60 Amusing Facts About Asia

  1. Asia is the largest continent. It contains around 60% of the world’s total human population and 30% of the earth’s land area.
  2. Many famous ancient civilizations (Mesopotamia, ancient China, Indus Valley civilization, etc.) originated from Asia.
  3. Asia is the birthplace of several major religions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
  4. People in Asian countries have the highest IQ level in the world. The top 5 countries with the highest IQ level (Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, China, and South Korea) are in Asia. (Source)
  5. The world’s four largest metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai, and Dhaka) are in Asia. Three other Asian cities (Beijing, Mumbai, and Osaka) are also among the 10 largest cities in the world. (Source)
  6. Four of the five most populous countries are in Asia (China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan). Anther Asian country (Bangladesh) is also among the ten most populous countries. (Source)
  7. The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia by area (29 km2) and population (over 400,000). It is also one of the most dispersed countries in the world, as more than 1,192 coral islands of Maldives spread over an area of 90,000 km2.
    Islands of Maldives
    Maldives is the smallest and most dispersed country in Asia

  8. The Maldives in Asia has the highest divorce rate in the world. It is 10.97 per 1,000 inhabitants. This divorce rate is far above any other country in the world. (Source)
  9. The lowest temperature ever recorded in any inhabited area of the world is in Asia. (-71 Celsius in Siberia, Russia) (Source)
  10. The top two coldest capital cities in the world are present in Asia. Ulaan-Baatar (Mongolia) and Astana (Kazakhstan) have average annual temperatures of -1.3 Celsius and 3.5 Celsius, respectively. (Source)
  11. Hong Kong (China) is the most visited city by tourists. In the list of 100 most visited cities in the world, 41 are in Asia. (Source)
  12. There are only two double landlocked countries in the world. One of these two is the Central Asian country Uzbekistan (and the other is the European country Liechtenstein). Compared to the two surrounding countries of Liechtenstein, this Asian country is surrounded by five other landlocked countries (Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan). Uzbekistan is also the largest and most populous double-landlocked country. (Source)
  13. Asian countries have the highest percentage of motorbike usage in the world. More than 80% of households in Thailand (87%), Vietnam (86%), Indonesia (85%), and Malaysia (83%) own motorbikes. The top 7 countries in this list are present in Asia. (Source)
  14. Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan are transcontinental countries. The majority of their land area is in Asia, while the remaining is present in Europe.
  15. Baku (Azerbaijan) is the lowest-lying capital city in the world. This city in Asia is 28 m (92 ft.) below sea level.
  16. The highest point (Mount Everest) and the lowest point (the Dead Sea) on the surface of earth are in Asia.
  17. The top 4 countries with the highest average elevation (Bhutan, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan) are in Asia. There are 6 Asian countries in the list of 10 countries with the highest average elevation. (Source)
  18. There are more than 150 mountains in the world higher than 7000 m. All these mountains are present in Asia (particularly in China, Pakistan, Nepal, and India). 
  19. Countries in Asia are the worst in the world for pollution index. 99 Asian cities (50 in India and 22 in China) are on the list of the 100 most polluted cities in the world. Apart from that, the nine most polluted countries in the world are also present in Asia. (Source)
  20. Out of the total 1,000 mud volcanoes in the world, around 400 are present in Azerbaijan. These volcanoes sometimes throw a huge amount of mud up to 300 meters high. (Source)
    A mud volcano
    Azerbaijan has the highest number of mud volcanoes

  21. Neft Deslari in Azerbaijan is a city built on oil platforms. It is also the world’s first oil platform. Once, there were 5,000 workers in the city, while its current population is nearly 3,000. (Source)
  22. The world’s 2 tallest towers are in Asian countries, Japan and China. Eight of the ten tallest towers in the world are also in Asia. (Source)
  23. The largest natural walnut forest is present in the Chatkal mountain range in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia.
  24. Indonesia, in Asia, is made up of around 17,000 islands. However, finding the exact number or naming these islands is difficult. (Source)
  25. Indonesia (742 languages), India (427 languages), and China (309 languages) are at the 2nd, 4th, and 7th positions on the list of countries with most languages.
  26. Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. There are 8 Asian countries, including China at the top spot, among the top 10 tea producers. (Source)
  27. Asia has the highest number of billionaires (719) and the second highest number of millionaires (3.68 million), after North America (3.73 million), in the world.
  28. Asia houses the world’s busiest container port (Port of Shangai, China), the world’s busiest port by cargo tonnage (Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, China), and the world’s busiest transshipment port (Port of Singapore, Singapore).
  29. The three most powerful passports in the world belong to Asian countries. These include Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. However, Asian countries also have the world’s three least powerful passports (Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria). (Source)
  30. Five Asian countries (Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, and Jordan) are facing the worst water crisis in the world. Out of a total of 17 countries facing extremely high baseline water stress, 13 are in Asia. (Source)
  31. Five of the seven longest glaciers outside Polar Regions are in Asia. It includes the world’s longest non-polar glacier, Fedchenko Glacier, in Tajikistan. (Source)
  32. There are six landfalls in Asia out of the ten largest waste sites in the world. These are present in China, South Korea, and India. (Source)
  33. There are two Asian countries among the top 5 countries that produce the most waste per capita in the world. Kuwait is at the top spot in this list, while Sri Lanka holds the 5th position. (Source)
  34. The flag of Nepal, a country in South Asia, is the only national flag in the world not having a quadrilateral shape.
    Flag of Nepal
    Nepal's flag is most unique in the world

  35. The world’s tallest flagpole in Saudi Arabia is 560 ft. (170 m) tall. Asian countries have nine flagpoles in the list of 10 tallest flagpoles in the world. (Source)
  36. Cox’s bazaar in Bangladesh is the world’s longest natural sea beach. However, the construction of new buildings is endangering its environment. (Source)
  37. There are six countries in Asia on the list of 11 countries with the lowest public debt. These include Hong Kong (China), Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, and Kazakhstan. (Source)
  38. 10 of the 14 oldest continuously inhabited cities are in Asia. The earliest five are Jericho (Palestine), Damascus (Syria), Ray (Iran), Erbil (Iraq), and Aleppo (Syria). (Source)
  39. Asian countries have the highest number of public holidays in the world. Cambodia tops with 28 holidays, followed by Sri Lanka with 25, and India and Kazakhstan with 21 holidays each. (Source)
  40. In 2010, Bhutan became the world’s first country to ban the selling, smoking, and chewing of tobacco. (Source)
  41. The top 5 tallest buildings in the world are in Asia (Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower, Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower, Ping An Finance Centre, and Lotte World tower).
  42. The world’s largest hotel is in Asia. The First World Hotel in Malaysia has 7,351 rooms. Sands Cotai Central in Macau (China), with 6,000 rooms, is the 5th largest hotel. 
  43. The top 5 wealthiest world leaders belong to countries in Asia (Thailand, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, and UAE). (Source)
  44. The four most expensive currencies in the world belong to Asian countries. These include Kuwaiti Dinar, Bahrain Dinar, Oman Rial, and Jordan Dinar. (Source)
  45. The world’s first oil paintings have been discovered in the caves of Afghanistan. These paintings date back to around 650 AD. According to estimates, ancient paintings can also be present in other Asian countries such as China, Turkey, Pakistan, India, and Iran. (Source)
  46. In May 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. It happened due to pressure from the constitutional court despite opposition from majority of the country's population. (Source)
  47. Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in Asia (and also in the world among completely sovereign states). It has a population density of around two people per square km.
  48. The top 5 countries with the highest number of executions are in Asia. China had thousands of hanging in 2017, followed by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Pakistan. Out of the 993 known executions in 2017, at least 84% were carried out in Asia. (Source)
  49. Myanmar (Burma) is the only country in Asia and one of the three countries in the world (along with the USA and Liberia) that has not adopted the International System of Units. (Source)
  50. The world’s tallest indoor Ferris wheel is present in Turkmenistan. This wheel is 156.2 feet (47.6 meters) tall with a diameter of 57 meters. (Source)
  51. Hong Kong (China), Singapore (Singapore), and Shanghai (China) are the three most expensive housing markets in the world.
  52. The two biggest gold mines in the world are in Asia. These mines are present in Indonesia and Uzbekistan, respectively. (Source)
  53. Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian to receive Nobel Prize. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
  54. East Timor was the first country to gain independence in the 21st Century. This Southeast Asian country gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. (Source)
    Satellite image of Caspian Sea
    World's largest lake is in Asia

  55. Asia is also home to the world’s largest lake (the Caspian Sea). It is called the sea due to its salinity. This world’s largest inland water body is bordered by five countries (Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan). (Source)
  56. Three Asian countries have the lowest fertility rates in the world in 2023. These include Taiwan (1.09), South Korea (1.11), and Singapore (1.17). (Source)
  57. Egypt is the largest country in Africa. However, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is considered part of Asia.
  58. The are a limited number of carbon-negative countries in the world. Asian country Bhutan was the first to achieve this status in the modern era.
  59. Syria and Iraq have the worst record for press freedom. There are eight Asian countries among the ten worst for press freedom. (Source)
  60. In the Central Asian country Turkmenistan, a desert pit has been on fire since 1971. The name of this crater, formed due to an accident, is Darvaza Crater, also known as the Door to Hell. (Source)

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