ASIA

largest of the continents half as large again as Africa, and four and a half times the area of Europe occupies one-third of all the land surface of the; globe surrounded by the sea on N.E. and S., and separated; from Europe by Ural Mts. and Ural R. Its great mountain system of the Him a lay as contains the highest peaks in the world, and holds somewhat the same relation to Asia as Alps to Europe it has three great peninsulas of Arabia, Hindu stan,; and Farther India, corresponding to the three European peninsulas of Spain and Portugal, Italy, and Greece Its rivers are numerous and large, but it has not the; largest river in the world its lakes are few, the principal being Baikal, Balkash,; Ural, and Caspian. Gobi, a vast desert of sand and bare rock, occupies the centre oflthe continent; the varied soil and climate of A. yield every variety of products tea is an exclusively Asiatic production; great part; of Asia belongs to European nations— Britain, Ru ia, France, and Turkey independent Asiatic States are China, Japan. Siam,; Persia, and in a sense Afghanistan and Balu chi stan Caucasian race occupies the continent S. and W. of; a line from Ganges to Caspian Malays occupy Malay peninsula, and Mongol i ans i.c., Tartars, Chinese, Japanese, rest of Asia in the E. religion is mainly Buddhist, and in W. Mohammedan;; in India these religions are found in differing proportions in different parts population of Asia, according to the * Bevolkerung; der Erde,' is 825,954,000, to which China contributes nearly one half.