East Asia 10020 226168969 2008-07-17T03:33:13Z 219.73.86.234 {{otheruses4|the geographical region|the Miyuki Nakajima album|East Asia (album)|the fictional superstate|Eastasia (Nineteen Eighty-Four)}} <div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 2em; width: 20em; text-align: right; font-size: 0.86em; font-family: lucida grande, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><!-- start of floated right section --> <div style="border: 1px solid #ccd2d9; background: #f0f6fa; text-align: left; padding: 0.5em 1em; text-align: center;"><!-- start of slate grey box --> <big>'''East Asia'''</big> <div align=center> [[Image:Location EastAsia.png|190px]] </div> {| style="background: transparent; text-align: left; table-layout: auto; border-collapse: collapse; padding: 0; font-size: 100%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" ! style: left;" | Area | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | 11,839,074&nbsp;km²<ref>The area figure is based on the combined areas of the People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong, Macau, Aksai Chin, and Trans-Karakoram Tract), Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) as listed at [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area]].</ref> |- ! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | Population | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | 1,555,784,500<ref>The population figure is the combined populations of the People's Republic of China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau), Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Republic of China (Taiwan) as listed at [[List of countries by population]] (last updated [[March 8]], [[2008]]).</ref> |- ! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | Density | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | 131&nbsp;per&nbsp;km² |- ! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | Countries and Territories | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | [[Mainland China]]<br>[[Hong Kong]]<br>[[Japan]]<br>[[Macau]]<br>[[Mongolia]]<br>[[North Korea]]<br>[[South Korea]]</br>[[Taiwan]] |- ! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | Languages and language families | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]], and [[Languages of Asia|many others]] |- ! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | Time zones | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | UTC +7:00 (Western Mongolia) to UTC +9:00 (Japan and Korean Peninsula) |- ! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | Capital cities | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | [[Beijing]]<br>[[Pyongyang]]<br>[[Seoul]]<br>[[Taipei]]<ref>Dispute due to mainly [[Political status of Taiwan]] between governments of [[Republic of China]] and [[People's Republic of China]].</ref><br>[[Tokyo]]<br>[[Ulan Bator]] |- ! style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | Other major cities | style="border-top: solid 1px #ccd2d9; padding: 0.4em 1em 0.4em 0; vertical-align: top" | [[Busan]], [[Guangzhou]]<br>[[Hong Kong]], [[Kaohsiung]], [[Osaka]], [[Shanghai]], [[Yokohama]]. |- |} </div><!-- end of slate grey box --> </div><!-- end of floated right section; article starts here --> '''East Asia''' is a [[subregion]] of [[Asia]] that can be defined in either [[Geography|geographical]]<ref name=encarta-eats-asia>{{cite web |url= http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861672714/East_Asia.html |title= East Asia |accessdate=2008-01-12 |work= encarta |publisher= Micosoft |quote= East A·sia [ st áyə ] the countries, territories, and regions of China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Mongolia, parts of Russia, and Taiwan. }}</ref> or [[cultural]]<ref>[http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/webcourse/key_points/kp_5.htm Columbia University - "East Asian cultural sphere"] "The East Asian cultural sphere evolves when Japan, Korea, and what is today Vietnam all share adapted elements of Chinese civilization of this period (that of the Tang dynasty), in particular Buddhism, Confucian social and political values, and literary Chinese and its writing system."</ref> terms. [[Geography|Geographically]], it covers about 12,000,000 km², or about 28 percent of the Asian [[continent]], about 15 percent bigger than the area of [[Europe]]. More than 1.5 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]] people, about 40 percent of the population of Asia or a quarter of all the people in the world, live in geographic East Asia, which is about twice the population of Europe. The region is one of the world's most crowded places. The population density of East Asia, 131&nbsp;per&nbsp;km², is about three times the world average of 45&nbsp;per&nbsp;km².<ref>See, [[List of countries by population density]]</ref> Historically, many societies in East Asia have been part of the [[Sinosphere|Chinese cultural sphere]], and East Asian vocabulary and scripts are often derived from [[Classical Chinese]] and [[Chinese character|Chinese script]]. Major [[religion]]s include [[Buddhism]] (mostly [[Mahayana Buddhism|Mahayana]]), [[Confucianism]] or [[Neo-Confucianism]], [[Taoism]], and [[Chinese folk religion]], and [[Shinto]] in [[Japan]]. This combination of [[language]], [[political philosophy]], and [[religion]] (as well as art, architecture, holidays and festivals, etc.) overlaps with the geographical designation of East Asia for the most part,{{Fact|date=January 2008}} with a few exceptions, such as the [[overseas Chinese]] (including those in [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]], [[Vietnam]], and the [[Western world|West]]). '''East Asia''' and '''Eastern Asia''' (the latter form preferred by the [[United Nations]]) are both more modern terms for the traditional name the '''[[Far East]]'''<ref>{{cite web |url= http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_561504463/Far_East.html |title= Far East |accessdate=2008-01-12 |work= encarta |publisher= Micosoft |quote= Far East [ fr st ] a former term for the countries of East Asia, sometimes extended to include those of Southeast Asia (dated) }}</ref>, which describes the region's geographical position in relation to [[Europe]] rather than its location within Asia. However, in contrast to the [[United Nations]] definition, East Asia commonly is used to refer to the eastern part of Asia, as the term implies. ==Other uses of the term East Asia== The following political entities are consistently seen as located in '''geographic East Asia''':<ref name=encarta-eats-asia/> *{{JPN}} *{{KOR}} (Republic of Korea) *{{PRC}} :(Including the [[Special Administrative Region]]s of {{HKG}} and {{MAC}}) *{{PRK}} (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) *{{ROC}} ([[Taiwan]])<ref name="ROC">The [[Republic of China]] (Taiwan) is has limited recognition within the international community as a [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] state, see [[Political status of Taiwan]].</ref> {{Chinese |pic=East_Asia_(Geog).PNG|piccap=Geographical East Asia |pic2=LocationEastAsia.PNG|piccap2=Geographic East Asia shaded in dark green, cultural and other possible definitions shaded in light green |t=東亞 |s=东亚 |p=Dōngyà |w=Tung<sup>1</sup>-ya<sup>3</sup> |j=dung1 aa3 |poj=Tang-a |kana=ひがしアジア |kanji=東亜 |revhep=Higashi Ajia |kunrei=Higasi Azia |hanja=東亞細亞 |hangul=동아시아 |rr=Dong Asia |mr=Tong Asia |qn=Đông Á |hantu=東亞 |rus=Восточная Азия |rusr=Vostochnaja Azija |mon=Зүүн Ази<br/>ᠵᠤᠨ ᠠᠵᠢ<br/>Züün Azi }} {{commons|Category:East Asia}} In addition the following countries are sometimes included in the definition of East Asia *{{MNG}}<ref name=encarta-eats-asia/> *{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Russian Far East]] (considered either East Asia or [[North Asia]])<ref name=encarta-eats-asia/><ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/refedlist_210031489_1/countries_and_regions_in_East_Asia.html MSN Encarta Encyclopedia] lists the ''whole'' Siberia as part of East Asia</ref> *{{flagicon|VIE}}[[Vietnam]] The following peoples or societies are commonly seen as being encompassed by '''cultural East Asia''':<ref>Columbia University East Asian Cultural Sphere [http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/webcourse/key_points/kp_5.htm]</ref><ref>R. Keith Schopper's ''East Asia: Identities and Change in the Modern World'' [http://www.pearsonhighered.com/bookseller/academic/product/0,3110,0132431467,00.html]</ref><ref>Joshua A. Fogel (UC Santa Barbara/University of Indiana) ''Nationalism, the Rise of the Vernacular, and the Conceptualization of Modernization in East Asian Comparative Perspective'' [http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/resources/working_paper/noframe_3_all.htm]</ref><ref>United Nations Environment Programme (mentions sinosphere countries) ''Approaches to Solution of Eutrophication'' [http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/techpublications/TechPub-11/2-4.asp]</ref> * [[Culture of China|Chinese]] society (including the predominantly [[Chinese people|Chinese]] regions outside China proper, such as [[Culture of Singapore|Singapore]] and [[Culture of Taiwan|Taiwan]]) * [[Culture of Japan|Japan]]ese society * [[Korean culture|Korea]]n society * [[Culture of Vietnam|Vietnam]]ese society Some consider the following countries or regions as part of East Asia, while others do not.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Disagreements hinge on the difference between the cultural and geographic definitions of the term. Political perspective is also an important factor. In descending order in terms of the frequency with which they are described as ''East Asian'':{{Fact|date=January 2008}} * The parts of [[China]] that are not historically dominated by [[Han Chinese]]: [[Qinghai]], [[Tibet]], [[Xinjiang]] (considered either East Asia or [[Central Asia]] or [[South Asia]] in the case of Tibet<ref name=Berkeley>Center for South Asia Studies: University of California, Berkeley [http://www.ias.berkeley.edu/southasia/aboutus.html]</ref><ref name=Madison>Center for South Asia Outreach UW-Madison [http://www.southasiaoutreach.wisc.edu/countries.htm]</ref><ref name=UPenn>Department of South Asia Studies: University of Pennsylvania [http://www.southasia.upenn.edu/home/views/languages.html]</ref><ref name=UChicago>South Asia Language Resource Center: The University of Chicago [http://salrc.uchicago.edu/workshops/summer.shtml]</ref><ref name=AIIS>AIIS Advanced Language Programs in India [http://www.indiastudies.org/AIIS.html]</ref><ref name=Britannica>Tibet is located on the [[Tibetan Plateau]] which is in [[Central Asia]].[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9117343/Tibet]</ref>—here the primary question is cultural, with geography also at issue) *{{MNG}} (considered either East Asia or [[Central Asia]]—here culture and/or geography may be at issue) *{{SGP}} (considered either East Asia or [[Southeast Asia]]—here the primary question is geographic) *{{VNM}} (considered either East Asia or [[Southeast Asia]]—here the primary question is geographic) *{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Russian Far East]] (considered either East Asia or [[North Asia]]—here the primary question is political, with culture and geography also at issue) In infrequent circumstances, the term ''East Asia'' is purposefully used to include all countries in Southeast Asia, especially when used in dualism with the term ''[[West Asia]]'', the latter of which is then used to include those regions commonly considered West Asia, [[Central Asia]] and [[Southwest Asia]].{{Fact|date=January 2008}} ==Other subregions of Asia== * [[Southeast Asia]] * [[South Asia]] * [[Central Asia]] * [[Southwest Asia]] or [[West Asia]] (One definition of the [[Middle East]] is synonymous with Southwest Asia) * [[North Asia]] ([[Siberia]]) * [[Northern Eurasia]] (Extends into part of [[Europe]]) * [[Central Eurasia]] (Extends into part of [[Europe]]) ==See also== * [[Cities of East Asia]] * [[East Asian studies]] * [[Asian Network of Major Cities 21]] * [[East Asian languages]] * [[East Asian calligraphy]] * [[Four Asian Tigers]] – a label pertinent to the recent [[economic history]] of the region. * [[East Asia Summit]] * [[History of East Asia]] * [[Sinosphere]] * [[East Asian Community]] * [[Russian Far East]] (East Asia north of this area) ==Notes and references== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{Wiktionary}} *[http://www.welt-atlas.de/datenbank/karten/karte-0-9016.gif High resolution map of East Asian region] {{Regions of the world}} [[Category:Regions of Asia]] [[Category:East Asia| ]] [[af:Oos-Asië]] [[ar:شرق آسيا]] [[zh-min-nan:Tang-a]] [[bs:Istočna Azija]] [[bg:Източна Азия]] [[ca:Àsia Oriental]] [[cs:Východní Asie]] [[da:Østasien]] [[de:Ostasien]] [[et:Ida-Aasia]] [[es:Este de Asia]] [[eo:Orienta Azio]] [[eu:Ekialdeko Asia]] [[fr:Asie de l'Est]] [[gan:東亞]] [[ko:동아시아]] [[hr:Istočna Azija]] [[id:Asia Timur]] [[it:Asia orientale]] [[he:מזרח אסיה]] [[kn:ಪೂರ್ವ ಏಷ್ಯಾ]] [[la:Asia orientalis]] [[lt:Rytų Azija]] [[hu:Kelet-Ázsia]] [[ms:Asia Timur]] [[nl:Oost-Azië]] [[ja:東アジア]] [[km:អាស៊ីខាងកើត]] [[pl:Daleki Wschód]] [[pt:Ásia Oriental]] [[ro:Asia de Est]] [[ru:Восточная Азия]] [[scn:Asia livanti]] [[simple:East Asia]] [[sk:Východná Ázia]] [[sl:Vzhodna Azija]] [[fi:Itä-Aasia]] [[sv:Östasien]] [[ta:கிழக்கு ஆசியா]] [[th:เอเชียตะวันออก]] [[vi:Đông Á]] [[uk:Східна Азія]] [[wo:Penku Asi]] [[wuu:东亚]] [[zh-yue:東亞]] [[zh:东亚]]