Did you know?

* Asia is the largest continent by landmass and human population. The area of Asia is larger than the land area of the moon. (44.6K sq km – 37k sq km respectively.)
* Asia has a population of over 4 billion people or better than 60% of the world’s population.
* Asia is home to the highest (Mount Everest 8,848m) and lowest Dead Sea (-395m) points on Earth.
* The ten tallest mountains in Asia if stacked one on top of the other would reach into space.

General

On one end, there are the ultramodern countries/territories like Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea which are very prosperous and in which people enjoy very high standards of living. On the other hand, Afghanistan, Laos and Timor Leste are extremely poor countries where people struggle even to get a few grains of rice each day. Of course, there are also many countries lying somewhere in the middle, such as the emerging powerhouses of China and India which make wonderful travel destinations in themselves due to their history, size and diversity. To add to a list of possible travel destinations, Asia is also home to North Korea, which is under one of, if not the most, oppressive regimes in the world. Thailand is a magnet for travelers too, with great food, a tropical climate, fascinating culture and great beaches.

Asia's largest airports by number of intercontinental connections include Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore. For the Middle East, Dubai is by far the largest hub, with Doha and Abu Dhabi also having reasonably good connections.

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