geographica

asia

Asia includes fully recognized states, states with limited but substantial international recognition, de facto states with little or no international recognition, and dependencies of both Asian and non-Asian states.

Singapore (SGT)

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In Asia there are 49 generally recognized sovereign states (all of which are members of the United Nations), two states with substantial but not general international recognition (of which one is a UN observer state), four largely unrecognized de facto states, and six dependent and other territories.

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In addition, while Egypt extends into Asia through the Sinai Peninsula, it is generally considered to be an African country because most of its population and geographic area is in Africa.

The division between Asia and Africa is usually considered to be the Suez Canal, placing the Sinai peninsula (which is part of Egypt) in Asia. Therefore, Egypt, an African country, may also be considered to be a country in Asia.

The division between Asia and Australasia (Oceania) is disputed and placed somewhere between Java and New Guinea. Indonesia spans both areas, but is considered to be in Asia. East Timor is sometimes considered to be part of Australasia, but due to its being surrounded by Indonesia, and its once being part of Indonesia, it is generally considered to be in Asia.

Papua New Guinea is occasionally considered to be in Asia, but it is generally considered to be part of Australasia. The division between Asia and North America and the Caribbean is considered to be the Bering Strait. Some of the Aleutian Islands, however, may be considered to be in Asia.

The border between Asia and Oceania is not clearly defined; Indonesia and East Timor are sometimes placed in Oceania.

The divisions between Asia and Europe occur at the Ural Mountains, Ural River, and Caspian Sea in the east, the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Bosporus Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea in the south.