61 Interesting Facts About Asia You Might Not Have Heard Before

While many consider Asia a subcontinent of Eurasia, it is undoubtedly one of the most significant geographical regions on Earth.

The Asian continent covers a significant part of Earth's total land area. The Asian continent spans over 8.7% of the planet's total surface area and covers around 30% of the land area of Earth.

While it is the largest continent in terms of the geographical area covered, it is also home to around 60% of the world's population.

At the same time, several archeological studies have revealed that some of the first civilizations were developed on this continent. The continent includes 49 UN members from India, Pakistan, SriLanka, South Korea, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, and others.

The continents of Asia and Europe are known to share a unique cultural and historical construct, as there is no distinct geographical boundary that separates the two continents.

Over the years, Asia has also gained recognition as the birthplace of several prevalent religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, and several others.

Asia is home to a diverse set of cultural beliefs and has equally diversified government systems, environments, and economies. When it comes to the climatic conditions of this continent, it ranges from the cold polar areas in Siberia, the temperate climatic conditions in the east and center, to the hot deserts of the Middle East.

Scroll down to learn more of these fantastic Asia facts.

Historical Facts

The Asian continent gave birth to some of the earliest human civilizations on this planet and has been an indispensable part of human history. It has witnessed the uprising and downfall of some of the most prominent kingdoms that were critical to the evolutionary journey of man.

• While Europeans colonized most of Asia, Thailand was the only country in Southeast Asia that the Europeans didn't colonize.
• The Asian continent is home to the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, whose peak height is 29032 ft (8849 m).
• Besides being home to Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, the lowest point in the world, The Dead Sea is also located within the Asian continent.
• Several studies believe the word 'Asia' has Green origins and is a female name meaning 'sunrise.'
• Over the years, the Asian country Japan has produced as many as 22 Nobel Laureates.
• The Asian city, Tokyo located in Japan, is known to be the largest city in the world. It has a population of around 14 million people.
• Japan is known to be the oldest Asian country, founded in 660 BC.
• Some of the greatest civilizations on this planet, such as the Sumerians, the Mongols, the Chinese dynasties, the Japanese, the Mesopotamians, the South Koreans, and others.
• The world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, is located in Asia. Some other notable tall buildings on this continent include the Tokyo Skytree, the Lotte World Tower, the Shanghai Tower, the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower, and the Taipei 101.
• Such is the population in Asia, seven of the ten most populated cities in the world are located in Asia.

Geography & Climate

Asian countries ranging from east to west and from north to south enjoy pretty different climatic conditions. The Asian continent offers some of the hottest summers, and tropical climates in certain regions, to nail-biting winters.

• When it comes to the geographical borders of Asia, it is the only continent on Earth that shares its borders with two other continents, Europe and Africa.
• Borneo is the biggest island in the Asian continent and the world's third largest island. It is located in South-East Asia and is part of three countries, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
• Asia is also known to be home to the largest lake in the world, the Caspian Sea. It also happens to be the biggest lake in the entire world.
• The largest cave in the world, the Hang Son Doong cave, is located in Vietnam.
• When it comes to the longest river in Asia, the title is held by the Yangtze river of China. The Yangtze river runs a massive distance of 3915 mi (6300 km).
• After Amazon and the Nile, the Yangtze river is also the third longest river in the world.
• The driest place on planet Earth is also located in Asia. The Gobi Desert is recognized as the planet's driest place.
• At the same time, the Gobi Desert is also the largest desert in the Asian continent.
• While Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world and is located in Asia, 14 of the other tallest mountains in the world are also found in Asia.
• One of the most interesting Asia facts is the country Indonesia is alone known to be home to around 150 volcanoes.
• The Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River recognized as one of the longest underground rivers in the world is located in the Asian country, the Philippines.
• The Asian continent consists of all the biomes in the world, including tropical dry forests, tropical wet evergreen forests, tropical rain forests, tropical deserts, tropical dry forests, tropical moist forests, Himalayan temperate tundra, and tropical thorn forests.
• The Asian continent is bordered by three oceans in the world the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.

Language, Culture, Religion, Foods

Diversity is synonymous with the Asian continent. Asia is home to a wide range of cultural practices, alongside being the birthplace of several popular religious practices. Several Asian countries have their own language and indigenous foods, while at times, in countries like India, different parts of the country have their language and food choices.

• Asia is home to the most populous country in the world, China which has a population of around 1.4 billion.
• Some of the rarest animals on this planet are found in Asia, including the king cobra, the komodo dragon, the Asian elephant, the giant panda, and the Bactrian camel.
• Around 90% of the world's rice is consumed by the countries in the Asian continent.
• Of all the Asian countries, Indonesia is known to have the highest Muslim population both in Asia and the entire world.
• Japan is famed for having the highest life expectancy in the world, both for males and females.
• The Japanese males have a life expectancy of 80.9, while the females have a life expectancy of 86.6.
• In Thai culture, when a person visits someone's home, it is compulsory to take off the shoes at the door.
• The smallest mammal in the world, Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, has a body size of merely 0.39 in (1 cm) and is only found in Thailand.
• Several Asian countries, like Thailand, serve insects like cockroaches as delicacies.
• The Asian continent is believed to be home to around 500 million Buddhists.
• In Vietnam, a unique bottle of wine with a snake inside it, known as the Snake Wine, is known to have a legendary status.
• Mandarin is known to be the most commonly spoken language in Asia.
• In general, around 2300 different languages are popularly spoken and recognized in Asia.
• The Thai culture recognizes one's head as their most sacred body part. It is considered disrespectful when a person touches someone else's head in Thai culture.
• People from all across the world visit Asia every year; some of the most popular tourist attractions of the continent include the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India, Petra in Jordan, the Bali island in Indonesia, and others.
• The Asian continent is home to some of the most venomous snakes in the world, such as the Malayan Pit Viper, the King Cobra, the Common Indian Krait, the Saw-Scaled Viper, and others.
• As many as 90% of South Asians are known to be lactose intolerant. Several studies have revealed that many South Asians lack the enzyme lactase critical for digesting lactose from dairy products.
• While many consider mango the king of all fruits, India is known to be responsible for producing around 20 million tonnes of mangoes annually, most of any country in the world.
• Earlier, wild tigers used to be found in every part of Asia, but lately, these animals are only found in 13 Asian countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Thailand, and others.

Economy

The diversity in the Asian continent isn't only limited to its culture. Asia includes some of the largest economies in the world, such as China and India, while also being home to economically weak countries like Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Nepal, and others.

• The Asian country Japan is known to have the second-largest economy in the world, only after the United States.
• While Japan has the largest economy of all Asian countries, East Timor is known to have the smallest economy of all within the continent.
• Asia is known to be home to more billionaires in the world than in any other continent.
• Asian countries are often recognized for their cheap economy. The Asian country, Vietnam is believed to be one of the cheapest places in the world to get a tailor-made outfit.
• Gambling is illegal in Japan except for when bets are placed on horse races and a few other sports.
• Over the years, Asian countries have invented some of the most essential products such as the magnetic compass, gunpowder, paper, the printing press, and others.
• The wealth in some Asian countries is largely reflected by the mall sizes in these countries. The biggest mall in the world is located in Dongguan, China but it is upsetting that not all of its space is currently in use.

Other Miscellaneous Facts

• The Asian continent is home to the largest mountains on Earth and has a plethora of wildlife that is indigenous to this continent.
• A region in Central Asia called Pamir Plateau is popularly recognized as the 'Roof of the World.'
• One of the most interesting Asia facts, unlike most countries, South Korea observes a separate Valentine's Day but only for single people.
• The smallest country in Asia is Maldives, it is nothing but a collection of 26 coral atolls in the Indian Ocean.
• Besides being the smallest country in Asia, Maldives is also one of the smallest countries in the world.
• While Asia is home to several wild animals in the world, Asian elephants are recognized as the largest land animals on this continent.
• Despite being recognized as the largest land animal in Asia, Asian elephants are not as large as African elephants.
• The Tropic of Cancer, the Equator, and the Arctic Circle all pass through the Asian continent.
• Although China spans a massive area of 3705 mi sq mi, it has only a one-time zone.
• While China is known for its extensive use of chopsticks, as many as 45 billion pairs of chopsticks are produced in this Asian country annually.
• Within the Asian continent, there are as many as 12 landlocked countries.
• These 12 landlocked countries include Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Bhutan, Armenia, Laos, Mongolia, and Nepal.
• In various Asian cultures, the way one drinks tea is known to be the indicator of their social status.
• The Asian countries, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea are known to have the highest average IQ of all countries on Earth.