Physical Map of Asia

Asia  is the largest continent of the world. It lies entirely in the northern hemisphere excepting few islands extending in the southern hemisphere. It is the most populated continent and the birthplace of many ancient civilizations. On the north of Asia lies the Arctic Ocean, on the east and south it is bounded by the Pacific and the Indian Ocean respectively. But on the western side, it merges with Europe and together they are called Eurasia. Modern geographers consider Ural Mountains, Ural River, part of Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountain as boundaries between Europe and Asia. The highest (Mount. Everest) and the lowest point (Dead Sea) on the surface of the earth lies in Asia.

Due to its vast latitudinal and longitudinal expanse, Asia has got diverse physical features. These are

1. The Plains:

Asia has more land under plains and any other geographic feature. These plains can be broadly divided into the river valleys and the coastal plains. Asia has some of the greatest river valleys that have been the cradle of civilizations. The major ones are the Yangtze, Huang Ho, Mekong, Irrawaddy, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus, Tigris and Euphrates, Ob, Yenisey, Lena, etc. to name a few.

2. The Desert:

Asia also has some of the world's greatest deserts. It includes both hot and cold deserts. Some of these deserts are the Syrian, Garagum, Oyzlkum, Gobi, Thar, etc.

3. The Mountains:

Asia is also home for the mightiest mountain ranges that radiate from the Pamir knot and spreads across Asia. The ranges are, Kunlun, Tian Shan, Hindukush, Elbruz Mountains, Caucasus, Sulaiman and the Highest of them all, the Himalayas.

4. The Plateaus:

The highest plateau of the world, the Tibetan Plateau lies in Asia. Other prominent plateaus are Anatolian Plateau, Arabian Plateau, Iranian Plateau and the Deccan Plateau.