Introduction to Asia (Continent)

Eastern Hemisphere Continents:
Introduction to Asia

Reorder

Order the following continents from largest to smallest:

• Asia

• Africa

• Europe

• Australia

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

The world's largest continent is Asia.
It also has the largest population of any continent in the world.
Let's explore more...

Asia

The world’s major religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism—all began in Asia as well.

Home of religion

Asia was the home of the great early civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus River valley.

Ancient civilizations

Mount Everest is located between the countries of Tibet and Nepal. It is the highest point on Earth.

Earth's highest point

The Dead Sea can be found between Israel and Jordan. Its salt content is about seven times that of the ocean.

Lowest point on Earth

Multiple Choice

The highest and lowest points of land on earth are located in Asia.

• True

• False

Land & Climate

The boundary between Europe and Asia is generally considered to lie along the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea. The Ural Mountains run through Russia, so Russia is partly in Asia and partly in Europe.

Land Boundaries

Asia stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Equator. It is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the Indian Ocean, to the southwest by the Mediterranean and Black seas, and to the west by Europe.

Water Boundaries

Land & Climate

• Yangtze River in China (longest)

• Huang He (Yellow River) in China

• Ob River in Russia

• Ganges River in India

• Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

• Caspian Sea (largest inland sea)

Rivers & Seas

• The Himalayas in southern Asia

• The Hindu Kush in Afghanistan

• Tien Shan

• Altai

Mountains

Drag and Drop

River or Mountain?



Yangtze​

Placeholder

Himalayas ​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

River

Mountains

Just like many places, Asia can be divided into several regions.

Northern Asia includes countries like Russia.
Eastern Asia includes countries like China and Japan.
Central Asia includes countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Southern Asia includes countries like Pakistan and India.
Western Asia includes countries like Qatar and Iraq.
South-East Asia includes countries like Cambodia and Indonesia.

Regions

These regions contain great mountains, high plains, and islands. India and Pakistan are major countries in South Asia; Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam are in Southeast Asia; and China, Japan, and North and South Korea are in East Asia.

South, Southeast, and East Asia

Northern Asia, also called Siberia, is part of Russia. Siberia has mostly frozen plains and swampy forest. Because of the extreme cold, few people live there. Most of Central Asia consists of desert, but in the north are vast grasslands.

Northern and Central Asia

Match

Match the following regions of Asia to their geography and countries.

• Russia

• Indonesia

• Kazakhstan

• India

• China

Northern Asia

Southeast Asia

Central Asia

South Asia

East Asia

• Northern Asia

• Southeast Asia

• Central Asia

• South Asia

• East Asia

Asia saw an increase in population during the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, Asia is home to some of the biggest cities on earth.

For example: Beijing, China; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and Delhi, India.

Human Characteristics

There are 48 countries in Asia.

How many countries?

Asia is home to around 2,300 languages. They are spoken by around 4.46 billion people, with the most widely spoken Asian languages being Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Bengali, and Japanese.

How many languages?

35.3 million international tourists in 2023.

China

28.15 million international tourists in 2023.

Thailand

25.07 million international tourists in 2023.

Japan

Most Popular With Tourists

The Great Wall of China is over 3,171 miles long. It was built with stones, bricks and tiles, earth as well as of wooden material.

Great Wall, China

The Taj Mahal is a tomb for Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal as well as a mosque and a guesthouse. The name means 'crown of palaces'.

Taj Mahal, India

The buildings of this ancient city were carved out of the red rocks and sandstone cliffs by Nabateans probably about 200 BC.

Petra, Jordan

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument by land area in the world. Angkor Wat means 'Temple City' in the Khmer language.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Famous Landmarks & Cultural Centers

Poll

Which of the landmarks on the previous slide would you most like to visit?

• The Great Wall

  (China)

• Taj Mahal

  (India)

• Petra

  (Jordan)

• Angkor Wat

  (Cambodia)

Agriculture is an important part of the economy in many Asian countries. In much of Asia the main food crop is rice. Wheat is important in parts of northern, Central, Southwest, and South Asia. Crops grown for sale include tea, sugarcane, coconuts, and rubber. Sheep and goats are raised for meat and wool in most of Asia. China, Japan, Indonesia, India, and Russia catch large amounts of fish.

Movement:
Goods/Exports

Open Ended

What is one new thing you learned about the continent of Asia today?