Travel to Asia

Earth’s biggest and the most populous continent is Asia. It has a population of 4.5 billion and covers 44,579,000 square kilometers (17,212,000 sq mi) including parts of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Within its regions, a great variety of ethnicity, culture, environment,economy and political systems exist. The Asian Tigers are now shaping the world’s future and thriving to be the next superpowers of the globe. But, on the other hand, there are also many countries that are heavily affected by nagging poverty and rotten corruption.

Geographically, Asia has remarkably diverse landscapes and climatic extremes. Mount Everest, the world’s highest point, towering at the border area between Nepal and Tibet, rising to 8,848m (29,028 ft) above sea level. The other extreme, the world’s lowest point, the Dead Sea, is in the territories of Israel and Jordan at 430m (1,412 ft) below sea level. Also, it has the longest coastline of any continent and uses 11 different time zones. Outstanding examples of geographical phenomenons in Asia are Ha Long Bay and Paradise Cave of Vietnam. Ha Long’s emerald colored waters and thousands of towering limestone islands covered with dense forest make for magnificent views for the visitors cruising along the bay, whereas Paradise Cave is the most beautiful dry cave in Phong Nha area for its breathtaking scale. Its nicely lit up environment inside, contrary climate to the outside, wonderful stalagmites and stalactites makes it feel somehow eerie like a different planet yet truly impressive.

Biologically, Asia has the widest variety of flora and fauna in the world. To mention only a few- reindeer in Siberian forest, the yaks grazing at the Tibetan plateau, the golden eagles in the Altai mountains and the water buffalos in the lowlands of Southeast Asia are used in various ways for daily tasks of people’s life. Also, apart from these domesticated animals, snow leopards, red panda, panda, Asian elephants, the Gobi bears, and the only remaining wild horses in nature are all in only Asia to see. Chitwan National Park in Nepal is considered the best park for viewing wildlife in Asia. It was first used by Nepalese nobles as hunting grounds, and the wildlife in the park was on the verge of extinction when the park was established in 1973. Now, it’s known for its thriving number of tigers and many species of globally threatened birds, and the famous one-Horned Rhinoceros.

Historically, the continent has seen the fall and rise of the greatest civilizations and empires that ever existed on Earth, such as the Mongol Empire, Chinese dynasties, Tibetan and South Korean empires, and many more. The most impressive of the many interconnected states is the Great Mongol Empire created by Chinggis Khan. It was the largest land empire in the world’s history, spanning a large area from China to East Europe. At its peak in the 14th century, The Silk Road was a safe trading route for transporting ideas and goods, architectural concepts, literature, foods and medicine between East and West. Historians noted that during the heyday of The Silk Road 'a young virgin with a tray of gold on her head could travel unmolested from the Pacific to the Mediterranean’.

Culturally, Asian countries are the birthplace of many religions. Its people practice Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam and Shamanism daily and new forms are constantly emerging. One such cultural excellency is Angkor Wat in Cambodia. This UNESCO World Heritage Site associated with Hinduism was constructed in the 12th century and now is the largest religious monument in the world. Angkor Wat complex was rented to a private company for profit from 1990 to 2018 and only this year, 2019, the Cambodian government took back the control. Interestingly, some parts of this mega complex are used for Buddhist rituals these days, reviving its old purpose when it was first built some 1000 years ago.

Economically, Asia is rich in natural resources of valuable metals, petrol, forests and water as the largest continent of the world. For silk, porcelain and tea trade, Asia had the largest economy in the world until the 18th century when the Industrial Revolution started in the Western World. In recent years, because of highly advanced, large-scale manufacturing in China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, and these days, shifting to Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, the center of world economy is being shifted back to Asia. As a result, the infrastructure is well developed in Asia, specifically in China where one can take the world's longest, 7,455m (24,458 feet), cable car and enjoy the fantastic views of China’s most spectacular scenic spots, the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. But Asia still has many countries with the status of developing or least developed country.

The people are far apart and diverse, as the continent accounts for 60 percent of the world’s population. Hence, it is probably easier to put it in a way that in the north lives people who traditionally rely on hunting, foraging and herding such as the Russian Nenets and the Chukchi people. In Central Asia, Tibetans and Mongolians have nomadic pastoral lifestyle. The south and southeast inhabited with communities following big river valleys of the Yangtze and Mekong river, and then there are those who settled along the coasts, following a maritime and fishing based micro-economies. The people of the Happiest Country in the world belong on the Asian continent, too. In Bhutan, traditionally, women hold the rights to the properties of land and house to securely raise their children and take care of parents. Consequently, it leads to a tendency to have daughters over sons.

There are highly developed and civilized countries like South Korea and Taiwan where people enjoy modern technologies daily and have a higher life expectancy. In contrast, Laos, Nepal and Cambodia are still struggling to develop while their people retain to a rather basic lifestyle.

We, the Trips@Asia Team, welcome you to the most diverse and safe Asian territories, from the nomadic steppes of Mongolia and the high Tibetan plateau to the fascinating and bustling cities of China and the mind-blowing natural wonders of Vietnam. Happy Travels!