Earth's Extremes

From the thin air of Mount Everest to the intense pressure of the Challenger Deep, Earth is full of amazing
extremes!

Record-setting extremes are always being updated. Scientists and explorers discover new materials and refine
their measuring methods, upsetting our ideas of "biggest" or "oldest." Weather patterns set new records,
identifying new locations for "wettest" or "driest." The dynamic activity of Earth itself—our rifting and shifting
tectonic plates—redefines "highest" and "lowest."

What are Earth's extremes today?

Highest: Mount Everest, Asia

There are several ways to calculate the "world's tallest mountain." Measured from the seafloor, Hawaii's Mauna
Kea rises about 9,966 meters (32,696 feet)—the tallest mountain in the world, although only 4,205 meters
(13,796 feet) of Mauna Kea are above water.

Another way to calculate a mountain's height is its prominence. Prominence measures the distance from a
mountain's summit to its lowest contour line—the elevation of the surrounding landscape. Prominence
measures a mountain's independence from its terrain. Mountains with high prominences are (usually) visibly the
tallest peaks around. Measured by prominence, Alaska's Mount McKinley is one of the tallest mountains in the
world, at 6,194 meters (20,322 feet), with no other comparable peaks in the region.

Most geologists, however, calculate a mountain's elevation by its distance above sea level. This is why Mount
Everest is the world's highest elevation—it's 6,381 meters (29,035 feet) above sea level. And it's growing!

As the Indian subcontinent continues to crash into its home continent of Asia, the Himalaya mountain range
keeps getting pushed up higher and higher. Mount Everest, a mountain shared by the nations of China and
Nepal, is the highest peak in the Himalayas.

Explorers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to successfully climb Mount Everest—and climb back
down!—in 1953. Currently, more than 500 people successfully ascend the peak every year.

Lowest: Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench (Pacific)

The Challenger Deep is the lowest point on Earth—10,908 meters (35,787 feet) below sea level. Mount Everest
could be sunk into its depths and still be covered by more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) of water.

The Challenger Deep was formed as the massive Pacific plate was subducted beneath the smaller Philippine
plate. "Subducted" simply means that as the two tectonic plates met, the heavier one (the Pacific) was forced
to sink below the lighter one (Philippine).

There have only been two successful descents to the Challenger Deep. The first was in 1960, with explorers
Jaques Piccard and Don Walsh in the bathyscaphe Trieste. Using an innovative submersible (the DEEPSEA
CHALLENGER), National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence James Cameron became the first person to
conduct a solo dive to the Challenger Deep in 2012.

Hottest: Death Valley, North America

The temperature at Death Valley's Furnace Creek Station reached 56.7°C (134°F) on July 10, 1913—the hottest
natural temperature ever recorded. In fact, according to the Desert Research Institute, Death Valley
temperatures regularly exceed 32°C (90°F) 192 days a year.
Although Death Valley is now part of the Mojave Desert, most geologists agree that it used to be part of a
large, inland sea called Lake Manly. As the region slowly turned to desert, Lake Manly evaporated, leaving
portions of the area covered by a thin layer of salt, called salt pans.

Death Valley has been inhabited for more than a thousand years by members of the Timbisha tribe of Native
Americans. Today, the region is part of Death Valley National Park, the largest U.S. national park outside Alaska.
Death Valley National Park straddles the border of the U.S. states of California and Nevada.

Coldest: Vostok Station, Antarctica

A region near Vostok Station, Antarctica, set the world record for cold on August 10, 2010, when the
temperature dipped to −93.2 °C (−135.8 °F). Before that, the world's coldest temperature was recorded at . . .
Vostok Station −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) in 1982.

Vostok Station sits on more than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of water. The massive Antarctic ice sheet is about 4,000
meters (13,100 feet) thick, and beneath it lies Lake Vostok, a freshwater lake.

Vostok Station is a Russian research station established in 1957. It is operated year-round, with about 25 scientists
in the summer and about 13 in the winter. Research areas include climatology, magnetometry,
and meteorology.

Longest River: Nile, Africa

Calculating the length of rivers is a complicated and controversial process. Freshwater scientists often cannot
agree on a river's precise source or how far to extend its watershed boundaries. The Amazon, Mississippi, and
Yangtze Rivers are all more than 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) long.

Still, most scientists agree that the Nile River, stretching through northeast Africa, is the longest in the world at
6,650 kilometers (4,130 miles). In fact, the Nile used to be about about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) longer.
Between 20 million and 5 million years ago, the outgoing flow of Lake Tanganyika, well south of the current
source of the Nile, was blocked by the development of a chain of volcanoes, the Virunga Mountains.

The banks of the lower (northern) Nile are some of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on Earth.
Through the rich silt deposits and annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians were able to irrigate nearby land and
establish a thriving agricultural economy as early as 5500 BCE. In fact, the Greek historian Herodotus called
Egypt "the gift of the Nile."

Largest River: Amazon, South America

Although several rivers may be considered the world's longest, there is no competition for the world's largest—
the Amazon River discharges about 209,000 cubic meters (7,380,765 cubic feet) of water every second.
Discharge measures a river's flow through a certain area. Scientists measure the Amazon's discharge as it
empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The next-largest river (the Ganges) discharges less than a quarter of the
Amazon's flow—43,000 cubic meters (1,518,531 cubic feet).

The sources of the Amazon River are glacial streams of the Andes, where enough icemelt accumulates every
year to make the Amazon the largest river in the world before it even enters Brazil. The Amazon has more than
a dozen major tributaries, and its watershed stretches across almost half of South America.

The Amazon has been home to a wide variety of indigenous people for more than 8,000 years. The first
descent of the river by a European explorer happened during a 1542 expedition from Quito, Ecuador, to the
Atlantic Ocean by Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana.

Deepest River: Congo, Africa

The Congo River reaches depths of 220 meters (720 feet) in its lower course—more than 50 meters (164 feet)
deeper than the next-deepest, the Yangtze—as it descends from the highlands and nears its mouth on the
Atlantic Ocean.

A harsh series of rapids and waterfalls (called the Livingstone Falls) prevents ocean-going vessels from
accessing the Congo River. Beyond Livingstone Falls, however, most of the ∩-shaped river is navigable and cuts
through one of the densest rain forests in the world.

The Congo River has been inhabited by diverse indigenous cultures for thousands of years. Bambuti, for
example, is a collective name for four distinct populations sometimes called "pygmies." Genetic
evidence has shown the Bambuti have been living in the Congo Basin for more than 4,500 years.

Rainiest: Meghalaya State, India

Climatologists and meteorologists debate the best way to measure the rainiest spot on Earth. The island of
Reunion, in the Indian Ocean, endured 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) of rain in a single day in 1966. Unionville, Maryland,
experienced 3.1 centimeters (1.2 inches) in one minute in 1956.

However, the powerful Asian monsoon makes the Indian state of Meghalaya the rainiest place in the world.
The town of Mawsynram received about 25 meters (83 feet) of rain in 1985, and nearby Cherrapunji received
26.4 meters (86.6 feet) in 1861.

Meghalaya is an agrarian state, whose most important crops are potatoes, cotton, rice, corn, citrus fruit such
as lemons and oranges, and tropical fruits such as pineapples and guavas.

Driest: Dry Valleys, Antarctica, and Atacama Desert, Chile

Many amateur meteorologists might consider the hot deserts of North Africa (the Sahara) or the Middle East
(the Arabian) the driest place on Earth. They would be wrong!

Parts of the high plateau of the Atacama Desert (in western South America) and the Dry Valleys of Antarctica
have never recorded a drop of rain. What is even more amazing is that both deserts are located near the
coast, where most areas experience rainy and humid climates. Both the Atacama and Dry Valleys are ringed
by high mountains that prevent moisture from reaching the dry basins.

Although both deserts are sparsely populated, the Atacama and Dry Valleys are frequently inhabited by
astronomers. The high altitude, dry air, and lack of cloud cover and light pollution make the Atacama an
excellent place for astronomical observatories, while scientists think the Dry Valleys may be the closest of any
Earth environment to the planet Mars.

Deepest Lake: Baikal, Asia

Lake Baikal, Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, at 1,642 meters (5,387 feet). It is also the oldest, having
formed about 25 million to 30 million years ago.

Lake Baikal is part of a rift valley, where tectonic plates are breaking apart. Beneath Lake Baikal, the Amur
plate is tearing away from its parent, the massive Eurasian plate. The rift widens about 2 centimeters (.8 inch)
every year.

Although Lake Baikal is one of the most famous natural features associated with Russia, the first Russian explorers
did not reach the lake until the 17th century. Prior to that, the lake was home to local Buryat people and often
governed by China.

Largest Lake: Superior, North America

Lake Superior is the largest of North America's five Great Lakes, stretching across 82,100 square kilometers
(31,700 square miles) of the United States and Canada.

Like all the Great Lakes, Superior was formed at the end of the last glacial period, or ice age, about 10,000
years ago. As the enormous Laurentide ice sheet retreated, it left behind a scarred, cut-up landscape. Basins
carved by the ice sheet filled with its meltwater, creating Superior and the rest of the Great Lakes, as well as
smaller freshwater deposits, such as the Finger Lakes of New York.

The rich shores of Lake Superior were inhabited soon after the ice sheet retreated. The Ojibwe (sometimes
called Chippewa) eventually became the dominant Native American culture around the lake. In fact, the
American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made the hero of his poem "The Song of Hiawatha" an Ojibwe,
and called the lake by a variation of its native name, Gitchee Gummee.

Largest Island: Greenland, North America

Although Greenland is considered the world's largest island, with an area of 2,130,800 square kilometers
(822,706 square miles), it is actually made up of three separate islands. The ice sheet that blankets
Greenland unites these separate, smaller landmasses.

The Greenland ice sheet is the only ice sheet outside Antarctica. In places more than 3 kilometers (1.9 miles)
thick, the ice sheet crushes the island beneath so that the land sits about 300 meters (984 feet) below sea level.

An indigenous Inuit people, the Kalaallit, have lived along Greenland's coasts for centuries. In fact, the
indigenous name for Greenland is Kalaallit Nunaat—land of the Kalaallit.

Newest Island: Niijima, Asia

New islands are emerging from the ocean all the time! Waves, tides, and storms create many new islands from
sand bars close to shore. (The Outer Banks of North Carolina are constantly being reshaped by the Atlantic
Ocean, for instance.)

Islands may also appear as a result of glacial rebound. Glacial rebound is a process in which land that was
crushed by a glacier slowly regains its shape. Finland's Archipelago Sea is dotted by islands "bouncing back"
from the last Ice Age.

The most dramatic process that creates new islands, however, is probably volcanic eruptions. As undersea
volcanoes erupt, they build up layers of lava that may eventually break the water’s surface. When the tops of
the volcanoes appear above the water, an island is formed. The so-called Big Island of Hawaii is reshaping
itself with every eruption of Mount Kilauea. The 2009 eruption of Hunga Haapai, a part of the island nation of
Tonga, created a new island, although it became part of Hunga Haapai by the end of the eruption event.

The newest volcanic island on Earth is probably Niijima, which broke the surface of the Pacific Ocean about
1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Tokyo, Japan, in November 2013. Niijima is part of the Pacific's "Ring of Fire,"
a zone rimming the Pacific where earthquakes, volcanoes . . . and emerging volcanic islands . . . are
familiar occurrences.

Longest Cave System: Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System, Kentucky (North America)

The Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System stretches about 640 kilometers (400 miles) beneath the U.S. state of
Kentucky. Simply known as Mammoth Cave, it is by far the longest explored cave system in the world—more
than twice the length of the next-longest cave system, the Sac Actun underwater cave in Mexico.

Mammoth Cave is part of central Kentucky's karst topography. Karst landscapes are limestone, created as rain,
rivers, and other natural forces slowly erode the soft rock, carving intricate caves and sinkholes.

The Mammoth Cave system was well-known by the earliest Native Americans, and bands of Shawnee and
Cherokee used the area as fertile hunting ground well before contact with European explorers. The area
continued to be a hunting ground—the first European settler to discover the main entrance to Mammoth Cave
did so while chasing a bear, who ran into an unseen chamber underground.

Furthest from Another Piece of Land: Bouvet Island

Bouvet Island may be the most remote place on Earth—it is more than 1,700 kilometers (1,100 miles) from the
nearest landmass, Queen Maud Land in Antarctica.

Bouvet is a volcanic island, located at the southern tip of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the South American
and African tectonic plates are tearing away from each other in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Bouvet Island is uninhabited—the nearest inhabited location is Cape Agulhas, South Africa, about 2,200
kilometers (1,400 mi) away. Bouvet Island is a nature preserve, with important populations of sea birds such as
penguins, albatrosses, and petrels.

Furthest from the Ocean: Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China

About 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, is a "pole of inaccessability." A pole of
inaccessability is a location that is "challenging to reach owing to its remoteness from geographical features
that could provide access."

Poles of inaccessability are often defined as a continent's most distant point from the ocean. The world's most
remote pole of inaccessability—the place furthest from the ocean—is in Xinjiang, about 2,645 kilometers (1,644
miles) from the coast.

Xinjiang has been continuously, and sparsely, inhabited by Chinese and Mongol people for more than a
thousand years. It was a major trading hub on the ancient Silk Road, and today is China's largest administrative
region.

Oldest Terrestrial Material: Zircon from Jack Hills, Western Australia, Australia

The oldest dated materials made on Earth are grains of the mineral zircon, discovered in the Jack Hills region of
Western Australia and dated to be about 4.4 billion years old.

The Jack Hills zircons provide geologists with important information about one of the earliest time periods on
Earth, the Hadean Eon. For instance, the composition of the zircons suggest to geologists that liquid water was
present on the surface of early Earth.

Although the so-called Jack Hills zircons are the oldest identified materials made on Earth, they are far from the
oldest materials found on Earth. Meteorites called chondrites, space rocks that survive crashing into Earth, are
some of the oldest material in the solar system. Chondrites can be more than 4.5 billion years old.

Farthest from the Center of the Earth: Chimborazo, Ecuador

Mount Everest is the tallest point on Earth, so you'd think it would be the farthest from the Earth's center, right?
Wrong.

The Earth is not a perfect circle. It is an oblate spheroid, meaning it bulges slightly around the center. The
summit of Chimborazo, a volcano in Ecuador, is only about one degree south of the Equator, where the Earth's
"bulge" is thickest. Chimborazo is 6,384 kilometers (3,967 miles) from the Earth's center, while Everest is about two
kilometers less.

The region around Chimborazo has been inhabited for thousands of years, although the first ascent of the
mountain did not take place until 1880. The English explorer who made the ascent, Edward Whymper, was also
the first mountaineer to scale the famous Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. Today, Chimborazo is an important part
of Ecuadorian national identity. In fact, it is represented on the country's coat of arms.

Northernmost Point of Land: Kaffeklubben Island, Greenland

Kaffeklubben Island, Greenland, is the northernmost point of land on Earth—what ancient explorers called
Ultima Thule. Kaffeklubben Island is just 714 kilometres (444 miles) from the geographic North Pole, part of the
Arctic Ocean.

Some geologists do not consider Kaffeklubben to be Ultima Thule. The island is ringed by gravel banks, a type
of sand bar common in Greenland's far north. Often, these gravel banks rise past sea level. Oodaaq, for
instance, is the name of one such gravel bank that lies north of Kaffeklubben. However, geologists and
cartographers debate whether Oodaaq or other shifting gravel banks are permanent features of the
landscape.

Both Kaffeklubben and Oodaaq are uninhabited, although native Inuit tribes have hunted seals and walruses in
the area for centuries. Legendary American explorer Robert Peary—allegedly the first man to reach the North
Pole—was the first Westerner to see the island, in 1900.

Southernmost Point of Land: South Pole

Sitting on the southwestern part of the continent of Antarctica, the geographic South Pole is the southernmost
point of land on Earth. The geographic coordinates of the South Pole are 90°S. (Longitude is irrelevant, as all
lines of longitude converge at the poles.)

The South Pole sits in one of Antarctica's barren deserts, on top of an ice sheet about 2,700 meters (9,000 feet)
thick. It receives no sunlight for half the year (March-September), and exhibits much colder temperatures than
the North Pole. (The South Pole sits at a higher elevation than the North Pole, which is at sea level in the Arctic
Ocean.)

The first research station at the South Pole was established in 1956, and has been the southernmost inhabited
spot on Earth ever since. About 200 scientists and support staff live at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in
the summer (October-February), while that number dwindles to about 50 during the winter.

The Highest Point on Each Continent in Order:

Continent Highest Point (in feet and meters)
Asia Mt. Everest, Tibet/Nepal, 29,028 ft (8,848 m)
Africa Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,340 ft (5,895 m)
 North America Mt. McKinley, Alaska, 20,320 ft (6,194 m)
South America Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina, 22,834 ft (6,960 m)
Antarctica Vinson Massif, Ellsworth Mts.,16,066 ft (4,897 m)
Europe Elbrus, Russia/Georgia,18,510 ft (5,642 m)
Australia Kosciusko, Australia, 7,316 ft (2,228 m)
The Lowest Point on Each Continent in Order :
Continent Lowest Point (in feet and meters below sea level)
Antarctica 8327 ft below sea level (2,538 m bsl)
Asia Dead Sea, 1341 ft below sea level (409 m bsl)
Africa Lake Assal, Africa, 512 ft below sea level (156 m bsl)
North America Death Valley, 282 ft below sea level (86 m bsl)
South America Valdes Peninsula, 131 ft below sea level (40 m bsl)
Europe Caspian Sea, 92 ft below sea level (28 m bsl)
Australia Lake Eyre, Australia, 52 ft below sea level (16 m bsl)
The Population of Each Continent (as of 2011), Highest First:
Continent Population
Asia 3,674,000,000 people
Africa 778,000,000 people
Europe 342,000,000 people
North America 483,000,000 people
South America 342,000,000 people
Australia and Oceania 31,000,000 people
Antarctica 0 people
The Area of Each Continent, Highest First:
Continent Population
Asia 17,212,000 sq. km
Africa 11,608,000 sq. km
North America 9,365,000 sq. km
South America 6,880,000 sq. km
Antarctica 5,100,000 sq. km
Europe 3,837,000 sq. km
Australia and Oceania 2,968,000 sq. km

The Number of Countries on Each Continent:

Continent Number of Countries
Africa 54 countries
Asia 47 countries
Europe 43 countries
North America 23 countries
Australia and Oceania 14 countries
South America 12 countries
Antarctica 0 countries
The Criteria for Selection of UNESCO WORLD Heritage Sites

To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one
out of ten selection criteria.

These criteria are explained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage
Convention which, besides the text of the Convention, is the main working tool on World Heritage. The criteria
are regularly revised by the Committee to reflect the evolution of the World Heritage concept itself.

Until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural and four natural criteria. With
the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention,
only one set of ten criteria exists.

Human creative genius

i. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

Interchange of values
ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the
world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;

Testimony to cultural tradition

iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or
which has disappeared;

Significance in human history

iv. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape
which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

Traditional human settlement

v. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative
of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable
under the impact of irreversible change;

Heritage associated with events of universal significance

vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and
literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should
preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

Natural phenomena or beauty

vii. to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic
importance;

Major stages of Earth's history

viii. to be outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth's history, including the record of life,
significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or
physiographic features;

Significant ecological and biological processes

ix. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the
evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of
plants and animals;

Significant natural habitat for biodiversity

x. to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity,
including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science
or conservation.
 Operational Guidelines Cultural Natural
(year) criteria criteria

2002 (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

2005 (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (viii) (ix) (vii) (x)

Asia Geography
Asia is the largest of the world’s continents, covering approximately 30 percent of the Earth’s land area. It is also
the world’s most populous continent, with roughly 60 percent of the total population.

Asia makes up the eastern portion of the Eurasian supercontinent; Europe occupies the western portion.
The border between the two continents is debated. However, most geographers define Asia’s western border
as an indirect line that follows the Ural Mountains, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Caspian and Black Seas.
Asia is bordered by the Arctic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Asia’s physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately.

Asia can be divided into five major physical regions: mountain systems; plateaus; plains, steppes, and deserts;
freshwater environments; and saltwater environments.

Mountain Systems

The Himalaya mountains extend for about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles), separating the Indian
subcontinent from the rest of Asia. The Indian subcontinent, once connected to Africa, collided with the
Eurasian continent about 50 million to 55 million years ago, forming the Himalayas. The Indian subcontinent is still
crashing northward into Asia, and the Himalayas are growing about 5 centimeters (2 inches) every year.

The Himalayas cover more than 612,000 square kilometers (236,000 square miles), passing through the northern
states of India and making up most of the terrain of Nepal and Bhutan. The Himalayas are so vast that they are
composed of three different mountain belts. The northernmost belt, known as the Great Himalayas, has the
highest average elevation at 6,096 meters (20,000 feet). The belt contains nine of the highest peaks in the
world, which all reach more than 7,925 meters (26,000 feet) tall. This belt includes the highest
mountain summit in the world, Mount Everest, which stands at 8,850 meters (29,035 feet).

The Tien Shan mountain system stretches for about 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles), straddling the border between
Kyrgyzstan and China. The name Tien Shan means “Celestial Mountains” in Chinese. The two highest peaks in
the Tien Shan are Victory Peak, which stands at 7,439 meters (24,406 feet), and Khan Tängiri Peak, which stands
at 6,995 meters (22,949 feet). Tien Shan also has more than 10,100 square kilometers (3,900 square miles) of
glaciers. The largest glacier is Engil'chek Glacier, which is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) long.

The Ural Mountains run for approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) in an indirect north-south line from Russia
to Kazakhstan. The Ural Mountains are some of the world’s oldest, at 250 million to 300 million years old. Millions
of years of erosion have lowered the mountains significantly, and today their average elevation is between 914
and 1,220 meters (3,000 to 4,000 feet). The highest peak is Mount Narodnaya at 1,895 meters (6,217 feet).

Plateaus
Asia is home to many plateaus, areas of relatively level high ground. The Iranian plateau covers more than 3.6
million square kilometers (1.4 million square miles), encompassing most of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The
plateau is not uniformly flat, but contains some high mountains and low river basins. The highest mountain peak
is Damavand, at 5,610 meters (18,410 feet). The plateau also has two large deserts, the Dasht-e Kavir and
Dasht-e Lut.

The Deccan Plateau makes up most of the southern part of India. The plateau’s average elevation is about 600
meters (2,000 feet). It is bordered by three mountain ranges: the Satpura Range in the north, and the Eastern
and Western Ghats on either side. The plateau and its main waterways—the Godavari and Krishna rivers—
gently slope toward the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal.

The Tibetan Plateau is usually considered the largest and highest area ever to exist in the history of Earth. Known
as the “Rooftop of the World,” the plateau covers an area about half the size of the contiguous United States
and averages more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level. The Tibetan Plateau is extremely important
to the world’s water cycle because of its tremendous number of glaciers. These glaciers contain the largest
volume of ice outside the poles. The ice and snow from these glaciers feed Asia’s largest rivers. Approximately 2
billion people depend on the rivers fed by the plateau’s glaciers.

Plains, Steppes, and Deserts

The West Siberian Plain, located in central Russia, is considered one of the world’s largest areas of continuous
flatland. It extends from north to south about 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) and from west to east about 1,900
kilometers (1,200 miles). With more than 50 percent of its area at less than 100 meters (330 feet) above sea level,
the plain contains some of the world’s largest swamps and flood plains.

Central Asia is dominated by a steppe landscape, a large area of flat, unforested grassland. Mongolia can be
divided into different steppe zones: the mountain forest steppe, the arid steppe, and the desert steppe. These
zones transition from the country’s mountainous region in the north to the Gobi Desert on the southern border
with China.

The Rub’ al Khali desert, considered the world’s largest sand sea, covers an area larger than France across
Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It holds roughly half as much sand as Africa’s
Sahara desert, even though it is 15 times smaller in size. The desert is known as the Empty Quarter because it is
virtually inhospitable to humans except for Bedouin tribes that live on its edges.
Freshwater

Lake Baikal, located in southern Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, reaching a depth of 1,620 meters
(5,315 feet). The lake contains 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen freshwater, making it the largest reservoir on
Earth. It is also the world’s oldest lake, at 25 million years old.

The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world (behind the Amazon of South America
and the Nile of Africa). Reaching 6,300 kilometers (3,915 miles) in length, the Yangtze moves east from the
glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau to the river’s mouth on the East China Sea. The Yangtze is considered the
lifeblood of China. It drains one-fifth of the country’s land area, is home to one-third of its population, and
contributes greatly to China’s economy.

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers begin in the highlands of eastern Turkey and flow through Syria and Iraq, joining
in the city of Qurna, Iraq, before emptying into the Persian Gulf. The land between the two rivers, known
as Mesopotamia, was the center of the earliest civilizations, including Sumer and the Akkadian Empire. Today,
the Tigris-Euphrates river system is under threat from increased agricultural and industrial use. These pressures
have caused desertification and increased salts in the soil, severely damaging local watershed habitats.
Saltwater

The Persian Gulf has an area of more than 234,000 square kilometers (90,000 square miles). It borders Iran,
Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. The gulf is subject to high rates
of evaporation, making it shallow and extremely salty. The seabed beneath the Persian Gulf contains an
estimated 50 percent of the world’s oil reserves. The countries that border the gulf have engaged in a number
of disputes over this rich resource.

The Sea of Okhotsk covers 1.5 million square kilometers (611,000 square miles) between the Russian mainland
and the Kamchatka Peninsula. The sea is largely frozen between October and March. Large ice floes make
winter navigation almost impossible.

The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world, covering almost 2.2 million square kilometers (839,000 square
miles) and bordering Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Burma. Many large rivers, including the Ganges and
Brahmaputra, empty into the bay. The briny wetlands formed by the Ganges-Brahmaputra on the Bay of
Bengal is the largest delta in the world.

Terrestrial Flora and Fauna

Botanists nickname China the “Mother of Gardens.” It has more flowering plant species than North and South
America combined. Because China has such diverse landscapes, from the arid Gobi Desert to the tropical rain
forests of Yunnan Province, many flowers can adapt to climates all over the world. From roses to peonies, many
familiar flowers most likely originated in northern China. China is the likely origin of such fruit trees as peaches
and oranges. China is also home to the dawn redwood, the only redwood tree found outside North America.

Asia’s diverse physical and cultural landscape has dictated the way animals have been domesticated. In the
Himalayas, communities use yaks as beasts of burden. Yaks are large animals related to cattle, but with a
thick fiber coat and the ability to survive in the oxygen-poor high altitude of the mountains. Yaks are not only
used for transportation and for pulling plows, but their coats are sources of warm, hardy fiber. Yak milk is used
for butter and cheese.

In the Mongolian steppe, the two-humped Bactrian camel is the traditional beast of burden. Bactrian camels
are critically endangered in the wild. The camel’s humps store nutrient-rich fat, which the animal can use in
times of drought, heat, or frost. Its size and ability to adapt to hardship make it an ideal pack animal. Bactrians
can actually outrun horses over long distances. These camels were the traditional animals used in caravans on
the Silk Road, the legendary trade route linking eastern Asia with India and the Middle East.

Aquatic Flora and Fauna

The freshwater and marine habitats of Asia offer incredible biodiversity.

Lake Baikal’s age and isolation make it a unique biological site. Aquatic life has been able to evolve for millions
of years relatively undisturbed, producing a rich variety of flora and fauna. The lake is known as the
“Galápagos of Russia” because of its importance to the study of evolutionary science. It has 1,340 species of
animals and 570 species of plants.

Hundreds of Lake Baikal’s species are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth. The Baikal seal,
for instance, is one of the few freshwater seal species in the world. The Baikal seal feeds primarily on the Baikal
oil fish and the omul. Both fishes are similar to salmon, and provide fisheries for the communities on the lake.
The Bay of Bengal, on the Indian Ocean, is one of the world’s largest tropical marine ecosystems. The bay is
home to dozens of marine mammals, including the bottlenose dolphin, spinner dolphin, spotted dolphin, and
Bryde’s whale. The bay also supports healthy tuna, jack, and marlin fisheries.

Some of the bay’s most diverse array of organisms exist along its coasts and wetlands. Many wildlife reserves in
and around the bay aim to protect its biological diversity.

The Sundarbans is a wetland area that forms at the delta of the Ganges and Brahamaputra rivers. The
Sundarbans is a huge mangrove forest. Mangroves are hardy trees that are able to withstand the powerful,
salty tides of the Bay of Bengal as well as the freshwater flows from the Ganges and Brahamaputra. In addition
to mangroves, the Sundarbans is forested by palm trees and swamp grasses.

The swampy jungle of the Sundarbans supports a rich animal community. Hundreds of species of fish, shrimp,
crabs, and snails live in the exposed root system of the mangrove trees. The Sundarbans supports more than 200
species of aquatic and wading birds. These small animals are part of a food web that includes wild boar,
macaque monkeys, monitor lizards, and a healthy population of Bengal tigers.

Description
Asia is the largest and most populous continent in the world, sharing borders with Europe and Africa to its West,
Oceania to its South, and North America to its East. Its North helps form part of the Arctic alongside North
America and Europe. Though most of its continental borders are clearly defined, there are gray areas. Europe
and Asia are technically located on the same overall landmass, and combined the two are referred to as
Eurasia. As a result of its porous land border, some countries on Asia’s western border have been at times
referred to as part of Europe’s East. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are sometimes referred to as Asian and
other times as European. Russia and Turkey tend to be cut into regions. Russia is generally split along the Ural
Mountains, with its western half called “European Russia” and its East as simply “Russia.” The land between
Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, and its direct borders with Bulgaria and Greece is at times referred to as a part of
Europe called “Thrace,” while the rest of its territory is called “Anatolia” and is part of Asia.

On the other side of the continent, the islands which separate Asia from Oceania can also be difficult to
delineate. Indonesia and parts of the Philippines are sometimes categorized as part of Oceania rather than as
Asian. This being said, it is important to note that these divided regions do not constitute separate countries or
autonomous regions claiming sovereignty (such as the cases of Hong Kong or Palestine). “European Russia”
and “Russia” are both simply Russia, and the “Thrace” and “Anatolia” parts of Turkey are both undisputedly
part of Turkey, but sometimes the regions are shaded differently on maps in order to help delineate the borders
between Asia and Europe.

Asia is often divided into culturally and geographically similar regions. Although definitions, names, and borders
can vary, generally the regions of Asia include West Asia (which is part of the Middle East), the Caucasus
(sometimes also considered as part of the Middle East), Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia (also called
the Indian Subcontinent), and Southeast Asia. West Asia is sometimes referred to as the Middle East, with is
actually a misnomer since the cultural region we define as the Middle East often included countries outside of
Asia, such as Egypt in Africa and Cyprus in Europe. West Asia specifically includes the countries within the
region of Asia bordered by the Mediterranean and Red Seas to the West and the Persian Gulf, the Gulfs of
Aden and Oman, and the Arabian Sea to the South.

Countries within West Asia include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Just northeast of Turkey lies the
Caucasus, a mountainous region wedged between the Black Sea to the West and the Caspian Sea to the East.
The Caucasus includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Russia. Central Asia is located just north of
Iran and Afghanistan and south of Russia, consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
and Uzbekistan. East Asia defines the region between Central Asia, Russia, and the Pacific Ocean roughly up to
the beginning of the Tropic of Cancer.

The countries of East Asia include China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Mongolia (as well as Hong
Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). South Asia is also referred to as the Indian Subcontinent, separated from East Asia
by the Himalayan Mountains between China and India and defined largely by the Indian Tectonic Plate on
which its countries largely rest. South Asian countries include Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Lastly, the Southeast Asian region defines the tropical and
equatorial countries between South and East Asia to the North and Oceania to the South. The countries of
Southeast Asia include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (or Burma), the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor (or Timor-Leste), and Vietnam.

It is worth reiterating that these regional borders are as porous as Asia’s continental borders, and some
countries can be organized differently. Pakistan can be West instead of South Asian, Afghanistan can be
Central or South rather than West Asian, and so on. Finally, it is also worth noting that Russia is not included in
any of these regions. As it is the largest country in the world, Russia’s territory actually stretches across the
entirety of Asia’s border from East to West. It cannot be categorized into any of these regions alone and so is
kept separate.

There are also several unrecognized and partially recognized states within Asia. Palestine, which is made up of
the Gaza Strip and West Bank regions in and around Israel, declared its independence in 1988 and is currently
recognized as independent by 134 countries, though it is not an official member of the United Nations and is
not considered to be its own country by every G-8 nation except Russia. Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and
South Ossetia are all located in the Caucasus and all declared their independence during the 1990s, with
limited recognition internationally.

Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983 but is only recognized as a sovereign state within the UN by
Turkey, with every other member considering it as simply part of Cyprus. Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are all
considered by China to be a part of its territory, but each see themselves as either entirely independent (in the
case of Taiwan) or fully autonomous (in the cases of Hong Kong and Macau), operate largely autonomously in
terms of currency and government, and have varying degrees of international recognition as separate states.
Taiwan actually operates under various names as a result of its contested statehood: it refers to itself officially as
the Republic of China (or ROC), invoking the state which governed the mainland until the Chinese Civil War
and takeover of power by the Communist Party of China in 1949, and today’s mainland China (officially the
People’s Republic of China, or PRC) calls it Chinese Taipei, but internationally it is most commonly called Taiwan
(the name of the state’s largest island).

Geography

Asia’s immense size lends itself to a variety of different geographical landscapes, depending on its region. West
Asia has some of the highest temperatures on the planet as a result of its warm desert climate. Factoring in the
heat index and wind speeds, summers in the region have risen to dangerous temperatures, with parts
of Iraq and Iran having recorded feel-like temperatures of over 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius).
Inversely, Asia is also home to the coldest weather in the populated world (excluding Antarctica), which was
recorded as -90 degrees Fahrenheit (-67.7 degrees Celsius) and occurred in two Russian towns: Verkhoyansk
and Oymyakon. Most of the northern half of Russia is characterized by continental subarctic climates similar to
Alaska and much of Canada, and its far north is classified as an arctic tundra comparable to the far north of
the Canadian territories or the coasts of Greenland.

Both extremes in precipitation can also be found on the Asian continent. Some of the driest places on Earth are
located in the desert climates of West Asia, the steppes of Central Asia, and parts of China and Mongolia. At
the same time, the northeast Indian village of Mawsynram is the absolute wettest place on Earth, with an
average of 467.4 inches (11,872 millimeters) of rainfall per year. South Asia has a mixture of the monsoon
weather which lends itself to such heavy precipitation along with tropical savannas with intense heat. Climate
patterns involving the Indian and Pacific Oceans cause much of East Asia to have temperate weather with a
heavy monsoon season, particularly in Eastern China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea and most of
southern Japan. Much of continental Southeast Asia has a savannah climate similar to some of the drier parts
of South Asia, while its island portions between Asia and Oceania are distinct for their tropical rainforests.

The various climates of Asia also allow it to have many different geographical features, such as mountains,
rivers, and deserts. The Himalayas, home to Bhutan and Nepal and separating South Asia from China, is the
tallest mountain range in the world and its highest peak, Mount Everest, is the tallest mountain on Earth. Three
major Asian rivers are also sourced from the Himalayas, the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, and the Indus, which
each approach 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) in length. However, the longest river in Asia is actually the Yangtze
River, which runs from the southwest region of Tibet all the way to the Pacific coastal city of Shanghai and
measures at 1,790 miles (2,880 kilometers) in length.

The Syrian and Arabian Deserts of West Asia count among the world’s largest deserts, as does the Gobi Desert
between China and Mongolia, in Central Asia. It is also worth noting that many of these massive landscapes
are actually the underlying causes of Asia’s various weather patterns. The height of the Himalayas, for example,
blocks rainclouds coming from the Indian Ocean and pushes them back into the Indian Subcontinent while
simultaneously keeping northern cold air from travelling any farther south, accounting for both the hot
monsoon weather of South Asia and the cold deserts and steppes of Central Asia.

The largest continent on Earth, Asia’s total size is roughly 17,212,048 square miles (44,579,000 square kilometers),
or 30% of the planet’s total landmass. The largest countries of Asia include Russia (6.6 million square miles or 17.1
million square kilometers), China (3.7 million square miles or 9.6 million square kilometers), India (1.3 million
square miles or 3.3 million square kilometers), and Kazakhstan (1.05 million square miles or 2.7 million square
kilometers). Asia’s smallest countries are Maldives (120 square miles or 300 square kilometers), Singapore (278
square miles or 719 square kilometers), Bahrain (295 square miles or 765 square kilometers), and Brunei (2,226
square miles or 5,765 square kilometers). If Hong Kong and Macau are recognized as separate countries, then
Macau (12.1 square miles or 31.3 square kilometers) is the smallest country in Asia and Hong Kong (1,064 square
miles or 2,755 square kilometers) is the fourth-smallest.

Landforms
Deserts of Asia

Arabian Desert
The Arabian Desert is a vast desert wilderness stretching from Yemen to the Persian Gulf and from Oman to
Jordan and Iraq. It is the largest desert in Asia at 900,000 square miles and occupies most of the Arabian
Peninsula. This desert is located in the Middle East.

Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert is the 2nd largest desert in Asia, covering 500,000 square miles. Extending from northern China
into Mongolia, the Gobi Desert receives an average of 7 inches of rainfall each year because the Himalaya
mountains block rain clouds from reaching the region.

Kara Kum Desert

The Kara Kum covers 135,000 square miles, nearly 70 percent of Turkmenistan's land. Because of the desert's
location along the Caspian Sea, the weather in Karakum is milder than many Asian deserts, which typically
experience frigid winters and scorching summers.

Kyzyl Kum Desert

Crossing over Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan, this 115,000 square mile desert features a wide variety of flora and
fauna. Though the area only receives 4 to 8 inches of rain per year, the rain occurs during the region's cooler
period so the water does not dissipate quickly and supports large migratory game.

Takla Makan Desert

China's largest desert extends over 123,550 square miles. Composed primarily of shifting crescent sand dunes,
the Takla Makan is one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. Despite the inhospitable and unpredictable
nature of the desert sands, the Chinese government erected a road across the desert in the mid-1990s.

Thar Desert
Covering 77,000 square miles in India and Pakistan, the Thar Desert is Asia's only subtropical desert. Primarily
occupying the Indian state of Rajasthan, the Thar receives up to 20 inches of rain per year, primarily during the
monsoon period from July to September, and most crops are grown during this rainy season.

Lakes of Asia

Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea, located in western Asia on the eastern edges of Europe, is the largest lake on the planet.
History records that it's called a sea because the Romans found it salty, especially in the southern reaches, and
the name stuck. Oil and natural gas production platforms are replete along the edges of the sea. In addition,
large quantities of sturgeon live in its waters, and the caviar produced from their eggs is a valuable commodity.
Fresh water flows into the sea via the Volga River and Ural River in the north, however, the sea remains
somewhat salty, central and southThe measured surface area is 371,000 sq km (143,244 sq mi), and he
maximum depth is at 1025 m (3,363 ft).

Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal is positioned in southeastern (Siberia) Russia, directly to the north of Mongolia. Recognized as the
oldest (still existing) freshwater lake on the planet, it is also measured as the deepest continental body of water
at 5,315 feet (1,620 m). In addition, it is the largest freshwater lake by volume, containing an astounding 20% of
the planet's fresh water. With a maximum width of 60 miles (96 km), Lake Baikal is about 389 miles (626 km) in
length. Completely surrounded by mountains, over 300 rivers and streams drain into this massive lake.

Aral Sea

Positioned in far-western Asia, just to the east of the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea is located in the countries of
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Aral Sea is disappearing (evaporating) and is today almost totally polluted by
fertilizer runoff, weapon testing residue left here by the former Soviet Union and careless industrial projects. The
mismanagement of its valuable waters is consider by many experts to be one of the world's worst
environmental disasters. Diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for irrigation began in 1918, and that
action, along with other factors have now shrunk the Aral Sea to almost 60% of its former size. Over the last few
years the outlook for the northern reaches of the sea have brightened some, but the lower half is basically
abandoned and the remaining western waters are now predicted to be gone within a decade.

Mountains of Asia

Altay (or Altai)

The Altay Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan
come together, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their sources. Belukha Mountain is the highest peak at
4,506 m, (14,784 ft).

Ghats
The Western Ghats is a mountain range along the western side of India with an average elevation around 1,200
m, (3,900 ft). The Eastern Ghats is a range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The highest point is
Jindhagada Peak at 1,690 m (5,545 ft).

Himalayas
The Himalayas, a huge mountain range immediately at the north of the Indian subcontinent, is the world's
highest mountain range, and home to the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest at 8,848 m (29,029 ft),
and K2 at 8,611 m (28,251 feet) above sea level. The Himalayan system includes over 100 mountains exceeding
7,200 m (23,600 ft).

Kunlun
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending across wester China and the
Tibetan Plateau. The highest mountain is the Kunlun Goddess at 7,167 m (23,514 ft).

Tien (or Tian) Shan

The Tian Shan is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. It's positioned to the north and west of the
Taklamakan Desert near the border region of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and western China. The highest peak is
Victory Peak at 7,439 m (24,406 ft).

Ural
The Urals are 1,640 miles (2,640 km) in length and extend from the northern-edge of the Russian Federation
down through Kazakhstan. They form a natural border between Asia and Europe Russia. The highest point in this
mountain range is Mt. Narodnaya at 1,895 m (6,217 ft).

Zagros
The Zagros are the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq spaning the whole length of the western and
southwestern Iranian plateau and ending at the Strait of Hormuz. The highest point is Zard Kuhbakhtiari at 4,548
m, (14,921 ft).

Rivers of Asia

Ganges
The Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus and is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live along its course
and depend on it for their daily needs. It is 1,560 miles (2,510 km) in length.

Lena
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the other two
being the Ob River and the Yenisei River). It is the 11th longest river in the world at 2,734 miles (4,400 km).

Indus
The Indus River originates in Tibet and flows through India and Pakistan. It provides water resources for the
economy of Pakistan - especially the Breadbasket of the southeast, which accounts for most of the nation's
agricultural production. It is 1,800 miles (2,900 km) in length.

Mekong
The Mekong is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 3,050 (4,909 km)
and it provides inland transportation for the millions living along its banks, and tributaries

Ob
The Ob is a major river in western Siberia, Russia. The Ob is used mostly for irrigation, drinking water, hydroelectric
energy, and fishing. It's 2,268 miles (3,650 km) in length.

Yangtze
China's Yangtze is the longest river in Asia, and the fourth longest in the world at 3,915 miles (6,301 km). The
Yangtze drains one-fifth of the land area of the People's Republic of China and its river basin is home to one-
third of China's population.

Yellow
The Yellow River is the second-longest river in China and the sixth longest in the world at 3,395 miles (5,464 km) in
length. It's called "the cradle of Chinese civilization" as its basin – specifically, the Wei valley – was the birthplace
of ancient Chinese civilizations and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history.

Landlocked Countries

Asia

Several Central Asia countries are landlocked.

Asia has a long coastline as three of the world’s oceans surround the continent. Indonesia has the longest
coastline of any Asian country, which stretches over 59,140 miles in length. However, 12 countries in the
continent have no coastline as they are landlocked. These landlocked countries are Uzbekistan, Armenia,
Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Laos, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Azerbaijan.

Armenia

Armenia is a western Asian country which covers an area of 11,484 square miles. The country is among the
landlocked countries of Asia. Armenia has a 975-mile long land border that it shares with four countries; Iran,
Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The country is subject to a trade embargo by Turkey, making it impossible to
use Turkish ports for sea trade. The country instead relies on Georgia as its transit country and uses two of
Georgia’s ports, Batumi and Poti for maritime trade. Like many landlocked countries, Armenia has no naval
force.

Nepal

Nepal is another landlocked country in Asia. This Southern Asian country is the world’s 91st largest country and
covers an area of 56,827 square miles. The total land border of Nepal is 1,818 miles long, which the country
shares with India (1,050 miles) and the People’s Republic of China (768 miles). As only two countries border it,
Nepal is considered as a semi-enclave country. Water transport in the country is not significant, as the rivers are
not navigable. As the country is predominantly situated on mountainous terrain (the Himalayas and their
highest peak, Mount Everest are found in Nepal), the rivers feature deep gorges and hence do not support
water transport. The country relies on neighboring India as its transit country, to access its seaports for maritime
trade.

Afghanistan

Another landlocked country in Asia is Afghanistan. The country is situated in Central Asia, and is bordered by six
countries; Pakistan, Tajikistan, China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran. Afghanistan is investing heavily in the
development of the Chabahar-Hajigak corridor that will link the country to Iran’s port of Chabahar. This port,
which is situated in the Gulf of Oman, offers Afghanistan with shorter access to maritime trade than Pakistan’s
Karachi port which is the second alternative. Commercial water transport in the landlocked country is only
feasible on the Amu Darya River, found on the country’s border with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The ports of Shir Khan Bandar and Kheyrabad facilitate water transport on the river.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a landlocked country situated in eastern Asia. The large country is bordered by four countries;
Russia, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Despite being landlocked, the country has sea transport,
which is conducted on the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan’s Port of Aktau is one of the largest in the Caspian and
connects the country to eastern European countries of Georgia and Turkey. Another major port found on the
Caspian Sea is the Port of Atyrau. Most of the freshwater transport in the country is on two of the country’s
largest rivers; the Ertis and Syr Darya Rivers which have a combined 2,500 miles of waterways. The country is
among the few landlocked countries with a naval force. The Kazakhstan Navy is based in the Caspian Sea
where it conducts regular patrols within its territory.

What are the Landlocked Countries in Asia?

The following are landlocked countries in Asia: Nepal, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is another landlocked country in Asia. The country is bordered by four countries; Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Despite being landlocked, Turkmenistan has a maritime transport which is
conducted on the Caspian Sea. The Port of Turkmenbashi is Turkmenistan’s primary port and facilitates sea
transport in the Caspian Sea. The port is well developed with numerous berths and can serve large vessels
including huge oil tankers. To protect its territory in the Caspian Sea, the country has a small naval force that
patrols its waters.

Laos

Laos is also a landlocked country in Asia. The country covers an area of 236,800 square miles. This relatively
small country shares its 3,158-mile long land border with five countries; China (263 miles), Thailand (1,089 miles),
Myanmar (146 miles), Cambodia (336 miles), and Vietnam (1,323 miles). Water transport in the country is only
possible on the two largest rivers in Laos; Nam Ou and Mekong Rivers. Despite being landlocked, the country
has a small naval force. The Laos People’s Navy is the country navy that patrols the Mekong River. The navy is
made up of at least 20 patrol boats that navigate the river. With the Mekong River defining a significant portion
of the country’s western border, the navy plays a vital role in preventing illegal border crossings through the
river. Laos has made agreements with its neighboring nations to use the Mekong River to access the South
China Sea. However, the Khone Phapheng Falls found on the river makes commercial navigation to the South
China Sea impossible.

Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked country found in South Asia. Bhutan is another semi-enclave
country as it is sandwiched between two countries with which it shares its 706-mile long land border; China (296
miles) and India (409 miles). The country has agreed with Bangladesh, to use the Port of Mongla for its maritime
trade. The country has no naval force.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is another Asian country that has no coastline. The country shares its land border with four Asian
countries; Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. Uzbekistan stands out from all other
landlocked countries in Asia as it is the sole doubly landlocked country in the continent. A doubly landlocked
means that all the countries that border the country are themselves all landlocked. The only other country in
the world with this distinction is Liechtenstein in Europe. The Aral Sea was once integral in the country’s water
transport but decades of overuse caused the inland sea to shrink by as much as 50%, rendering water transport
on it commercially unviable. Water transport is on the Amu Darya River, which is home to the country’s primary
port, Termez. The country is connected to the seaports of its neighboring countries such as Georgia’s Port Poti
and Iran’s Abbas Port.
Africa

There are 19 landlocked countries in the world. A landlocked country is a sovereign country that is enclosed
entirely by land. A landlocked country may be surrounded by one or more countries having access to a high
sea or by one or more landlocked countries. For several landlocked developing countries, the lack of sea
access can pose a challenge economically, as access to trade routes is more limited. A country surrounded by
one or more landlocked country is called “doubly landlocked.”

Of the 49 countries, only two lie outside the Afro-Eurasia while 16 are in Africa. The following African countries
are landlocked:

 Botswana
 Burkina Faso
 Burundi
 Central African Republic
 Chad
 Ethiopia
 Lesotho
 Malawi
 Mali
 Niger
 Rwanda
 South Sudan
 Swaziland
 Uganda
 Zambia
 Zimbabwe

Botswana

Botswana is a landlocked country located in southern Africa. The country occupies a total area of 224,607
square miles, making it the 48th largest country in the world. With a population of just over 2 million people,
Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is surrounded by four countries of
which two are landlocked. The four countries are Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Botswana has
no access to a large water body like a sea or ocean. However, the Limpopo River Basin, which is a major
landform in Southern Africa, lies partly in the country. The Chobe River forms the boundary between Botswana
and Namibia.

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. Its access to the sea is restricted by the six countries
surrounding it. Mali borders Burkina Faso to the north, Niger, and Benin to the east and southeast respectively,
Ghana and Togo to the south, and Cote d’Ivoire to the southwest. The country covers an area of 105,900
square miles. Burkina Faso’s major water bodies are the Black Volta, Red Volta, and the White Volta. Access to
high sea from the country is mainly through any of the countries bordering it except Niger which is also a
landlocked country.

Burundi

Burundi is a landlocked country in East Africa’s Great Lakes. It is surrounded by three countries, namely Rwanda
in the north, Tanzania in the East, and finally the Democratic Republic of Congo. Parts of its southwestern
border are close to Lake Tanganyika. Burundi is considered part of Central Africa. The country covers an area
of approximately 10,747 square miles and has a population of 10.5 million people. Burundi is one of the poorest
countries in Africa, owing partly to its landlocked geography, lack of economic freedom, and civil unrest. The
economy is dependent on agriculture with the sector accounting for approximately 30% of the country's GDP.

Central Africa Republic

The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is surrounded by Chad on the north,
Sudan, and South Sudan on the east and southeast respectively, Cameroon on the west, DRC to the south,
and the Republic of Congo to the southwest. CAR has a land area of approximately 240,000 square miles and
a population of 4.6 million people. The country has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world and faces
several economic challenges due to lack of access to a high sea. It mainly imports and exports products
through the neighboring countries which increases the overall cost of things.

Chad

Chad is also a landlocked country in Central Africa. With an area of 496,000 square miles, it is the 22nd largest
country in the world. Chad is bounded by Sudan to the east, Libya to the north, CAR to the south, Niger to the
west, and Cameroon and Nigeria to the south. According to the UN’s Human Development Index, Chad is the
seventh poorest country in the world. Approximately 80% of the population lives below poverty line. Chad has
been plagued by instability and civil unrest leading to little development. Its lack of access to a sea or ocean
has further hindered its economic progress.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bound to the north and northeast by Eritrea,
to the east by Somali and Djibouti, to the west by Sudan and South Sudan, and to the south by Kenya. It is the
most populated landlocked country in the world, boasting of a population of over 100 million people. Although
Ethiopia is a landlocked country, it is one of the fastest growing economies in the world according to the IMF.
Despite not having access to the high sea, Ethiopia is served by a network of 14 rivers including the Nile. It also
has the largest water reserve in Africa.

Lesotho

Lesotho is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is considered an enclave country since it is completely
surrounded by South Africa. Lesotho has an area of approximately 11,580 square miles and a population of
about 2 million people. Economically, Lesotho is integrated with South Africa. It depends on South Africa for
most import and export through the ocean. Lesotho extracts its water through the Lesotho Highlands Water
Project which was established in 1986. The water is mainly captured and transferred from the Orange River in
South Africa.

Malawi

Malawi is also a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It was formally known as Nyasaland. It bordered to the
northwest by Zambia, to the northeast by Tanzania, and Mozambique to the east. Malawi covers an area of
approximately 45,560 square miles and has a population of about 18 million people. It is one of the least
developed countries in the world, with over 80% of the population living in rural areas. The largest water body in
Malawi is Lake Malawi, measuring approximately 365 miles long and 42 miles wide. The lake is sometimes
referred to as Calendar Lake.

Mali

Mali is a landlocked country in a region often referred to as West African Craton. In Africa, Mali is the 8th largest
country with an area of over 480,000 square miles. It is bordered to the northeast by Algeria, to the south-west
of Guinea, Mauritania, and Senegal and to the south, and Niger, another landlocked country, to the east. Mali
is connected to the bordering countries by a network of railway lines. It exports and imports most of its products
through neighboring countries. Mali faces a lack of potable water since it lacks access to major water bodies.

Niger

Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa. I was named after the Niger River, the third longest river in
Africa after the Nile and the Congo River. Niger is bordered by Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso,
and Algeria. With an area of 489,000 square miles, Niger is the largest country in West Africa. About 80% of the
country lies in the Sahara Desert. As the country is landlocked, it mainly relies on agriculture. Niger also has the
largest uranium deposits in the world. The economy is based largely on internal market and export of raw
commodities to the neighboring countries.

Rwanda

Rwanda is the 4th smallest country in African mainland. It is located in East Africa and bordered by DRC,
Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi. It covers an area of about 10,169 square miles and has a population of about
11.3 million people. Rwanda is drained mainly by the Nile and Congo. The longest river in the country is
Nyabarongo. Although Rwanda’s economy suffered during the 1994 genocide, the country has since
strengthened with per-capita GDP of approximately $2,000 in 2017. Rwanda trades through the neighboring
countries that border the ocean and import products mostly by air.

South Sudan

South Sudan is a large landlocked country found in east-central Africa. The country gained independence
from Sudan in 2011, making it one of the newest countries in the world. South Sudan's lack of sea access
provides a definite challenge for the country, which relies on exports of oil to describe. To make matters worse,
South Sudan is also one of the world's least developed countries, and does not have a wide network of paved
roads. Transporting goods in and out of the country is limited to one road, which often floods.

Swaziland

Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is located between Mozambique and South Africa and
lies across a fault which runs from Lesotho to Zimbabwe and forms Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. Swaziland covers a
total area of 6,704 square miles and has a population of approximately 1.3 million people. The country has a
diverse economy with agriculture and mining accounting for the largest share of the GDP. Being a landlocked
country, Swaziland depends on South Africa to access the port with most of its import and exports passing
through South Africa.

Uganda

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Kenya to the east, Tanzania to the south, South
Sudan to the north, and DRC and Rwanda to the west and southwest respectively. Uganda shares Lake
Victoria, the world’s largest tropical land and the second largest freshwater lake, with Kenya and Tanzania.
Although Uganda has no access to the high sea, the trade partnership with the neighboring countries such as
Kenya and Tanzania has significantly boosted its economy. It imports and exports its products through Kenya’s
port of Mombasa.

Zambia

Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by the DRC, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique,
Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Zambia covers an area of 290,586 square miles and has a population of
approximately 13 million people. The country is drained by Zambezi and Congo basins. Although Zambia is a
landlocked country, its economy is better than some of its neighboring countries such as Tanzania and
Mozambique which have access to the high sea. However, the level of poverty is still high in Zambia.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is also a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is located between Zambezi and Limpopo rivers
and bordered by Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. The northwest corner is approximately
150 meters from Namibia. Zimbabwe has an area of 150,872 square miles and a population of approximately
16 million people. Zimbabwe’s economy depends on agriculture, mining, and tourism. Zimbabwe has a great
potential in terms of economic growth but mismanagement and corruption remain the major hindrances to its
growth.