» The continent of Asia is defined by subtracting Europe and Africa from the great land mass of Africa-Eurasia. The boundaries are vague, especially between Asia and Europe, Asia and Africa meet somewhere near the Suez Canal.
Asia itself is often divided in the following subregions.
»Central Asia There is no absolute consensus in the usage of this term. Usually, Central Asia includes: the Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan . Afghanistan , Mongolia and the western regions of China are also sometimes included.
»East AsiaThis term includes: The Pacific islands of Taiwan and Japan. North and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula. China , but sometimes only the eastern regions Sometimes the nation of Mongolia is also included with East Asia.
»Southeast AsiaThis region contains the Malay Peninsula, Indochina and islands in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The countries it contains are: In Mainland Southeast Asia, the countries Myanmar, Thailand , Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. In Maritime Southeast Asia, the countries of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and East Timor. The country of Malaysia is divided in two by the South China Sea and thus has both a mainland and island part.
»South AsiaSouth Asia is also referred to as the Indian Subcontinent. It includes: the Himalayan States of India , Pakistan , Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh the Indian Ocean nations of Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
»Southwest AsiaIt can also be called the Middle East, although that term is occasionally used to also refer to countries in North Africa. Southwest Asia can be further divided into: Anatolia, constituting part of Turkey The island nation of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. The Levant or Near East, which includes Syria , Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. The Arabian peninsula, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen and occasionally Kuwait.
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Japan (Nippon) the origin of the sun is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean . The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido ,Honshu the largest island), Shikoku and Kyushu . A number of smaller islands immediately surround these four, as well as one outlying group of small islands well to the south in Okinawa .
Recorded Japanese history began in the 5th and 6th centuries AD, when the Chinese writing system, Buddhism, and other Chinese culture was introduced by Baekje. Through the Taika Reform Edicts of 645, Japanese intensified the adoption of Chinese cultural practices, and reorganized government in accordance with the Chinese adminstrative structure. This paved the way for the dominance of Chinese Confucian philosophy in Japan until the 19th century. The Nara period of the 8th century marked the first strong Japanese state centered around an imperial court in the city of Heijokyo (now Nara ). The imperial court later moved to Heiankyo (now Kyoto ), starting a "golden age" of classical Japanese culture called the Heian period.
About 73% of the country is mountainous, with a chain running through each of the main islands: the highest mountain, Mount Fuji , has a height of 3,776 m (12,388 feet). Since flat land is limited, many hills and mountainsides are cultivated all the way to the summits, and major cities have developed on every sizable plain. Japan is a temperate region with four distinct seasons, but because of its great length from north to south, its climate varies from region to region: the far north is very cold in the winter, while the far south is subtropical. The climate is also affected by the seasonal winds blown from the continent to the ocean in winters and vice versa in summers.
The Republic of Maldives is a country consisting territorially of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India.
The early history of the Maldives is obscure. According to Maldivian legend, a Sinhalese prince named Koimale was stranded with his bride--daughter of the king of Sri Lanka--in a Maldivian lagoon and stayed on to rule as the first sultan. Over the centuries, the islands have been visited and their development influenced by sailors from countries on the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean littorals. Mopla pirates from the Malabar Coast--present-day Kerala state in India --harassed the islands. In the 16th century, the Portuguese subjugated and ruled the islands for 15 years (1558-1573) before being driven away by the warrior-patriot and later Sultan, Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Azam. Today, the country's economy has undergone a major structural transformation. The reliance on the primary fisheries sector has given way to a service sector based economy, driven by tourism. Distribution, transportation and construction have also expanded significantly.
»Capital : Male
»Language : Dhivehi
»Currecny : Rufiyah
»Dialing code : 960
»National Anthem:Gavmii mi ekuverikan matii tibegen
kuriime salaam
The Republic of India is a large country in South Asia , with a population of over one billion. It is the seventh largest country by geographical size. It has grown significantly, in both population and strategic importance, in the last twenty years. Located in Asia and constituting most of the Indian subcontinent, India straddles many trade routes. It shares its borders with Pakistan , the People's Republic of China , Myanmar , Bangladesh , Nepal , Bhutan , and Afghanistan1. Sri Lanka , the Maldives and Indonesia are nearby island nations in the Indian Ocean . India is home to some of the most ancient civilizations and has given birth to four major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
India 's entire north and northeast states are made up of the Himalayan Range . The rest of northern, central and eastern India consists of the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain. Towards western India , bordering southeast Pakistan , lies the Thar Desert . The southern Indian peninsula is almost entirely composed of the Deccan plateau. The plateau is flanked by two hilly coastal ranges, the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats . The Indian climate varies from a tropical climate in the south to a more temperate climate in the north. India gets its rains through the monsoons.
India has a rich and unique cultural heritage, having striven to preserve its established traditions throughout history; its dynamic nature is manifest in its willingness to respect and tolerate foreign ways and practices. Many dynamic cultural practices and monuments have been inherited from the rule of Mughal emperors, such as the Taj Mahal. Living in a pluralist, multilingual and multicultural society, Indians are largely tolerant and peaceful. Religious practices of various faiths are an integral part of everyday life in society. Education is highly regarded by members of every socio-economic stratum. The traditional Indian family values are highly respected and considered sacred.
»Capital : New Delhi
»Language : Hindi
»Currecny : Indian Rupee
»Dialing code : +91
»National Anthem:Vande Mataram
India produces the world's highest number of films annually. The most recognisable face is that of Bollywood, based in Mumbai, which produces mainly commercial Hindi films. Cinema in other language bases is particularly strong, with movies regularly produced in well-established Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu industries.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country on the Arabian Peninsula . It borders Iraq , Jordan , Kuwait . , Oman , Qatar , the United Arab Emirates and Yemen , with the Persian Gulf to its north-east and the Red Sea to its west.
In 1902 Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud captured Riyadh , the Al-Saud dynasty's ancestral capital, from the rival Al-Rashid family. Continuing his conquests, Abdul Aziz subdued Al-Ahsa, the rest of Nejd , and the Hijaz between 1913 and 1926. On January 8, 1926 Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud became the King of Hijaz. On January 29, 1927 he took the title King of Nejd (his previous Nejdi title was Sultan). By the Treaty of Jedda, signed on May 20, 1927, the United Kingdom recognized the independence of Abdul Aziz's realm (then known as the Kingdom of Hijaz and Nejd ). In 1932, these regions were unified as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The discovery of oil in March 1938 transformed the country economically, and has given the kingdom great legitimacy over the years. Today Saudi Arabia enjoys a close relationship with the many western nations who purchase Saudi oil.
The kingdom occupies eighty percent of the Arabian Peninsula . Most of the country's boundaries with the United Arab Emirates , Oman , and Yemen are undefined, so the exact size of the country remains unknown. The Saudi government estimate is 2,217,949 square kilometers. Other reputable estimates vary between 2,149,690 square kilometers and 2,240,000 square kilometers. Less than 1 percent of the total area is suitable for cultivation, and in the early 1990s population distribution varied greatly among the towns of the eastern and western coastal areas, the densely populated interior oases, and the vast, almost empty deserts.
Saudi Arabia is considered to be one of the fifteen countries that comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity."
Culture has only very narrow avenues of expression and is heavily censored. It has to be "traditional" and has to serve Islam. Public theatres and cinemas are prohibited, as the ruling family clan believes those institutions to be incompatible with Islam. The cultural heritage is celebrated at the annual Jenadriyah Cultural festival.
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