Havas.asia : Have Asia What are you looking for ? Send Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area (or 29.4% of its land area) and, with almost 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population. Chiefly in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Asia is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Eurasia – with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe – lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas.

Ethymology The word Asia originated from the Ancient Greek word "Asia", first attributed to Herodotus (about 440 BC) in reference to Anatolia or, for the purposes of describing the Persian Wars, to the Persian Empire, in contrast to Greece and Egypt. Herodotus comments that he is puzzled as to why three women's names are used to describe one enormous and substantial land mass (Europa, Asia, and Libya, referring to Africa), stating that most Greeks assumed that Asia was named after the wife of Prometheus but that the Lydians say it was named after Asias, son of Cotys who passed the name on to a tribe in Sardis. Even before Herodotus, Homer knew of a Trojan ally named Asios and elsewhere he describes a marsh as ????? (Iliad 2, 461). The Greek term may be derived from Assuwa, a 14th century BC confederation of states in Western Anatolia. Hittite assu- = "good" is probably an element in that name. Alternatively, the ultimate etymology of the term may be from the Akkadian word (w)as.û(m), which means "to go outside" or "to ascend", referring to the direction of the sun at sunrise in the Middle East, and also likely connected with the Phoenician word asa meaning east. This may be contrasted to a similar etymology proposed for Europe, as being from Akkadian ere-bu(m) "to enter" or "set" (of the sun). However, this etymology is considered doubtful, because it does not explain how the term "Asia" first came to be associated with Anatolia, which is west of the Semitic-speaking areas, unless they refer to the viewpoint of a Phoenician sailor sailing through the straits between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It is interesting to note, in Icelandic Saga, ancient Teutons separated Asia from Europe by the river Tanakvisl (or Vanakvisl), which flows into the Black Sea. Eastward across the River (in Asia), so legend tells, was a land known as Asaheim or Asaland, where dwelt Odin, chief god, in his citadel named Asgard. However, Aesir and all its forms are related to Sanskrit asura and Avestan ahura, the local reflexes of the name of a class of divine beings. Pictures
Economy Asia has the third largest nominal GDP of all continents, after North America and Europe, but the largest when measured in PPP. As of 2007, the largest national economy within Asia, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), is that of China followed by that of India and that of Japan. However, in nominal (exchange value) terms, they rank as follows: Japan, China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Indonesia. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the economies of the PRC and India have been growing rapidly, both with an average annual growth rate of more than 8%. Other recent very high growth nations in Asia include the Philippines, Pakistan, Vietnam, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and mineral-rich nations such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman. Historically, Japan has had the largest economy in Asia and second-largest of any single nation in the world, after surpassing the Soviet Union (measured in net material product) in 1986 and Germany in 1968. (NB: A number of supernational economies are larger, such as the EU, NAFTA or APEC). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Japan's GDP was almost as large (current exchange rate method) as that of the rest of Asia combined. In 1995, Japan's economy nearly equalled that of the USA to tie as the largest economy in the world for a day, after the Japanese currency reached a record high of 79 yen. Economic growth in Asia since World War II to the 1990s had been concentrated in quite a few countries of the Pacific Rim (Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and S.Korea). It is forecasted that the People's Republic of China will surpass Japan to have the largest nominal and PPP-adjusted GDP in Asia within a decade. India is also forecasted to overtake Japan in terms of Nominal GDP by 2020. Travel Examples of travel Brunei Darussalam is situated on the island of Borneo in the South East Asia. Like many other countries, Brunei got independence from British rule in 1984. The Sultan acts as the governing body for the country. The monarchy system has brought about great political steadiness for over seven hundred years. And natural resources like oil and gas have given financial security and independence. The country is essentially sheltered by beautiful rich tropical rain forest on all sides. It is modern with avail of latest facilities, without losing its serene lifestyle. It is a unique blend of modernization with natural environment, religious values and rich Malay traditions. Visit Beaches, Rainforest at Temburong, Brunei Museum, the Sir Oman Saifuddien Mosque and Istana Nurul Iman Palace. Cambodia has a population of roughly 13 million people.The political situation is more stable in Cambodia now since they are recovering from the Khmer Rouge regime.The tourism industry are beginning to pick up.The capital of Cambodia is Phnom Penh.The spectacular temple, Angkor Wat is located at Siam Reap,Cambodia. Visit Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh, Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, Ta Prohm Temple and Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. The Maldives is a natural archipelago in the Indian Ocean composed of nearly 2,000 coral islands, including 200 that are currently inhabited and 80 that are teeming with lush tourist resorts. It is part of the South Asia region, just south-southwest of India. Visit beaches vith blue skies, clear water and palm trees : the paradise. Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country in Asia that is flanked by Kuwait and Qatar to the east, Oman and Yemen to the south, Iraq to the northeast, Jordan to the northwest and the United Arab Emirates to the southeast. Visit Mecca, Al-Imam Abdul Aziz ibn Mohammed St, Riyadh, Habalah and Madain Saleh cemetery. source : travelstreet.info

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