What is "asia"

c.1300, from Latin Asia, from Greek Asia, speculated to be from Akkadian asu "to go out, to rise," in reference to the sun, thus "the land of the sunrise."

n. 1 A continent located east of Europe, west of the Pacific Ocean, north of Oceania and south of the Arctic Ocean. 2 (context Greek God English) A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, the wife of the Titan, Iapetus, and mother of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius. 3 (context astronomy English) Short for (w: 67 Asia), a main belt asteroid. 4 (given name female from=place names) of modern usage, from the continent. 5 (context historical English) A province of the Roman Empire located in what is now western Turkey.

Asia is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres and sharing the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe. Asia covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometers, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of the first civilizations. Asia is notable for not only its overall large size and population, but also dense and large settlements as well as vast barely populated regions within the continent of 4.4 billion people.

In general terms, Asia is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. The western boundary with Europe is a historical and cultural construct, as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them. The most commonly accepted boundaries place Asia to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas.

China and India alternated in being the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 A.D. China was a major economic power and attracted many to the east, and for many the legendary wealth and prosperity of the ancient culture of India personified Asia, attracting European commerce, exploration and colonialism. The accidental discovery of America by Columbus in search for India demonstrates this deep fascination. The Silk Road became the main East-West trading route in the Asian hitherland while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism (particularly East Asia) as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, but overall population growth has since fallen. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism (or Daoism), Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastranism, as well as many other religions.

Given its size and diversity, the concept of Asia—a name dating back to classical antiquity—may actually have more to do with human geography than physical geography. Asia varies greatly across and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and government systems. It also has a mix of many different climates ranging from the equatorial south via the hot desert in the Middle East, temperate areas in the east and the extremely continental centre to vast subarctic and polar areas in Siberia.

Asia are a British progressive rock band. The band was formed in 1981 as a supergroup of four members from different progressive rock bands: John Wetton (former bassist/vocalist of bands including King Crimson, Family, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK and Wishbone Ash), Steve Howe (guitarist of Yes), Geoff Downes (keyboardist of Yes and The Buggles) and drummer Carl Palmer (of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and Atomic Rooster). With their debut album Asia from 1982 reaching No. 1 in several countries, Asia ranks as one of the most popular progressive rock bands in history.

The band has undergone multiple line-up changes during its history, but in 2006, the original line-up reunited. As a result, a band called Asia Featuring John Payne exists as a continuation of John Payne's career as Asia's frontman from 1991 until Wetton's return in 2006. In 2013, Howe retired from the band to continue with Yes and pursue other projects, and was replaced by guitarist Sam Coulson, completing the current lineup.

Asia is the self-titled debut studio album by the British rock supergroup Asia, released in 1982. According to both Billboard and Cash Box, it was the #1 album in the United States for the year 1982. It contains their biggest hit " Heat of the Moment", which reached #4 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Asia is a geographical continent containing the central and eastern part of Eurasia.

Asia may also refer to:

The Roman province of Asia or Asiana , in Byzantine times called Phrygia, was an administrative unit added to the late Republic. It was a Senatorial province governed by a proconsul. The arrangement was unchanged in the reorganization of the Roman Empire in 211.

Asia is a residential skyscraper on Brickell Key in the Brickell district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. The tower rises , with 36 floors. Asia was topped out in mid-2007, and was completed structurally in January 2008. It is currently the 20th-tallest building in Miami. The tower is one of several new residential developments taking place in Miami, and is a part of the city's recent Manhattanization wave. The architectural firm who designed the building was J Scott Architecture. Asia Miami features 123 total residences serviced by 5 private elevators.

Asia in Greek mythology was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. According to Apollodorus, she was the wife of the Titan Iapetus, and mother of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius, although, Hesiod gives the name of another Oceanid, Clymene as their mother. It is possible that the name Asia became preferred over Hesiod's Clymene to avoid confusion with the Clymene who was mother of Phaethon by Helios in some accounts and must have been perceived as a distinct figure. Herodotus (4.45.1) records the tradition that the continent Asia was named after Asia whom he calls wife of Prometheus rather than mother of Prometheus, perhaps here a simple error rather than genuine variant tradition. Both Acusilaus and Aeschylus in his Prometheus Bound call Prometheus' wife Hesione.

Herodotus relates also the Lydian tradition: "yet the Lydians claim a share in the latter name, saying that Asia was not named after Prometheus' wife Asia, but after Asies, the son of Cotys, who was the son of Manes, and that from him the Asiad clan at Sardis also takes its name".

1. redirect Disney's Animal Kingdom#Asia

Category:Asian culture Category:Themed areas in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Asia was a popular American magazine in the 1920s and 1930s that featured reporting about Asia and its people, including the Far East, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. From 1934 to 1946, it was edited by Richard Walsh, with extensive contributions from his wife, Pearl S. Buck. Under their influence, the journal published many prominent Asian literary and political figures and American authorities. In 1946, after many years of financial trouble, it was merged into a new journal, United Nations World.

A number of sailing ships have been named Asia:

• Asia, of 783 tons (bm), was launched at Bombay Dockyard in 1798 for Blythe Bros., London.
• Asia, of 457 tons (bm), was launched at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1799 for Grieg and Co. On 23 November 1833 her registration was cancelled as she had been lost at sea.

Asia is the twenty-second studio album by Japanese rock band Boris. It was first announced via the band's Facebook page on April 30, along with simultaneous releases of urban dance and warpath. They were first available on tour with Endon, making their release date May 2.

The album is almost entirely noise experimentation, with elements of drone music as well, and is entirely instrumental, all in keeping with the styles used on its simultaneously-released companions, as well as previous drone albums like The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked - Chronicle.

Curiously, the cover art posted by the band is inaccurate to the physical product, which features a young Japanese girl dressed as a ballerina.

A number of ships with the name Asia served the British East India Company (EIC) as East Indiamen:

• Asia (1764 EIC ship) — of 657 tons (bm), launched by Perry, Blackwall, in January 1764; made four voyages for the EIC. On her fifth voyage she arrived at Calcutta where she was surveyed, condemned on 13 October 1774 and sold for breaking up.
• Asia (1780 EIC ship) — of 816 tons (bm), launched by Perry, Blackwall, in November 1780; made six voyages for the EIC. She was present at the battle of Porto Praya and participated in the action of 10 September 1782. On 6 December 1793 her master, John Davy, received a letter of marque for the Asia, ship, 816 tons (bm). She was described as having a crew of 100 men and being armed with twenty-six 9-pounder guns and six swivel guns. In 1799 her owners sold her to Beatson & Co., London, for the London-Lisbon trade. On 31 March 1802 Beatson sold her to buyers in Embden who renamed her Reine Louise de Prusse. She returned to the Far East trade and her ultimate fate is unknown. She is last listed in Lloyd's Register for 1808 on the London-Batavia trade.

• was the Asia, of 735 tons (bm), which was launched at Bombay in 1797 for the British East India Company (EIC). The Royal Navy purchased her in 1805 and she served as the 32-gun fifth rate frigate Sir Francis Drake until 1825 when the Admiralty sold her on condition that she be broken up.

• Asia (1798 EIC ship) - of 819 tons (bm), launched 8 December 1798 by Humble, Liverpool. She made five voyages for the EIC, three under the command of Captain Robert Wardlaw, and two under the command of Captain the Honourable Henry Pindarves Tremenheere. The alternated command to a certain degree so received a new letter of marque each time command changed. Each time Asia was described as a ship of 871 tons (bm). Crew size varied between 99 and 120 men. The first letter (dated 15 March 1799) gave her armament as twenty-six 18-pounder guns; the subsequent three (dated 12 March 1804, 6 February 1806, and 25 July 1808) described her armament as thirty-two 18-pounder guns. Asia was wrecked on a sandbank in the Hoogly River on 1 June 1809, during her fifth voyage.
• Asia (1811 EIC ship) - of 958 tons (bm), launched 16 November 1811 by Barnard, Deptford. She made ten voyages for the EIC. Her master for her first voyage, Captain the Hon. Henry Pindarves Tremenheere, received a letter of marque on 16 January 1812. It described Asia as a ship of 1012 tons (bm), with a crew of 120 men, and armed with thirty-two 18-pounder guns. On 20 September 1831 she was sold for £6500. She changed hands twice more before she was surveyed, condemned, and hulked in 1840.
• Asia (1813 ship) was a merchant barque of 458 tons (bm), built at Whitby in 1813. She made one voyage to India for the EIC in 1820-21, and one voyage to Van Diemen's Land in 1827-28. Asia then traded to the Mediterranean, but mostly to Quebec. She was last listed in 1850.
• Asia (1815 ship) was a merchant ship launched at Calcutta in 1815. She made four voyages transporting convicts from Great Britain to Australia, and two voyages under charter to the British East India Company (EIC) between 1826-1830.
• Asia (1816 ship), of 410 tons (bm), was a merchant brig built at Shields in 1816. During her career, she made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), and one transporting convicts from England to Van Diemen's Land. She is last listed in 1833.
• Asia (1818 ship)