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Asia is the largest continent, coverting 30% of the Earth's land mass. It has an area of about 44.5 million km2 / 17.2 million mi2. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and one the west by Europe. The maximum length is 8500 km / 5300 mi and the maximum width is 9600 km / 6000 mi. Notable features include the Himalayas, rising to 8848 m / 29 028 ft at Mount Everest and the Yangtze (Changjiang), Yellow, Brahmaputra, Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy), Indus, and Ganges Rivers.
Asia contains a mix of environments: dense tropical rainforests, fertile plains, both hot and cold deserts, and an artic region. Average temperatures vary from 12.4°F (-10.9°C)in northern Russia to 84.2°F (29°C) in Tirunelveli, India. The continent is prone to various types of natural disasters, floods in China, Bangladesh, and India; typhoons along the eastern and southeastern coasts; and earthquakes in Japan and near the borders with Europe and Africa.
More than half the entire world's population live in Asia. Cities, such as Tokyo, Calcutta, and Bangkok, are among the world's largest yet only 20% of Asians live in cities. Nomadic tribes are found in the deserts of Saudia Arabia and Iran and also in the steppes of Mongolia. In other areas, farming is common with rice the main crop in sothern Asia and barley, millet and wheat grown in the north.
Asia is home to 52 countries. Russia, also partly in Europe, is the largest nation with more the 6.5 million mi2 of land in Asia. Maldives, a group of islands of the southern tip of India, is the smallest nation with 115 mi2 of land.
