Asia On Earth, there are large landmasses. They are called continents. There are seven of them. They are Asia, Antarctica, Africa, and Australia. Did you notice that four of the names start with the letter "A"? North America, South America, and Europe are the last three. Asia is the largest. It is more than twice as big as North America. Asia and Europe join together. They are sometimes called one continent named Eurasia. The Ural Mountains divide Asia from Europe. Europe and Asia are not separated by an ocean. Russia is a country in Eurasia. A large part of Russia is in Asia. But some of Russia is in Europe. There are around forty different countries in Asia. Russia, China, and India are three large countries found in Asia. Asia is so large that it has twelve time zones. When the sun is setting on the western edge of Asia, it is rising in the east the next morning! Most of Asia is in the northern hemisphere. It is in the eastern hemisphere. Asia has almost thirty percent of the world's land. It has sixty percent of the world's people. It is the most populated continent. Many of the world's largest cities are in Asia. The earliest known civilizations arose in Asia more than five thousand years ago. Since Asia is so large, it is not surprising to find a great variety or diversity of people and animals there. There are many different habitats. Different animals live there. People, too, have adapted to these different habitats. Their way of life fits the areas where they live. The people of Asia have many different customs. Many different languages are spoken. Many different religions exist there, too. The tallest mountains in the world are in Asia. The Himalaya Mountains stretch across six countries. The highest point on Earth is Mt. Everest. The Gobi Desert lies in China and Mongolia. It is the fourth-largest desert in the world. The Arctic Circle passes through Asia and the country of Russia. Few people live north of this line of latitude. The Arctic is very cold. Some people and animals have adapted to the harsh climate. Tropical rainforests are found in Southeast Asia. This is said to be the oldest rainforest in the world. It is quickly disappearing. The plants and animals of this unique area are endangered. Asia is the largest continent on Earth. It has a great variety of climates, people, and animals. It lies in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres. More than half of the world's people live in Asia.