Japan belongs to Europe or Asia. Regions of Asia

ASIA (part of the world) ASIA (part of the world)

ASIA, the largest part of the world (approx. 43.4 million sq. km), together with Europe forms the continent of Eurasia. The border between Asia and Europe is usually drawn along the Urals (the ridge or its eastern foot, the Emba, Kuma, Manych rivers, along the axial watershed of the Greater Caucasus, the Caspian, Azov, Black and Marmara seas, the Bosphorus and Dardanelles). Asia is connected to Africa by the Isthmus of Suez, from the North. America is separated by the Bering Strait. The North is washed. The Arctic, Pacific and Indian oceans and their marginal seas, as well as the inland seas of the Atlantic approx. Area of ​​the islands of St. 2 million km 2. The average height is 950 m, the highest is 8848 m (Mt. Chomolungma, the highest point on Earth). Mountains and plateaus occupy approx. 3/4 ter. Main mountain systems: Himalayas, Karakorum, Pamir, Tien Shan, Hindu Kush, Kunlun, Greater Caucasus, Altai, Sayan Mountains, Verkhoyansky and Chersky ridges. Large highlands: Tibetan, Iranian, Armenian, Asia Minor, Stanovoe, Koryak. Plateaus: Central Siberian, Arabian Peninsula, Deccan. The largest plains are: West Siberian, Turanian, Great Chinese, Indo-Gangetic, Mesopotamian. In Kamchatka, the Vostochny Islands. Asia and Malay arch. a lot of active volcanoes, strong seismicity.
The climate ranges from arctic in the north and sharply continental temperate in the east. Siberia to the equatorial on the islands of Indonesia. In the East and Yuzh. Asia has a monsoon climate, on the Central plains, Wed. and Zap. Asia - desert and semi-desert. In the most high mountains Wed. and Center. In Asia, in the Himalayas, and on the Arctic islands, glaciation has developed (118.4 thousand km 2). Significant territories, mainly in the North. and Vost. Siberia (approx. 11 million km 2), occupied by permafrost. Main rivers: Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei, Lena (basin of the Northern Arctic region, covered with ice most of the year); Amur, Yellow River, Yangtze (the longest in Asia, 5800 km), Xijiang, Mekong (bass of the Pacific region); Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Shatt al-Arab (bass Indian ca.). The area of ​​internal drainage is large (basin of the Caspian and Aral Sea, many areas of the Center. Asia and Middle East). Large lakes: Baikal, Balkhash, Issyk-Kul, Van, Urmia, Khanka, Kukunor, Poyanghu, Dongtinghu, Taihu, Tonle Sap.
On the Arctic islands and along the Northern coast. Arctic approx. arctic deserts and tundras stretch, framed from the south narrow strip forest-tundra, to the south - taiga (mainly dark coniferous in the west and light coniferous in the east), giving way to mixed and broad-leaved forests, forest-steppes and steppes to the south. Semi-deserts and deserts are especially well expressed on the Arabian Peninsula (Nefud, Rub al-Khali), in the interior regions of the Iranian Plateau (Dasht-Lut, Dasht-Kevir, etc.), in Middle. and Center. Asia (Karakum, Kyzylkum, Gobi, Taklamakan), in the South. Asia (Thar). In the subtropics of the West. Asia - Mediterranean vegetation; in East Asia - monsoon mixed and deciduous forests. In the tropical latitudes of the East. and Yuzh. Asia - monsoon deciduous forests and savannas, on the windward slopes of the mountains - evergreen forests. In equatorial latitudes (mainly in Indonesia) multi-tiered swamp forests - hylea (cm. GILEIA). In Asia - most of Russian Federation, as well as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, Vietnam, Georgia, part of Egypt, Israel, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, most of Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Qatar, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip), Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, most of Turkey, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Japan. Population of Asia St. 3.2 billion people (1990).* * *
ASIA
History of the study
First stage
Limited information about the geography of Asia was known to the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia. Campaigns of Alexander the Great (cm. Alexander the Great)(4th century BC), trade between Egypt and India, the presence of a trade route (“Silk Road” (cm. SILK ROAD)) from China to Western Asia contributed to the gradual accumulation of information about Asia. However, deeper knowledge about this part of the land was obtained later.
Second stage (7th-17th centuries) Exploration of Asia by scientists and travelers of the East
In the 7th century. Buddhist monk Xuanzang (cm. XUAN-ZANG), wandering around the Central and Central Asia, India, presented information on the geography, ethnography and history of the countries he saw in one of his main works, “Notes on the Countries of the West,” completed in 648. The Arab traveler and geographer Ibn Khordadbeh (9-10 centuries) described the provinces of Western Asia. Biruni (cm. BIRUNI) compiled a work on India, Masudi (cm. MASOUDI) gave geographical and historical description Muslim countries, India, China, Palestine, Ceylon. In the 9th-11th centuries. various regions of Central and Western Asia studied Mukadassi (cm. MUQADDASI), Ibn Sina (cm. IBN SINA), Ibn Fadlan (cm. IBN FADLAN) and Ibn Rusta. Arab traveler Idrisi (cm. IDRISI)(12th century), who lived most of his life in Sicily, described Asia Minor, which he visited, in a consolidated geographical work. In the 14th century Ibn Battuta ( cm.), who visited many Asian countries, wrote a large work in which he gave a very colorful and live description these countries, including information about mineral resources.
European exploration of Asia
In the 12th-13th centuries. Europeans who committed Crusades, collect information about the countries of Central and South Asia. In 1253-1255 Flemish traveler, monk Rubruk (cm. RUBROOK Willem), undertook a diplomatic trip to Mongolia. Report on this most significant (before M. Polo (cm. POLO Marco)) on a European's journey to Asia contained valuable information on the geography of Central Asia (in particular, it indicated that the Caspian Sea is not a sea, but a lake). A significant contribution to the development of ideas about Asia was made by the traveler M. Polo (1271-1295), who lived in China for about 17 years. “The Book” (1298), recorded from his words in a Genoese prison, where he was sent during the war between Venice and Genoa, first introduced Europeans to Persia, Armenia, China, India, etc. It was a reference book for such great navigators as Columbus (cm. COLUMBUS Christopher), Vasco da Gama (cm. GAMA Vasco yes), Magellan (cm. MAGELLAN Fernand) and others. The Venetian merchant and traveler M. Conti, who traveled around India in 1424, visiting the islands of Ceylon, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, on behalf of the Pope in 1444, dictated a report on this journey. In 1468-1474 Russian merchant Afanasy Nikitin (cm. NIKITIN Afanasy) took a trip to India. His travel notes, containing many-sided observations, were published under the title “Walking across the Three Seas.”
In the middle of the 15th century. Europeans began to look for sea routes to Asia. Portuguese sailors reached India in 1497-1499 (Vasco da Gama), visited Malacca, Macau, the Philippines, and Japan. In the second half of the 16th-17th centuries. The Dutch, British, and Spaniards continued to penetrate into the countries of South Asia. In 1618-1619, the Siberian Cossack I. Petlin visited Mongolia and China, plotted the route on a map, and outlined what he saw in a book translated into English, French and other languages. One of the first Europeans to visit Japan in 1690-1692 was the German naturalist and doctor E. Kaempfer, who collected extensive material about the nature, history and life of the people. His book, published in 1728 in London, has long served as the main source of information about Japan.
Exploration of Asia by Russian explorers
During this period, the greatest contribution to research northern regions Asia, where Europeans did not penetrate, was introduced by Russian explorers (cm. EXPLORERS). By the end of the 16th century, after Ermak’s campaign (cm. ERMAK Timofeevich), Western Siberia became generally known. In 1639 I. Yu. Moskvitin (cm. MOSKVITIN Ivan Yurievich) with a detachment of Cossacks reached the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. In 1632-1638, a detachment led by E. P. Khabarov (cm. KHABAROV Erofey Pavlovich) studied the Lena River basin. In 1649-1653 he crossed the Stanovoy Ridge, traveled to the Amur region, and was the first to draw up a map of it. In 1643-1646, a detachment of V. D. Poyarkov passed along the Lena, Aldan, Zeya and Amur rivers (cm. POYARKOV Vasily Danilovich), who also presented drawings of the routes traveled and collected valuable information about the Far East. In 1648, the expedition of S. I. Dezhnev (cm. DEZHNEV Semyon Ivanovich) circled the Chukotka Peninsula and discovered the strait separating Asia from America, and the cape, which is the extreme northeastern point of Asia. Siberian Cossack V.V. Atlasov (cm. ATLASOV Vladimir Vasilievich) in 1697-1699 he traveled through Kamchatka, reached the Northern Kuril Islands and compiled a description (“skask”) of the discovered lands.
In the 17th century Russian explorers, despite extremely difficult climatic conditions, overcoming vast spaces, they discovered almost all of Siberia. This stage ended with the compilation of the first maps of Siberia, made by the Tobolsk governor P. Godunov and his fellow countryman, geographer and cartographer S. Remizov.
Third stage (18th - mid-19th centuries)
During this period, exploration of the north and northeast of the Asian continent by Russian travelers and navigators continued. By decree of Peter I, Kamchatka expeditions were equipped, led by V. Bering (cm. BERING Vitus Jonassen), assistant was A. Chirikov (cm. CHIRIKOV Alexey Ilyich). The first expedition (1725-30) passed overland through Siberia to Okhotsk, and then, after the construction of ships, Bering went to sea, rounded the shores of Kamchatka and Chukotka, discovered the island of St. Lawrence and passed through the strait that now bears his name. The Second Kamchatka Expedition (1733-41), also known as the Great Northern Expedition due to the scope of its work, occupies an outstanding place in the history of the study of the Arctic and northern regions of Asia. The Asian shores of the Arctic Ocean were mapped, the Commander, Aleutian and other islands were discovered, and the shores of Alaska were examined. Separate detachments were led by the Laptev brothers (cm. LAPTEV), V. V. Pronchishchev (cm. PRONCHISHCHEV Vasily Vasilievich), S. I. Chelyuskin (cm. CHELYUSKIN Semyon Ivanovich)(whose names are immortalized on geographical map). Missionaries made a great contribution to the study of Central Asia, giving at the beginning of the 18th century. description of China, Mongolia and Tibet. At the end of the 18th century. Russian traveler and naturalist P. S. Pallas (cm. PALLAS Peter Simon) explored Eastern Siberia and Altai. In 1800-05 Y. Sannikov (cm. SANNIKOV Yakov) discovered and described the Stolbovoy and Faddeevsky islands of the Novosibirsk archipelago, suggested the existence of Sannikov land to the north of it (cm. SANNIKOVA LAND). In 1811 V. M. Golovnin (cm. GOLOVNIN Vasily Mikhailovich) took a trip to the Kuril Islands, compiled an inventory and map of them. During the expedition, he was captured by the Japanese. His memoirs about being in captivity in 1811-1813, containing information about the country and customs of the Japanese, became the first description of Japan in Russian. In 1821-1823 P. F. Anjou (cm. ANZHU Petr Fedorovich) explored the coast of the Arctic Ocean (between the mouths of the Olenek and Indigirka rivers), performing a number of astronomical and geomagnetic observations. F. P. Wrangel (cm. WRANGEL Ferdinand Petrovich) in 1820-1824 he led an expedition to study the northern shores of Eastern Siberia. According to information received from the Chukchi, he determined the position of the island in the Chukchi Sea, which was later named after him. In 1829, at the invitation of the Russian government, A. Humboldt (cm. HUMBOLDT Alexander) took a trip to the Urals, Altai, to the southwestern part of Siberia, to the shores of the Caspian Sea, to the Kyrgyz steppes, the results of which were highlighted in the works “Central Asia” (vol. 1-3, 1843, Russian translation vol. 1., 1915 ) and “Fragments on the Geology and Climatology of Asia” (vol. 1-2, 1831). F. P. Litke (cm. LITKE Fedor Petrovich) during a trip around the world in 1826-29, he explored the eastern coast of Asia and Kamchatka.
Fourth stage (mid 19th - early 20th centuries)
From the middle of the 19th century. The role of systematic research conducted by scientific institutes, geographical societies and topographic services in England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and China is sharply increasing. The number of monographic descriptions of Asia has increased. The Russian Geographical Society, created in 1845, is expanding its work in Siberia and the Far East. In 1856-1857 P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky (cm. SEMENOV-TIAN-SHANSKY Petr Petrovich) traveled to the Tien Shan (gave its first orographic diagram), explored the western spurs of the Trans-Ili Alatau, and was the first European to climb the slopes of the Khan Tengri massif. In memory of his achievements in the study of the Tien Shan, “Tian Shansky” was added to his surname in 1906. A. P. Fedchenko (cm. FEDCHENKO Alexey Pavlovich) in 1868-1871 he made several trips to Turkestan; he was the first Russian traveler to visit the Alai Valley, discover the Trans-Alai Range, and explore the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River. In 1872-1876 A. I. Voeikov (cm. VOEYKOV Alexander Ivanovich) visited South and Western Asia, China, Japan, India, Central Asia, collecting valuable information about the climate of various regions of Asia. In 1877-1880 I. D. Chersky (cm. CHERSKY Ivan Demidovich) gave a detailed geographical and geological description of the coast of Lake Baikal. In 1870-1885, four expeditions to Central Asia were organized under the leadership of N. M. Przhevalsky (cm. PRZHEVALSKY Nikolai Mikhailovich), who discovered many previously unknown remote areas - Kunlun, Nanshan, Tibet, etc. His research was continued by Russian travelers - M. V. Pevtsov (cm. PEVTSOV Mikhail Vasilievich), G. E. Grumm-Grzhimailo (cm. GRUMM-GRZHIMAILO), G. Ts. Tsybikov (cm. TSYBIKOV Gonbochzhab Tsebekovich). V. A. Obruchev, who worked a lot in Central Asia, made three expeditions to the Trans-Caspian region (1886-1888), discovered a number of ridges in the Nanshan Mountains, the Daursky Range, etc., and explored the Beishan Highlands.
At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Russian scientists (I.V. Mushketov (cm. MUSHKETOV Ivan Vasilievich), L. S. Berg (cm. BERG Lev Semenovich)) continue systematic research in Asia. Construction Trans-Siberian Railway (cm. TRANS-SIBERIAN HIGHWAY) also stimulated regular exploration of the adjacent territories.
For the first time, the northeast passage from Europe to Far East carried out in 1878-79 by N. Nordenskiöld (cm. NORDENSCHOLD Niels Adolf Eric), later (1911-1915) this route, only from east to west, was repeated by the expedition of B. A. Vilkitsky (cm. VILKITSKY Boris Andreevich). During this period, in-depth geographical studies scientists from Asian countries (Japan, China, India, Indonesia).
Since the middle of the 20th century. Research in the Russian part of Asia related to the economic development of a vast territory is intensified, regional scientific centers and institutes conducting work on mapping (including large-scale) and comprehensive study of Siberia and the Far East. Regular voyages along the Northern Sea Route are being established (cm. NORTHERN SEA ROUTE (NSR)). Systematic research is being carried out by international expeditions.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

Asia is the largest part of the world. However, not everyone knows its exact location. Let us dwell in detail on where Asia is located.

Location and boundaries of Asia

Most of Asia is in the northern and eastern hemisphere. And her total area is 43.4 million km² with a population of 4.2 billion people. It has borders with Africa (connected by the Isthmus of Suez). Therefore, one part of Egypt is located in Asia. From North America Asia is separated by the Bering Strait. The border with Europe runs along the Emba River, the Caspian, Black and Marmara Seas, the Ural Mountains and the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.

At the same time, the geopolitical border of this continent is slightly different from the natural one. Yes, she goes through eastern borders Kurgan, Sverdlovsk and Arkhangelsk regions, Komi, Russia and Kazakhstan. Whereas in the Caucasus its geopolitical border coincides with the Russian-Georgian and Russian-Azerbaijani ones.

It is noteworthy that Asia is washed by four oceans at once - the Pacific, Indian, Arctic, as well as the Atlantic seas. This continent also has areas of internal drainage - Lake Balkhash, the basins of the Aral and Caspian seas and others.

Here are the coordinates extreme points Asia:

• South —103° 30′ E.
• North - 104° 18′ E
• West - 26° 04′ E.
• East - 169° 40′ W

Features, climate and fossils of Asia

It is important to know that at the base of this continent lie several huge platforms:

• Siberian;
• Chinese;
• Arabian;
• Indian.

At the same time, ¾ of Asia is occupied by plateaus and mountains. While permafrost covers 10 million square meters. km. mainland, and in the east there are several active volcanoes.

The coast of Asia is poorly dissected. The following peninsulas can be distinguished:

• Taimyr;
• Korean;
• Hindustan;
• Austrian and others.

Surprisingly, Asia has almost all types of climates - from equatorial (southeast) to arctic (north). The eastern part of Asia is dominated by a monsoon climate, while the central and western parts are semi-desert.

Asia is rich in mineral resources. On its territory there are:

• oil;
• coal;
• iron ore;
• tungsten;
• silver;
• gold;
• mercury and others.

Asia got its name thanks to ancient greek mythology. Once upon a time, Asia (Asia) was the daughter of the titan god Oceanid, who became the wife of Prometheus. The ancient Greeks borrowed the word “Asia” from the Assyrians, who called it the place where the Sun rises. Therefore, the Greeks began to call the territory that lies east of Greece Asia.

In modern Asia, states are at different levels of development. If Bangladesh and Afghanistan are firmly stuck in the Middle Ages, then South Korea, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan are countries with developed economies.

Geography of Asia

Asia is the most big continent on the ground. Its total area is more than 43.4 million square meters. km (this is 30% of the Earth's territory). Asia is considered part of the Eurasian Peninsula.

In the west, the border of Asia runs along Ural mountains. In the north, Asia is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean, in the east - Pacific Ocean(East China, Bering, Okhotsk, South China, Japan and Yellow Seas), and in the south - by the waters of the Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea).

In addition, the shores of Asia are also washed by the waters of the Red and Mediterranean Seas.

Since Asia occupies a huge territory, it is clear that the climate on this continent is very diverse. In Western and Eastern Siberia the climate is continental, in Central and Central Asia - desert and semi-desert, in Eastern, Southern, and Southeast Asia - monsoonal (monsoon season - June-October), in some regions equatorial, and in the far north – arctic.

Among the Asian rivers, one should, of course, name the Yangtze (6300 km), Yellow River (5464 km), Ob (5410 km), Mekong (4500 km), Amur (4440 km), Lena (4400) and Yenisei (4092 km ).

The five largest lakes in Asia include the following: Aral Sea, Baikal, Balkhash, Tonle Sap and Issyk-Kul.

A significant part of Asia is mountains. It is in Asia that the Himalayas, Pamirs, Hindu Kush, Altai and Sayan Mountains are located. The largest mountain in Asia is Everest (Qomolungma), its height is 8,848 meters.

Numerous deserts await travelers in Asia, among which, perhaps, we should highlight the Gobi, Taklamakan, Karakum and deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. In total, there are more than 20 deserts in Asia.

Population of Asia

On this moment Asia's population already exceeds 4.3 billion people. This is about 60% of the total population of the Earth. At the same time, the annual population growth in Asia is about 2%.

Almost the entire population of Asia belongs to the Mongoloid race, which, in turn, is divided into small races - North Asian, Arctic, South Asian and Far Eastern. In Iraq, southern Iran and northern India, the Indo-Mediterranean race predominates. In addition, there are many other races in Asia, such as Caucasian and Negroid.

Asian countries

There are 55 states wholly or partially located on the territory of Asia (5 of them are so-called unrecognized republics). The largest Asian country is China (its territory covers 9,596,960 sq. km), and the smallest is the Maldives (300 sq. km).

In terms of population, China (1.39 billion people) is ahead of all countries in the world. Other Asian countries have fewer people: India has 1.1 billion people, Indonesia has 230 million people, and Bangladesh has 134 million people.

Regions of Asia

The territory of Asia is so large that politicians, journalists or scientists sometimes divide it into the Middle East, Western Asia and the Far East. However, geographically it is more correct to divide Asia into 5 regions:

• East Asia (China, Japan, South and North Korea and Mongolia);
• Western Asia (Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Yemen, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey);
• Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, East Timor, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Myanmar);
• South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka);
• Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan).

Asian cities are the most populous in the entire world. The largest of all Asian cities is Bombay (India), whose population is already more than 12.2 million people. Other Largest cities Asia - Seoul, Jakarta, Karachi, Manila, Delhi, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing and Tehran.

Asia - it's not just part of the world. This is a special world, mysterious and incomprehensible to Europeans. This world is multifaceted, amazing, unusual. The term "Asia" hides too much different countries: India and Pakistan, and , Uzbekistan and the Philippines. And each country has its own customs, its own orders and its own priorities...

Asia – the largest, which together with Europe forms the continent of Eurasia. Its area together with the islands is 44 million 500 thousand sq. km.

Asia is separated from Africa by the Isthmus of Suez, and from North America by the Bering Strait. The border between Asia and Europe is conditional, and runs on land along the Ural Mountains. The water border of Europe and Asia runs along the Manych, Ema and Kuma rivers; along the seas - the Caspian, Azov, Black, Marble, Bosphorus and Dardanelles.

Washed Asia oceans: Pacific - in the east, Indian - in the south and Arctic in the north. And from the southwest it is surrounded by the seas - Mediterranean, Marmara, Aegean, Black, Azov.

Asia - the most diverse continent. There are huge plains and deserts, steppes and forests, tundra and mountains. Three quarters of the entire territory of Asia is occupied by plateaus and mountains. This is a continent of contrasts - it is home to the highest peak in the world, Mount Chomolungma (height 8848 meters) and the Dead Sea - the deepest tectonic depression in the world (405 meters below sea level).

By the way, Lake Baikal, which is the deepest lake in the world (depth up to 1620 meters), and surpasses all lakes in the world in terms of fresh water volume, is also located in Asia. The largest lake in the world (Caspian Sea) is located on the territory of this continent.

There are three large peninsulas in Asia: the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula, the Hindustan Peninsula, which contains most of India, and the rainforest-covered Indochina. Asia also includes thousands of islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Among them are such large islands as Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Sri Lanka.

The climate in this part of the world varies - from warm and humid in the south and southeast, where the monsoons bring heavy summer rainfall, to cold in Siberia. In Western and Central Asia, large areas are occupied by deserts, some of them are hot (for example, the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula), others are cold (for example, Taklamakan and Gobi).

Asia – the birthplace of three world religions: Christianity, Buddhism, Islam. This is a part of the world where there are civilizations with a thousand-year history - Japanese, Chinese, Indian. The states of Asia differ sharply from each other in their history, culture, religion, and level of economic development.