Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The United States Department of State provides a clear geographical framework for defining the continent of Asia. These boundaries are based on widely accepted physical geography and political conventions.
Asia connects with Africa at the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. To the northwest, the Ural Mountains serve as the traditional dividing line between Asia and Europe, stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and the Caspian Sea.
The continent's southern limit is delineated by the Indian Ocean, encompassing the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and the vast waters south of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Asia's eastern edge runs along the Pacific Ocean, including the marginal seas such as the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea.
The Arctic Ocean forms the northern limit of Asia, bordering the Siberian coast and the numerous islands of the Russian Arctic.
Within these bounds, the State Department identifies specific islands as part of Asia, while others are associated with different continents:
This classification reflects a combination of tectonic, cultural, and political considerations used in U.S. diplomatic and geographic practice.