Britannica Web Sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Asia - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Asia is the largest and most populated continent. It has nearly one third of the world’s total land area and is home to more than half the Earth’s people. It also has impressive geographical features. It has the Earth’s highest point (Mount Everest) and lowest point (the Dead Sea). Asia also includes some of the world’s wettest, driest, hottest, and coldest places. The continent was the home of the great early civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Indus River valley. The world’s major religions-Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism-all began in Asia as well. Today, though many people are farmers and live in small villages, Asia also has enormous cities, including some of the world’s largest: Beijing, China; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and Delhi, India.
- Asia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
A land of extremes and contrasts, Asia is the largest and the most populous continent on Earth. It has the highest mountains and most of the longest rivers, highest plateaus, and largest deserts and plains of all the continents. Asia is also home to some of the world’s oldest cultures. It has some of the poorest as well as some of the richest countries in the world. It contains a major share of the world’s largest cities as well as very large populations of rural dwellers. Because of its size, age, population, and rich resources Asia has long been of great interest to the rest of the world. During much of Asia’s history, outsiders, principally Europeans, tried to exploit and control it and its people. In the 20th century, however, Asia was a scene of great change. Many of the underdeveloped countries of the region took various approaches to modernizing their economies and societies, some under communism. Progress was often slow because of physical and cultural barriers, but there were some notable advances and the efforts to upgrade living standards continue today.