Asia

In ancient times, Asia (uuu) referred to the Roman province of Asia, which was now the western region of Turkey, and the surrounding area. The word originates from the Assyrian word "as," which means east. The abbreviation is "Asia . "

Currently, it is a general term for the area outside of Europe on the Eurasian continent (the central and eastern Eurasian continent, and the Asian continent) as well as the surrounding islands and ocean areas, and is one of the six major continents. Asia accounts for about 80% of the area of ​​the Eurasian continent.

The border with Europe is a mixture of geographical boundaries and artificial boundaries from a Eurocentric perspective. The geographical border is often the Ural Mountains - Ural River - Caspian Sea - Caucasus Mountains - Black Sea - Bosphorus Strait - Sea of ​​Marmara - Dardanelles. Since it is separated from Africa by the Isthmus of Suez and from Oceania by a strait west of New Guinea, the geographical and artificial borders coincide. It has the world's largest population, with approximately 60% of the world's population living in Asia.

The word "Asia" originally meant the east of Europe, and its scope gradually expanded with the expansion of the power of modern European countries. Therefore, it is not generally established as a strictly geographically or racially divided term, and its scope often differs depending on the position of the user. Even international organizations have not established a strict definition, as the scope of Asia is different between the IOC and FIFA.

• A general definition of Asia.

European countries = Turkey and east (Russia 's Asian region is often excluded). Turkey = Arab countries and east (Turks claim that they are Europeans and should naturally join the EU). Arab countries = Southeast Asia and East Asia (Turks, Arabs, and Indians are racially Caucasian).

In Japan, the Middle East is often forgotten, and in extreme cases, the term is used to refer to East Asia only, excluding Southeast Asia, and there is even a sarcastic term for this, "specific Asia. In Britain, simply saying Asia often refers to the former British East Indies.