Asia Map Study

Amu Darya

Is a major river in Central Asia. It is formed by the junction of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers, at Qal`eh-ye Panjeh in Afghanistan, and flows from there north-westwards into the southern remnants of the Aral Sea.

Russia

Largest Country in the world by area

Yangtze River

Longest River in Asia

zagros mountains

A large range in modern day western Iran.

China

Largest country in world by population

South China Sea

Sea between Vietnam and Philippines. Marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Karimata and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of

Mediterranean Sea

Sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant.

Red Sea

Seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden.

Arabian Peninsula

The largest peninsula in the world. Consists of the countries Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as parts of southern Iraq and Jordan. Formed as a result of the rifting of the Red Sea between 56 and 23 million years ago, and is bordered by the Red Sea to the west and southwest, the Persian Gulf to the northeast, the Levant (including Iraq) to the north and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. The Peninsula plays a critical geopolitical role in the Middle East and the Arab world due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas.

West Bank

The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia, forming the bulk of the Palestinian territories

Karakoram

A large mountain range spanning the borders of Pakistan, India, and China, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It is located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan), Ladakh (India), and southern Xinjiang (China), and reaches the Wakhan Corridor (Afghanistan). A part of the complex of ranges from the Hindu Kush to the Himalayan Range, it is one of the Greater Ranges of Asia. It is home to the four most closely located peaks over 8000m in height on earth including K2, the second highest peak in the world at 8,611 m (28,251 ft)

West Siberian Plain

A large plain that occupies the western portion of Siberia, between the Ural Mountains in the west and the Yenisei River in the east, and by the Altay Mountains on the southeast.

Thar Desert (Great Indian Desert)

A large, arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent that forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan.

East China Sea

A marginal sea east of China is a part of the Pacific Ocean. To the east lies the Japanese islands of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands, to the south lies the South China Sea, and to the west the Asian continent. The sea connects with the Sea of Japan through the Korea Strait and opens to the north into the Yellow Sea. The sovereign states which border the sea include South Korea, Japan, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China.

Sea of Okhotsk

A marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaido to the south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast (the Shantar Sea) along the west and north. The northeast corner is the Shelikhov Gulf. The sea is named after Okhotsk, the first Russian settlement in the Far East.

Taurus Mountain

A mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east. It is a part of the Alpide belt in Eurasia.

Elburz Mountains

A mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merges into the Aladagh Mountains in the northern parts of Khorasan.

Korean Peninsula

A peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 1,100 km (680 mi) from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) to the east, and the Yellow Sea (West Sea) to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.

Malay Peninsula

A peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southernmost point of the Asian mainland. The area contains the southernmost tip of Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, and Southern Thailand.

Golan Heights

A region in the Levant. The western two-thirds are currently occupied and administrated by Israel, whereas the eastern third is controlled by Syria, with the UNDOF maintaining a buffer zone in between, to implement the ceasefire of the Purple Line.

Arabian Sea

A region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by northeastern Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula, and on the east by India.

Salween River

A river that lows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia.

Strait of Hormuz

A strait between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.

Bering Strait

A strait of the Pacific, which borders with the Arctic to north. It is located between Russia and the United States. Named after Vitus Bering, a Danish-born explorer in the service of the Russian Empire, it lies slightly south of the Arctic Circle being at about 65° 40' N latitude. The present Russia-US east-west boundary is at 168° 58' 37" W.

Yellow River

Is the second-longest river in Asia, following the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of 5,464 km (3,395 mi). Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai province of western China, it flows through nine provinces, and it empties into the Bohai Sea near the city of Dongying in Shandong province.

Xi Jang River

Is the western tributary of the Pearl River in China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It then flows east through Guangdong, and enters the Pearl River Delta just east of the Lingyang Gorge in Zhaoqing.

Yangtze River

Known in China as the Cháng Jiāng or the Yángzǐ Jiāng, is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. The river is the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country.

Dardanelles Strait

Known in Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont is a narrow, natural strait and internationally-significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey. It connects the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, while also allowing passage to the Black Sea by extension via the Bosphorus.

Tien Shan

Large mountain range mainly in Tibet. Is north and west of the Taklamakan Desert and directly north of the Tarim Basin in the border region of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and northwest China. In the south it links up with the Pamir Mountains and to north and east it meets the Altai Mountains of Mongolia.

Java Sea

Large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east.

India

Largest Democracy

Gulf of Sidra

A body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya

Gulf of Aden

A gulf located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa.

Petra

A historical and archaeological city in Ma'an, Jordan, that's famous for its rock-cut architecture which dates back to 312 BC. It is literally carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces. It's one of the world's most famous archaeological sites, where ancient Eastern traditions blend with Hellenistic architecture.

Deccan Plateau

A large plateau in southern India

Altai Mountain

A mountain range in Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan come together, and are where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their headwaters.

Indus River

Also called Darya-e-Sindh or Sindhū River or Abāsīn, is a major south-flowing river in South Asia that runs through India, China and Pakistan

Volga River

Is the longest river in Europe. It is also Europe's largest river in terms of discharge and watershed. The river flows through central Russia and into the Caspian Sea, and is widely regarded as the national river of Russia

Empty Quarter (Rub al khali)

Is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula.

Lake Baikal

Is the largest freshwater lake by volume in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water. It is a rift lake in Russia, located in southern Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast.

Euphrates River

Is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia. Originating in eastern Turkey, it flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris in the Shatt al-Arab, which empties into the Persian Gulf.

Amur River

Also known as Heilong Jiang is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern Chin

Aral Sea

Aas an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan (Aktobe and Kyzylorda Regions) in the north and Uzbekistan (Karakalpakstan autonomous region) in the south. The name roughly translates as "Sea of Islands", referring to over 1,100 islands that once dotted its waters; in the Turkic languages it means "island, archipelago". The drainage basin encompasses Uzbekistan and parts of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Formerly one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 km2 (26,300 sq mi), it has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects.

Gulf of Oman

Also known as Sea of Makran is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf.

Taiwan strait

Also known as formosa Strait, is a 180 kilometres wide strait separating the island of Taiwan from mainland China

Hindukush

Also known in Ancient Greek as the Caucasus it is amountain range that stretches near the Afghan-Pakistan border, from central Afghanistan to northern Pakistan. It divides the valley of the Amu Darya (the ancient Oxus) to the north from the Indus River valley to the south

Asia Minor

Also known s Anatolian plateau, is the westernmost protrusion of Asia, which makes up the majority of modern-day Turkey.

Ganges River

Is the most sacred river to Hindus. It is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. It has also been important historically, with many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Pataliputra, Kannauj,Kara, Kashi, Patna, Hajipur, Munger, Bhagalpur, Murshidabad, Baharampur, Kampilya, and Kolkata) located on its banks.

Yellow Sea

Northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula.

Suez Canal

An artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez

Mesopotamia

Area of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, in modern days roughly corresponding to most of Iraq plus Kuwait, the eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish-Syrian and Iran-Iraq borders.

Fertile Crescent

Birthplace of agriculture

Black Sea

Body of water between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Gulf of Tonkin

Body of water located off the coast of northern Vietnam and southern China.

Dead Sea

Bordering Israel, the West Bank and Jordan - is a salt lake whose banks are more than 400m below sea level, the lowest point on dry land. Its famously hypersaline water makes floating easy, and its mineral-rich black mud is used for therapeutic and cosmetic treatments at area resorts.

Gobi Desert

Desert that borders China and Mongolia

Gulf of Thailand

Formerly known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the western part of the South China and Eastern Archipelagic Seas, a marginal body of water in the western Pacific Ocean

Mt. Everest

Highest mountain in the world

Indus Valley

Hotspot of early civilization between 2600 B.C. and 1700 B.C.

Taklamakan Desert

Is a desert in southwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwest China. It is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains and Tian Shan (ancient Mount Imeon) to the west and north, and the Gobi Desert to the east.

Lake Ladoga

Is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia just outside the outskirts of Saint Petersburg.

Lake Onega

Is a lake in the north-west European part of Russia, located on the territory of Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast.

Kamchatka Peninsula

Is a long peninsula in the Russian Far East. It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west.

Ob River

Is a major river in western Siberia, Russia and is the world's seventh-longest river. It forms at the confluence of the Biya and Katun Rivers which have their origins in the Altay Mountains.

Bosporus Strait

Is a narrow, natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in northwestern Turkey. It forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey. The world's narrowest strait used for international navigation, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and, by extension via the Dardanelles, the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

Irtysh River

Is a river in Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. It is the chief tributary of the Ob River.

Gaza Strip

Is a small self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.

Sinai Peninsula

Is a sparsely populated desert region between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Mekong River

Is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's 12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China's Yunnan Province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf

Is an extension of the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz and lies between Iran to the northeast and the Arabian Peninsula to the southwest.

Lake Balkhash

Is one of the largest lakes in Asia and 15th largest in the world. It is located in Central Asia in southeastern Kazakhstan and belongs to an endorheic basin shared by Kazakhstan and China, with a small portion in Kyrgyzstan

Brahmaputra River

Is one of the major rivers of Asia, a trans-boundary river which flows through China, India and Bangladesh.

Tigris River

Is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq and empties itself into the Persian Gulf.

Lena River

Is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean. It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed. It is also the 3rd largest river in Asia.

Sea of Marmara

Is the inland sea, entirely within the borders of Turkey

Sea of Japan

Marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, and the Asian mainland. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea.

Phillipine Sea

Marginal sea east and northeast of the Philippines

Gateway of India

Monument built during British rule in Mumbai, India is located on the waterfront overlooking the Arabian Sea

Mount Fuji

Mountain located in Japan

Himalayas

Mountain range spanning India, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan. It contains the highest peak Mt Everest

Ural Mountains

Mountains in Russia and Kazakhstan. Formed by tectonic plate collision 300-250 millions years ago. The "Europe" boundary.

Pamir Mountains

Mtn. between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. A mountain range in Central Asia at the junction of the Himalayas with the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and Hindu Raj ranges. They are among the world's highest mountains.

Kunlun

One of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi). In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.

Manchurian Plain

Plains located in Northeast China.

Iran Plateau/Persian Plateau

Plateau found in Iran

Eastern Ghats

Ranges on the east coasts of India

Western Ghats

Ranges on the west coasts of India

Irrawaddy River

River in Myanmar (Burma) that flows from north to south. It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway

Yenisey River

Second Longest River in Asia

Bay of Bengal

The largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Roughly triangular, it is bordered mostly by India and Sri Lanka to the west, Bangladesh to the north, and Myanmar (Burma) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) to the east.

Himalayas

Tallest mountain range in the world

Caspian Sea

The largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is in an endorheic basin located between Europe and Asia

Aral sea

Was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan in the north and Uzbekistan in the south.

Tibet Plateau

World's highest and largest plateau in Tibet

Pontic Mountains

a mountain range in northern Anatolia, Turkey. They are also known as the Parhar Mountains in the local languages