ASIA, the largest division of land on the globe, generally regarded as the birthplace of the human race. and the most ancient seat of civilization. Its superficial area, in cluding islands. has been estimated at from 16 to 20,000.000 sq.m., and its pop. at 800,00o,000. This enormous mass of continent lies almost vntirely in the northern di vision of the eastern hemisphere. while its world of islands extends across the equator on the south-east. On three sides, it is surrounded by the ocean; but on the w., is partially connected with Africa and Europe. The continental mass is more than four times as large as Europe. Some idea maybe formed of its vast extent by the calculation that, though it contains more than half of the population of the globe, the num ber of its inhabitants is so small compared with its area, that Europe may be said to be three times more densely populated. 'The coast-line is about 33,1.00 m. in length; and on the a. and e., is diversified by seas, bays, and gulfs, affording advantages to naviga tion and commerce far superior to those of Africa, but inferior to those possessed by Europe and America. On the w. side. the Dardanelles and the sea of Mannora may be regarded as but a slight interruption of the great table-lands of Europe and A. which form the continent of the-old world.
llorizorttal Configuration.—A. is bounded n., by the Arctic ocean; e., Ly the Pacific ocean; s., by the Indian ocean; and on the iv., by Europe, the Black sea, Archipelago. Mediterranean, and the Red sea. On the extreme n.e., the peninsular land of ICaratchatka is separated from North America only by the narrow Behring's strait. On the s.e., a bridge of numerous islands—Sumatra, Java, Bozineo, Papua, etc.—ex tends towards Australia. The body of the continent may be regarded as a trapezium. of which the offsets, consisting of several large peninsulas, bear some resemblance to those of Europe; though in A. everything is on a more gigantic scale. Thus, one of these offsets, the peninsula of Arabia, is four times as large ns France. On the iv. ex tends the peninsula of A. Minor, or.Anatolia, divided from Europe by the strait of Con stantinople, the sea of Martnora, and the Dardanelles, with the Black sca.on the n., and the Levant on the south. On the a. of A.; the peninsular configuration may be divided into three principal masses, corresponding to the southern coast of Europe: Arabia may be considered as a counterpart to Spain; Italy, with its neighbor-island, Sicily, is represented by Hindustan and Ceylon: and, as in Europe, the broken Grecian peninsula is connected with A. by a bridge of numerous islands extending on the s.e., so, in A., the eastern peninsula (or India beyond the Ganges). lying between the bay of Bengal and the Chinese sea, is connected with Australia on the s.e. by the vast EaStern archipelago. This world of islands is divided into the several groups of the Philippine islands, Borneo, Celebes. Moliteca islands. Sumatra, and Java, Timor, and the numerous adjoining isles. The c. coast of A. is characterized by the deep indentations of the Pacific ocean in the Chinese sea, Yellow sea, and seas of Japan, Okhotsk, and Kamtehatka; all fringed with numerous islands, and by the peninsula of Corea, the island of Saghalien, and the peninsula of Kamtchatka. On the
11., the Siberian coasts are also deeply indented; but rather by the embouchures of large rivers than by arms of the sea. The whole length of continental A., from the Dardanelles to the Japan islands, is 6000 m. ; its breadth, from Malacca to the n.e. cape of Siberia, is 5300 m.; with its islands it extends from 10' s. hat, to 78' n., and from 26' e. long. to 190' c. or 170' iv. Such an extent of surface must include all varieties of soil, climate, and production.
Vertical Contiguration..—Equally grand are the features of this continent when re regarded vertically: it has the most extensive lowlands, the most immense table-lands, the highest chains of mountains, and the most elevated summita in the world; tracts doomed to everlasting snow or scorching sterility, salubrious valleys of continual ver dure, and noisome jungles of the rankest growth. The table-lands of Asia occupy two fifths of the whole continent. The eastern extremity is 2000 m. broad; the western, less than 100o. The whole mass may be regarded as consisting of two parts, separated, or, to speak more properly, perhaps, connected by the lofty, snow-covered monntain-isth inns of the I Bluth linsh. These great divisions arc styled respectively.; 1. The eastern plateau, including tlie. table-laad of Tibet. and the desert of COM: 2. The western plateau, or table-land of Iran. The former, a vast four-sided mass, considerably larger than the whole area of Europe, extends 2800 m. from the mountain chain, Hindu Kush, to the Tonquin gulf in China.* On the s., the plateau is divided from the plains of Hindustan by the Himalaya mountains, which have a mean height of 18.000 ft., while several of their summits rise from 25,000 to 29,000 ft. above the level of the sea. Even the passes over this enormous range of mountains are almost as high as the summit of Mt. Blanc. Here Dhwalagiri, long supposed to be the Mt. Blanc of the Himalayas, and with pre cisely the same signification, viz., "white mountain," rising to 20.826 IL, leaves all the peaks of the Andes far below: while Kunchinjinga reaches to 28,150ft., and Mt. Everest, now believed to be the loftiest summit in the world, attains the height of 29,002 ft. Cultivation is found at 10,000 ft. above the sea; while flocks graze some 4000 ft. higher. In eastern Tatary and Tibet, the ground is cultivated at a height only 2000 ft. lower than the summit of Mt. Blanc. On the e., the table-land of Tibet is bounded by the Chinese mountain-ranges Yun-ling and Khing-khan, which, towards the s., are connected with wild Chinese alpine regions of• which little is known; while towards the n., they extend into another mountainous region, where the eastern chain of Shangpe-shan op poses to the Pacific ocean a wall of rock 3000 ft. high. On the n.. the chain of the Altar mountains, 3000 m. long, and divided into several groups, forms the boundary between the great plateau and the plain of Siberia, which is larger than the whole area of Europe.