Asia
- Alternative meanings: Asia (mythology), Asia Minor, Asia (band).
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. The boundary between Asia and Europe runs via the
Dardanelles, the
Sea of Marmara, the
Bosphorus, the
Black Sea, the ridges of the
Caucasus (according to others, through the
Kuma-Manych Depression), the
Caspian Sea, the
Ural River (according to others, the
Emba River) and the
Ural Mountains to
Novaya Zemlya. About 60% of the world's population live in Asia. See also
Eurasia.
The region of
Asia is the continent of Asia plus nearby
islands in the
Indian and Pacific Oceans.