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| Asia is the largest continent in the world, with the most people, variety of civilizations and languages. Traditionally, it is divided into several regions, connected both by geography and cultural similarities. Several countries fall "between the cracks" and can fit into one or more region; thus the selection of where to place them can be a bit arbitrary. Asia itself is commonly divided into 5 regions: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia. West Asia is more commonly known in the US as the "Middle East," a term left over from the colonial days, when this area was "midway" between Great Britain and her Asian colonial aspirations in India and China. This website will be concerned with four of these traditional divisions of the continent of Asia: East, Southeast, South and Central Asia as these are the areas traditionally covered under the rubric of Asian studies. To obtain more information on each of these regions, click on that region of the map. |