The planet Earth comprises of seven continents, namely Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. Each continent is also comprised of several countries which means that they also have different cultures.
The largest continent on Earth based on total land area is Asia. It is also the most populous one as it is the home of roughly 60% of the human population. There are some cool facts which you might want to know about this large continent.
Asia has diverse climates, depending on a country's geographical location. Some places have arctic or subarctic climates, making them very cold. Others also have a tropical climate, making them hot. As for its geographical areas, it is the home of the tallest mountain range on Earth, the Himalayas. It is also rich in minerals and natural resources. Asia is comprised, as well, of several sub regions, namely South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, North Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia. The economy of the region is also growing rapidly, making some Asian people reach the “millionaire's club”.
Several languages are also currently used by people living in this area. There are over a hundred languages being spoken natively by people from different provinces inside a single country. Due to their number, each country assigns a specific national language for easier communication. Some languages are Malay, Khmer, Arabic, Filipino, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Tamil, and others.
There are also a number of religions that are being practiced by Asians. Some of them are Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hindu, Taoism, Buddhism, among others. Most countries in the region has its own official religion yet Asians can willingly choose any religion that they wish to practice.
The culture of Asia is a diverse one, as well. From the cuisines to martial arts to movies, each country in this continent has something to be proud of. Here are some examples:
- National Costumes – Sampot in Cambodia, Chakri in Thailand, Kebaya in Indonesia, Baju Melayu in Malaysia, Ao dai in Vietnam, and barong Tagalog in the Philippines
- Cuisines – Kazakh cuisine involves horse meat and mutton; Afghan cuisine is based on crops partnered with dairy products; Chinese cuisine varies from province to province and depends on the cooking style and food preservation methods done by the host; Japanese cuisine involves colorful presentation and sushi and sashimi are very famous delicacies; Korean cuisine involves numerous side dishes and incorporation of vegetables, meat, and rice all in one meal. Aside from these, exotic foods may be found in each country, like balut or premature duck egg in the Philippines, seasoned tarantula in Cambodia, tuna eyes in Japan, and others.
- Architecture – architectural styles differ from country to country.
- Music – mostly include percussion instruments, like gongs, and string ones. In the present times, music has already been influenced by Western styles. Jpop and Kpop from Japan and South Korea, respectively, are examples.
- Martial Arts – very prominent in most Asian countries. China introduced Kung Fu. Taekwondo originated in Korea. Judo and Karate are from Japan. There are also other styles predominantly coming from Southeast Asian countries such as arnis from the Philippines, muay thai from Thailand, and pencak silat from Indonesia.