Portal:Asia

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The Asia Portal

Asia is the largest continent in the world. It has a land mass at around 49,694,700 km² and covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area, or 29.4% of its land area. It is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Africa-Eurasia lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas.

Asia is considered one of the most populous regions in the world, containing around 60% of the world's human population. Of these only 2% live in the northern and interior half (Siberia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, western Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan).

The wealth of Asia differs widely between, and within, states. This is due to its vast size, meaning a huge range of different cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems. The largest economies in Asia in terms of nominal GDP are Japan and Singapore, the smallest East Timor. In terms of Purchasing Power Parity however, the People's Republic of China has the largest economy in Asia and the second largest in the world, followed by Japan and India as the world's third and fourth largest economies respectively.

Asia is also known for its rich history and culture. Asian art, music, and cuisine, as well as literature, are important parts of Asian culture. Eastern philosophy and religion also plays a major role, with Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity all playing major roles. One of the most complex parts of Asian culture is the relationship between traditional cultures and the Western world.

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Featured article

There are two styles of toilets in Japan. The oldest type is a simple squat toilet, which is still common in public conveniences. After World War II, modern Western-type flush toilets and urinals became common. The current state of the art for Western-style toilets is the bidet toilet, which, as of 2004, are installed in more than half of Japanese households. In Japan, these bidets are commonly called Washlets (ウォシュレット Woshuretto^?), a brand name of TOTO Ltd., and include many advanced features rarely seen outside of Asia. Depending on the exact model, these bidets are designed to open the lid when they sense a user nearby, wash the anus or vulva of the user (including a number of pulsating and massaging functions), dry afterwards with warm air, flush automatically and close the lid after use. These toilets may be the most advanced toilets in the world.

Western-style toilets and urinals started to appear in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, but only after World War II did their use become more widespread, due to the influence of the American occupation. In 1977, the sale of Western-style toilets exceeded the sale of traditional squat toilets in Japan. Based on toilets with a built-in bidet from Switzerland and the U.S., the world's largest sanitary equipment company, TOTO, introduced the Washlet in 1980. Japanese companies currently produce some of the most advanced, high-tech toilets in the world.

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Image credit: Martin Louis Pangong Tso is a lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4250 m (13,900 ft). It is 134 km (83.3 mi) long and extends from India to Tibet.

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Countries in Asia

Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · British Indian Ocean Territory (United Kingdom) · Brunei · Cambodia · People's Republic of China (mainland China) · Taiwan (Republic of China) · Christmas Island (Australia) · Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia) · · Georgia · Hong Kong (PR China) · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) · Republic of Korea (South Korea) · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Macau (PR China) · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar (Burma) · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · Philippines · Qatar · Russia · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste (East Timor) · Turkey · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen

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WikiProjects

If you know of a project involving Asia, please list it here and on Wikipedia:WikiProject.

Azerbaijan: Azeri

Bangladesh: Bangladesh • Bengal

Nepal: Nepal • Himalayan

India: Indian States • Indian Cities • Indian Districts • Hinduism • Hindu mythology • Indian cinema • History of India • Politics of India • Indian military history

Pakistan: Pakistan Districts

Japan: Owarai • Anime and manga • Japanese Bibliography • Prefectures • Districts, cities, towns, and villages • Japan update • Japanese mythology • Japanese military history

Middle East: Iran • Hebrew • Arab-Israeli conflict • Islam

People's Republic of China: Chinese provinces • Chinese cities • Transportation in China • Uyghurs of Western China • Chinese military history

Southeast Asia: Indonesia • Philippine LGUs • Singaporean places • Thai provinces • Vietnamese provinces

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Things you can do

Azerbaijan • People's Republic of China • Hong Kong (China) • Indonesia • India • Iran • Japan • Korea • Malaysia • Philippines • Russia • Taiwan • Thailand

Wikify: Abhra Mondal, Ali Akbar ibn Husayn, China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company, Malaysian Government Securities, Zhuang characters, Backlog...
Cleanup: Al jawaher wal la'li, Dham Talwandi Khurd, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Japanese Army and Navy Strategies for South Seas areas, Backlog...
Stubs: Guoyue, Haranga, Rangzen Shonu, Ahmedabad Railway Station, Anwar Saifullah Khan, Carmel City, Chuncheon Polytechnic College Baten Kaitos Origins, Gideon Hausner, More...
Copyedit: Balikpapan, Empire of Japan, Ha Nam Province, History of Shaivism, Tüfekçi, Urban planning in Singapore, Varnashrama dharma, More...
Expand: Army of the Republic of Vietnam, Chinese astronomy, Grey (manga), Islamic architecture, Kazuhide Uekusa, Masashi Tashiro, Ngo Dinh Diem, Wakizashi, More...
Requests: Hua'er, India Import Tax, Jamiat-ul-Ansar, Mamed Seid Ordubadi More...

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Current events

Current events on Wikinews
Archives

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Did you know...

...that Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi gave the first accurate explanation for the formation of a rainbow?
...that family registers are known as Koseki in Japan?
...that the first head of the House of Saud was Muhammad bin Saud ?
...that Fataluku is a language commonly used on the eastern part of East Timor?
...that Guozijian was the national central institute of learning in Chinese dynasties after the Sui Dynasty?
Did you know archive

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Map of Asia

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Lists and categories

Lists: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

The following are categories relating to Asia:

Airports • Comics • Companies • Countries • Culture • Dinosaurs • Economy • Ethnic groups • Fiction • Games • Geography • Hiking trails • History • Images • Indigenous peoples • Languages • Law enforcement agencies • Lists • Mythology • Natural gas pipelines • Natural history • Newspapers • People • Politics • Religion • Royalty • Sports • Stock exchanges • Stubs • Swords • Transportation • Women in war

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Related portals

Africa • Australia • Europe • North America • Oceania

Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Cambodia
Hong Kong (China)
Hyderabad (India)
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kerala
Korea

Malaysia
Palestine
Philippines
Russia
Pakistan
People's Republic of China
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand

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Topics related to Asia

History	Central Asia, Conflicts, East Asia, Imperialism, Kamboja-Dvaravati Route, Mesopotamia, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia
Geography	Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, East Asia, Far East, Himalayas, Indian subcontinent, Malay peninsula, North Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, Suez Canal, Tibetan Plateau, Ural Mountains
Economy	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, Commonwealth of Independent States, Imperialism, Silk Road, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Culture	Cinema, Cuisine, Eastern philosophy, Films, Film festivals, Literature, Music, Religion
People	Indigenous peoples, Languages, Politics, Studies

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Associated Wikimedia

Asia on Wikinews	Asia on Wikiquote	Asia on Wikibooks	Asia on Wikisource	Asia on Wiktionary	Asia on Wikimedia Commons
News	Quotations	Manuals & Texts	Texts	Definitions	Images