Asia's longest river is the Yangtze, which runs 6,300 km (3,915 miles) through China, all the way from the high Tibetan Plateau to Shanghai. Its largest lake is the 386,400 km² (149,200 square mile) Caspian Sea, which is surrounded by several Central Asian nations. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many other religions. Asia varies greatly across and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties, and government systems. This map of Asia shows the borders of Asian countries, country names, national capitals, seas, islands, and lakes. Previous version of the map Asia is the world’s largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass. Asia has both the highest and the lowest points on the surface of Earth, has the longest coastline of any continent, and is subject overall to the world’s widest climatic extremes. Explore Asia's geography, countries, and more with our Map of Asia. Click on any country for its map and information. Reuters.com is your online source for the latest Asia news stories and current events, ensuring our readers up to date with any breaking news developments List of countries in Asia Asia today includes 50 countries and is the largest continent in terms of both area and population. Covering a total land area of 44,579,000 km 2 (17,212,000 mi 2) and with a population of 4,843,695,450 people as of June 8, 2026, this vast region encompasses the eastern part of the single Eurasian landmass. Asia is divided into five major regions: Central, East, South, Southeast, and Western Asia, plus North Asia, covering Siberia. Asia is now the largest developing region in the world. Asia is located east of the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Ural Mountains, south of the Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea, and the Black Sea. Explore the Asia map showing all countries, boundaries, and major regions. Asia is the largest and most populous continent, with 49 UN member states and several other territories.