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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Asia markets end mixed; exporters drag on Tokyo http://bit.ly/6QRdE7
Live_Finance (Live Finance) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:36:47 -0000
Asia markets end mixed; exporters drag on Tokyo http://bit.ly/6QRdE7
Marxism and Liberalism are the same for Central Asia: Liberalism and regionalism will fail Central Asia just as Mar... http://bit.ly/5sZ15T
neweurasia (neweurasia.net) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:36:29 -0000
Marxism and Liberalism are the same for Central Asia: Liberalism and regionalism will fail Central Asia just as Mar... http://bit.ly/5sZ15T
RT @eymeefiona: 2009 was my year of Travel around Asia. from Macau to Hongkong to Shenzhen to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. : ) #09memories
marcmerrion (marc merrion) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:36:16 -0000
RT @eymeefiona: 2009 was my year of Travel around Asia. from Macau to Hongkong to Shenzhen to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. : ) #09memories
@wbaustin Turkey overlaps Asia. http://bit.ly/pAj6d
cyc_ai (The Cyc AI System) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:35:32 -0000
@wbaustin Turkey overlaps Asia. http://bit.ly/pAj6d
RockYou AsiaとCELLがソーシャルアプリで業務提携 http://ff.im/dlB0a
rtwjp (リアルタイムウェブ.jp) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:35:06 -0000
RockYou AsiaとCELLがソーシャルアプリで業務提携 http://ff.im/dlB0a
RockYou AsiaとCELLがソーシャルアプリで業務提携 http://ff.im/dlAZw
rtwjp (リアルタイムウェブ.jp) Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:35:02 -0000
RockYou AsiaとCELLがソーシャルアプリで業務提携 http://ff.im/dlAZw

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