultivation. Barley and corn are the main crops grown with irrigation in some countries. Additionally, fruits and vegetables such as dates, figs, apricots, olives, onions, grapes, and cherries are significant agricultural products.

Southeast Zone

• The southeast zone is heavily influenced by the summer monsoon season. Rice, a staple food across Asia, is one of the continent's most important agricultural commodities. 
• In areas with less rainfall, wheat is widely grown. Southeast Asia is also a major producer of tropical fruits like mangoes, papayas, and pineapples, with India being the world’s largest mango producer, contributing around 40 percent of global output.

Mining

• China, India, Russia, and Indonesia are the leading mining economies in Asia. These countries extract a variety of minerals. China is the top producer of aluminum, gold, tin, and coal.
• India is a major producer of aluminum and iron ore, along with minerals like barite (used in drilling), chromium (used in steel and dyes), and manganese (used in steel). Russia produces significant amounts of coal, tungsten (used in steel production), diamonds, iron, and steel. Indonesia is a key producer of coal, gold, copper, and tin.

Drilling

• The Arabian Peninsula holds the world's largest oil and natural gas reserves. These fossil fuels are drilled to provide energy and fuel. The oil in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East is high-quality light sweet crude, which is used to produce gasoline, kerosene, and diesel. 
• In 2010, Saudi Arabia was the world’s largest producer of petroleum liquids, producing 10.07 million barrels per day. Saudi Arabia also possesses the world’s largest oil reserves, totaling approximately 250 billion barrels. 
• Russia has significant oil reserves in Siberia and vast natural gas reserves across the Arctic. Iran and Russia have the largest natural gas reserves globally, while the United States is the leading producer of natural gas.