Asia Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Geography == {{Main|Geography of Asia}} {{See also|:Category:Biota of Asia}} [[File:Himalayas.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] range is home to some of the planet's highest peaks.]] Asia is the largest [[continent]] on [[Earth]]. It covers 9% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land area), and has the longest coastline, at {{convert|62800|km|mi|0}}. Asia is generally defined as comprising the eastern four-fifths of [[Eurasia]]. It is located to the east of the [[Suez Canal]] and the [[Ural Mountains]], and south of the [[Caucasus Mountains]] (or the [[Kuma–Manych Depression]]) and the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] and [[Black Sea]]s.<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Asia |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110518/Asia |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online |year=2006 |location=Chicago |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118141016/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110518/Asia |archive-date=18 November 2008}}</ref> It is bounded on the east by the [[Pacific Ocean]], on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. Asia is subdivided into 49 countries, five of them ([[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Russia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Turkey]]) are [[List of transcontinental countries|transcontinental countries]] lying partly in [[Europe]]. Geographically, [[Russia]] is partly in Asia, but is considered a [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe|European nation]], both [[Russian culture|culturally]] and politically. The [[Gobi Desert]] is in [[Mongolia]] and the [[Arabian Desert]] stretches across much of the Middle East. The [[Yangtze River]] in China is the longest river in the continent. The [[Himalayas]] between [[Nepal]] and China is the tallest mountain range in the world. [[Tropical rainforest]]s stretch across much of southern Asia and coniferous and [[Deciduous|deciduous forests]] lie farther north. <gallery> File:Tundra in Siberia.jpg|[[Siberian]] [[tundra]] File:Gunung Palung Jungle.jpg|[[Rainforest]] in [[Borneo]] File:Kerala Backwaters, India.JPG|[[Kerala backwaters]] File:Naadam rider 2.jpg|Mongolian [[steppe]] File:1 li jiang guilin yangshuo 2011.jpg|[[South China Karst]] File:Taman Negara, Malaysia, Panoramic view.jpg|[[Taman Negara]], [[Peninsular Malaysia]] File:Akkem Valley 2011.jpg|[[Altai Mountains]] File:Hunza Valley from Eagle Point.jpg|[[Hunza Valley]] File:Baa atoll islands.JPG|[[Atolls of the Maldives]] File:Red sand of the Wadi Rum desert.jpg|[[Wadi Rum]] in [[Jordan]] </gallery> === Main regions === [[File:Detailed map of Asian regions.png|thumb|300px|Detailed map of Asian regions]] There are various approaches to the regional division of Asia. The following subdivision into regions is used, among others, by the [[United Nations|UN]] statistics agency [[UNSD]]. This division of Asia into regions by the United Nations is done solely for statistical reasons and does not imply any assumption about political or other affiliations of [[Country|countries]] and [[Territory|territories]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use (M49 Standard)|publisher=UN Statistica Division|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/|access-date=2 May 2020|archive-date=30 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830170949/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/|url-status=live}} "Geographic Regions" anklicken Zitat: "The assignment of countries or areas to specific groupings is for statistical convenience and does not imply any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories by the United Nations."</ref> * [[North Asia]] ([[Siberia]]){{Notetag|Siberia lies in Asia geographically, but is considered a part of [[Europe]] culturally and politically.}} * [[Central Asia]] * [[West Asia]] (The [[Middle East]] or [[Near East]] and the [[Caucasus]]) * [[South Asia]] * [[East Asia]] ([[Far East]]) * [[Southeast Asia]] ([[East Indies]] and [[Mainland Southeast Asia|Indochina]]) === Climate === {{Main|Climate of Asia}} [[File:Koppen-Geiger Map Asia present.svg|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen-Geiger climate classification]] map for Asia<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=Hylke E. |last2=Zimmermann |first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar |first3=Tim R. |last4=Vergopolan |first4=Noemi |last5=Berg |first5=Alexis |last6=Wood |first6=Eric F. |author-link6=Eric Franklin Wood |title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data |date=30 October 2018 |volume=5 |pages=180214 |doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|pmid=30375988 |pmc=6207062 |bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B }}</ref>]] Asia has extremely diverse [[climate]] features. Climates range from [[arctic]] and [[subarctic]] in [[Siberia]] to tropical in southern [[India]] and Southeast Asia. It is [[Moisture|moist]] across southeast sections, and dry across much of the interior. Some of the largest daily temperature ranges on Earth occur in western sections of Asia. The [[monsoon]] circulation dominates across southern and eastern sections, due to the presence of the [[Himalayas]] forcing the formation of a thermal low which draws in moisture during the summer. Southwestern sections of the continent are hot. [[Siberia]] is one of the coldest places in the [[Northern Hemisphere]], and can act as a source of arctic air masses for [[North America]]. The most active place on [[Earth]] for [[tropical cyclone]] activity lies northeast of the [[Philippines]] and south of Japan. ====Climate change==== {{Main|Climate change in South Asia|Climate change in Southeast Asia|Climate change in Central Asia|Climate change in East Asia|Climate change in North Asia}} {{Further|:Category:Climate change in Asia}} [[Climate change]] is having major impacts on many countries in the continent. A survey carried out in 2010 by global risk analysis farm [[Maplecroft]] identified 16 countries that are extremely [[Climate change vulnerability|vulnerable to climate change]]. Each nation's vulnerability was calculated using 42 socio, economic and environmental indicators, which identified the likely [[climate change]] impacts during the next 30 years. The Asian countries of [[Climate change in Bangladesh|Bangladesh]], [[Climate change in India|India]], [[Climate change in the Philippines|the Philippines]], [[Climate change in Vietnam|Vietnam]], [[Climate change in Thailand|Thailand]], [[Climate change in Pakistan|Pakistan]], [[Climate change in China|China]] and [[Climate change in Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]] were among the 16 countries facing extreme risk from climate change.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asia tops climate change's 'most vulnerable' list|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827832-400-asia-tops-climate-changes-most-vulnerable-list/|access-date=17 December 2020|website=New Scientist|language=en-US|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413222219/https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827832-400-asia-tops-climate-changes-most-vulnerable-list/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Which countries are most threatened by and vulnerable to climate change?|url=https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/top-countries-most-affected-by-climate-change|access-date=17 December 2020|website=Iberdrola|language=en|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127071529/https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/top-countries-most-affected-by-climate-change|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Climate Risk Index 2020 – World|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-climate-risk-index-2020|access-date=17 December 2020|website=ReliefWeb|date=5 December 2019 |language=en|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127205336/https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-climate-risk-index-2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Some shifts are already occurring. For example, in tropical parts of India with a [[semi-arid climate]], the temperature increased by 0.4 °C between 1901 and 2003. A 2013 study by the [[International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics]] (ICRISAT) aimed to find science-based, pro-poor approaches and techniques that would enable Asia's agricultural systems to cope with climate change, while benefiting poor and vulnerable farmers. The study's recommendations ranged from improving the use of climate information in local planning and strengthening weather-based agro-advisory services, to stimulating diversification of rural household incomes and providing incentives to farmers to adopt natural resource conservation measures to enhance forest cover, replenish [[groundwater]] and use [[renewable energy]].<ref>[http://exploreit.icrisat.org/sites/default/files/uploads/1378286859_PolicyBrief23.pdf ''Vulnerability to Climate Change: Adaptation Strategies and layers of Resilience''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226173957/http://exploreit.icrisat.org/sites/default/files/uploads/1378286859_PolicyBrief23.pdf |date=26 February 2014 }}, [[ICRISAT]], Policy Brief No. 23, February 2013</ref> The ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Brunei, [[Climate change in Cambodia|Cambodia]], [[Climate change in Indonesia|Indonesia]], Laos, [[Climate change in Malaysia|Malaysia]], [[Climate change in Myanmar|Myanmar]], [[Climate change in the Philippines|the Philippines]], [[Climate change in Singapore|Singapore]], [[Climate change in Thailand|Thailand]], and [[Climate change in Vietnam|Vietnam]] – are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the world, however, [[ASEAN|ASEAN's]] climate mitigation efforts are not commensurate with the climate threats and risks it faces.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Overland |first1=Indra |last2=Sagbakken |first2=Haakon Fossum |last3=Chan |first3=Hoy-Yen |last4=Merdekawati |first4=Monika |last5=Suryadi |first5=Beni |last6=Utama |first6=Nuki Agya |last7=Vakulchuk |first7=Roman |title=The ASEAN climate and energy paradox |journal=Energy and Climate Change |date=December 2021 |volume=2 |pages=100019 |doi=10.1016/j.egycc.2020.100019 |hdl=11250/2734506 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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