## TL;DR

Asia (44.6 million km²) is the largest continent — 30% of Earth's land. 48 countries, ~4.7 billion people (60% of humanity). Features: Himalayas (highest range), Gobi Desert, Yangtze River (longest in Asia, 6,300 km), Siberian taiga (largest forest), Dead Sea (lowest point on land, -430m). Monsoons define seasonal climate for billions.

## Core Explanation

Himalayas: India-Eurasia collision, still rising 5mm/year. Tibet: 'roof of the world,' average 4,500m elevation. Southeast Asia: archipelago (Indonesia: 17,000+ islands), rice paddies, tropical monsoon. Siberia: vast, sparsely populated, permafrost. Fertile river valleys: Ganges (India), Yangtze + Yellow (China), Mekong (SE Asia), Tigris-Euphrates (Mesopotamia, 'cradle of civilization'). Largest countries by population: India, China.

## Further Reading

- [A Geography of Asia (Dudley Stamp, updated)](https://www.routledge.com/Asia-A-Concise-Geography/Stamp/p/book/9780367178581)