Geography of Asia

Location of Asia

• Asia is primarily in the northern and eastern hemispheres.
• It is separated from Europe by the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea to the west.
• The Caucasus Mountain separates Asia from Europe in the southwest.
• Asia is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north.
• The Pacific Ocean lies to the east of Asia.
• The Indian Ocean is positioned to the south of Asia.
• Asia spans from 10°S to 80°N in latitude, covering 8,690 km.
• The east-west extent of Asia stretches 9,700 km from 25°E to approximately 170°W.
• There are 48 independent countries in Asia, varying in size.
• Russia, China, and India are the largest countries in Asia.
• Singapore, the Maldives, and Bahrain are among the smallest.
• Some Asian countries are archipelagos, including Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Northern Lowlands of Asia

• The Northern Lowlands of Asia extend from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Bering Strait in the northeast.
• These lowlands are triangular in shape and are widest in the west.
• Positioned between the Arctic Ocean and the Central Mountains, they form the world's largest continuous plains.
• The Ob, Yenisey, and Lena rivers flow north into the Arctic Ocean and have contributed to the formation of the plain.
• These marshy and swampy lowlands are known as the Great Siberian Plain.
• During winter, the lower courses and mouths of the rivers freeze, causing water from warmer latitudes to spread across the plains.
• The Turan Plain, another low-lying area, exists south of the Siberian Plains in Central Asia.
• The Turan Plain is an area of inland drainage, drained by the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers.