The East Asia reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia. It covers about 6,640,000 km², or 15 percent of the continent.

The following countries are located in East Asia:

• China (the provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, and Xinjiang are located in Central Asia)
• Japan
• North Korea
• South Korea
• Taiwan

The following countries are sometimes considered part of East Asia:

• Mongolia (often regarded as being part of Central Asia)
• Vietnam

More than 1,500 million people, or about 40 per cent of all Asians and a fourth of all the people in the world, live in East Asia. The region is one of the world's most crowded places. The population density of East Asia, 230 per km², is over five times the world average.

The history of East Asia, as well as parts of Southeast Asia, is heavily influenced by and intertwined with that of China. For example, all East Asian countries have used Chinese characters at some point in their history. The regions of China, Japan, and Korea, which have historically related writing systems, are sometimes collectively referred to as CJK.

The Asian parts of Russia are sometimes included in this category, and one region of Russia is in fact known as the Russian Far East.

Other subregions of Asia

• Southeast Asia
• South Asia (Indian Subcontinent)
• Central Asia
• Southwest Asia (One definition of the Middle East is synonymous with Southwest Asia)
• North Asia (Siberia)
• Northern Eurasia (Extends into Europe)
• Central Eurasia (Extends into Europe)

See also

• History of East Asia (a small index)
• Eastasia – One of the three superpowers in George Orwell's novel 1984.

	Regions of the World
North Asia | Southeast Asia | Central Asia | Southwest Asia | South Asia | East Asia | North Africa | Central Africa | West Africa | East Africa | Southern Africa | North America | Central America | Caribbean | Guyana Highlands | Andean States | Antarctica | Western Europe | Eastern Europe |Northern Europe | Southern Europe | Central Europe | Australasia or Australia| Micronesia | Melanesia | Polynesia (For more visit subcontinent and subregion)

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