Political Divisions of Asia: Regions and Countries

Asia is commonly divided into six major political regions: East Asia (China, Japan, Koreas, Mongolia, Taiwan); Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei); South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan); Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan); Western Asia (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Gulf states, Oman, Yemen); and Northern Asia (Russia's Asian territory including Siberia). Each region has distinct cultures, histories, and political systems.