Asia: Countries and Capitals

47 sovereign countries · updated guide

Asia is the largest and most populous continent, covering about a third of the world's land and home to well over half its people. It contains around 48 countries, from giants like China and India to compact city-states like Singapore, and stretches from the Mediterranean coast of the Levant to the Pacific shores of Japan.

The countries of Asia and their capitals

Here is the full list of Asia's 47 sovereign countries with their capital cities. These are the countries you will meet when you play Asia rounds in the game.

Geography at a glance

Asia holds the planet's extremes: the Himalayas, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth; the Dead Sea, the lowest land surface; and vast features like the Siberian taiga, the Gobi and Arabian deserts, and the Tibetan Plateau, often called the 'roof of the world'.

Great rivers built Asia's civilisations — the Tigris and Euphrates, the Indus and Ganges, the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, and the Mekong of Southeast Asia. The continent's sheer size means a single time difference of many hours from its western edge to its eastern islands.

Regions of Asia

The Middle East / West Asia

From Turkey and the Levant through the Arabian Peninsula to Iran — including the Gulf states of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.

Central Asia

The five 'stans' — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — landlocked between Russia, China and the Caspian.

South Asia

The Indian subcontinent: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, ringed by the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean.

East Asia

China, Mongolia, Japan, and the two Koreas, plus Taiwan — economically among the most powerful regions on Earth.

Southeast Asia

The mainland (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam) and the maritime nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Timor-Leste).

Tips for learning Asia on the map

• Learn the 'stans' as a horizontal band south of Russia — they trip up almost everyone.
• Group the Gulf states together; they are small and crowded on the map around the Arabian Peninsula.
• Southeast Asia's islands (Indonesia, Philippines) are large but easy to miss — scan the seas, not just the mainland.

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