Asia: The Countries and Regions of the Largest Continent

Asia is an enormous continent that can be divided into six regions. It's the largest continent in the world by area and population, and it includes two of the three largest countries in the world. Explore a list of Asian countries and regions to gain insights into how massive and diverse the continent really is.

There are five countries in Central Asia, a large region located between the Caspian Sea and the western border of China. The largest country in Central Asia is Kazakhstan, which is the ninth largest country in the world by area. These countries were part of the Soviet Union before it broke up into separate republics.

Most of East Asia consists of China, the most populous country in the world and the third-largest country by area. The region also includes all Asian countries on the eastern coast of the Asian continent and Japan, which is just off the coast in the Pacific Ocean. Hong Kong and Macao, which are designated as Special Administrative Area (SAR) regions of China, are a part of East Asia, as well as Taiwan.

South Asia is the portion of the continent located between the Indian Ocean and the Himalayan mountains. It consists of eight countries, including the second-most populous country in the world (India) and one of the smallest countries in the world (Maldives). South Asia is sometimes referred to as the Indian Subcontinent.

Southeast Asia is situated to the north of Australia and to the east of India. The region is made up of 11 countries, including Singapore, which is one of the only countries in the world that is a city, a nation and a state. The rest of the countries in Southeast Asia are located on the Indochinese Peninsula and Maritime Southeast Asia.

The western portion of Asia is located on the Arabian Peninsula. There are 19 countries in this region, most of which are considered part of the Middle East. The Arabian Desert covers 2,300,000 square kilometers of West Asia and crosses nine countries on the Arabian Peninsula.