Exact Geographic Boundaries and Location of Asia

Asia's Position on the Globe

Asia is the world's largest continent, covering ~44.6 million km² (29.6% of Earth's land) in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Coordinate Extremes

• Northernmost: Cape Chelyuskin, Russia (77°43' N)
• Southernmost: Tanjung Piai, Malaysia (1°16' N)
• Westernmost: Cape Baba, Turkey (26°04' E)
• Easternmost: Cape Dezhnev, Russia (169°40' W)

Boundary Definitions

• West: Ural Mountains → Ural River → Caspian Sea → Caucasus Mountains → Black Sea → Turkish Straits (separating from Europe).
• North: Arctic Ocean.
• East: Pacific Ocean; Bering Strait separates from North America.
• South: Indian Ocean; Malay Peninsula extends toward equator.

Major Subregions and Features

• Peninsulas: Arabian, Indian, Indochina, Korean, Kamchatka.
• Archipelagos: Japanese, Philippine, Indonesian, Malaysian.
• Mountain Ranges: Himalayas (Everest 8,848.86 m), Tian Shan, Kunlun, Altai, Urals.
• Major Rivers: Yangtze, Yellow, Ganges, Indus, Mekong, Ob, Yenisey, Lena, Amur.
• Large Lakes: Caspian Sea, Baikal, Balkhash, Aral, Toba.
• Deserts: Gobi, Taklamakan, Thar, Arabian, Karakum.

Asia's immense scale and varied geography underlie its unparalleled human and ecological diversity.