It is always dangerous to compare the world's continents. Their charms rest in the eye of the traveler, and no two travelers or continents are alike. When faced with the great continent of Asia, however, it is tempting to step back and look at the numbers. Asia represents almost one-third of earth's land mass. Its holds the world's highest point, Mt. Everest, and the lowest point outside of uninhabitable Antarctica, the Dead Sea. It is home to both the largest and deepest lakes on Earth, the Caspian Sea and Lake Baikal. Out of the twelve longest rivers on Earth, seven wind through Asia. All the world's major religions originated in Asia, and two out of every three people on Earth live there.
The countries of Asia are so diverse that on the surface they have little in common. If anything, their commonality lies in diversity itself. Many of the societies in Asia are composed of a multiplicity of ethnic groups and religions, tribes and languages. Interknowledge invites our readers to sample this incredible abundance of landscapes and peoples. Those contemplating an adventure in Asia can take heart in the fact that the continent's overwhelming immensity is also the source of what is perhaps its greatest natural resource--choices.