Asia is the largest and most populous continent or region, depending on the definition. It covers 8.7 percent of the Earth's total surface area, or 29.8 percent of its land area, and it contains more than 60 percent of the world's human population.

Asia is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Africa-Eurasia – with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe – lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas.

Etymology

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The word Asia entered English, via Latin, from Ancient Greek Ασία (Asia; see also List of traditional Greek place names). This name is first attested in Herodotus (about 440 BC), where it refers to Asia Minor; or, for the purposes of describing the Persian Wars, to the Persian Empire, in contrast to Greece and Egypt. Herodotus comments that he is puzzled as to why three different women's names are used to describe a single land mass (Europa, Asia and Libya, referring to Africa), stating that most Greeks assumed that Asia was named after the wife of Prometheus but that the Lydians say it was named after Asias, son of Cotys who passed the name on to a tribe in Sardis.

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Fluent in Urdu? RT @usembassylondon We still have a vacancy for a South Asia Media Specialist: http://london.usembassy.gov... #fb #jobs
jenniferclaire (Jen Paton) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:28:54 -0000
Fluent in Urdu? RT @usembassylondon We still have a vacancy for a South Asia Media Specialist: http://london.usembassy.gov... #fb #jobs
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chailek (Chailek Thailand) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:28:25 -0000
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carlalopezpe (Carla López) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:28:04 -0000
The Times of India: #Maoists warn against new #extradition #treaty as Indo-#Nepal #security talks start (http://bit.ly/3dCIrt) #India #Asia
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@gvgvgvg i've been to many F1 races in my life. In Eu and Asia (japan either suzuka and fujjspeedway). Singapore too. I love risk&sound
jakotrotter (Giacomo Tampieri) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:26:30 -0000
@gvgvgvg i've been to many F1 races in my life. In Eu and Asia (japan either suzuka and fujjspeedway). Singapore too. I love risk&sound

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