All Asian Countries: Complete List with Capitals and Flags
Discover all 49 Asian countries organized by region with their capitals, flags and populations. Interactive quiz included!
How many countries are in Asia?
Asia has 49 countries, five of which are transcontinental (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey) with part of their territory in Europe. They are spread across approximately 49 million km² with 4.8 billion people — nearly 61% of the world's population.
From the Himalayas to the beaches of South-East Asia, from the steppes of Central Asia to the sprawling metropolises of the East, Asia is a continent of incomparable diversity. It is home to the world's highest peak (Mount Everest, 8,849 m), the most populated countries (India, China), the largest tropical forests and the most vast deserts. It is also the cradle of the greatest civilizations in human history and the seat of today's largest economies.
Ready to test your knowledge? After exploring this list, try our Listing quiz to name all Asian countries or our Asian flag quiz!
Alphabetical list of the 49 countries in Asia
If you want the quickest possible answer, here is the full list of Asian countries covered in this guide. This scope includes all 49 states whose territory lies in Asia, including five transcontinental countries shared with Europe (Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan).
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.
For a more visual overview, you can also explore our Asia regional page and the full directory of world countries.
What are the countries of Central Asia?
Central Asia has 5 countries, often called the "-stans". This landlocked region, once crossed by the Silk Road, stretches between the Caspian Sea and the Tian Shan mountains. Dominated by steppes and deserts (the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, the Kyzylkum Desert spanning Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), it also harbors peaks exceeding 7,000 meters in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇰🇿 | Kazakhstan | Astana | 20,426,568 | 2,724,900 km2 |
| 🇹🇲 | Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | 7,057,841 | 488,100 km2 |
| 🇺🇿 | Uzbekistan | Tashkent | 37,859,698 | 447,400 km2 |
| 🇰🇬 | Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | 7,281,800 | 199,951 km2 |
| 🇹🇯 | Tajikistan | Dushanbe | 10,499,000 | 143,100 km2 |
What are the countries of Eastern Asia?
Eastern Asia has 6 countries. This region is home to China, one of the world's two most populated countries, and Japan, the world's fifth-largest economy. From the Great Wall of China to Tokyo's skyscrapers, through the Korean Peninsula and the Mongolian steppes, Eastern Asia is a fascinating blend of millennial traditions and technological modernity. Russia, a transcontinental country, is included here for its Asian part (Siberia, Far East), which represents 77% of its territory.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇷🇺 | Russia | Moscow | 146,028,325 | 17,098,246 km2 |
| 🇨🇳 | China | Beijing | 1,408,280,000 | 9,706,961 km2 |
| 🇲🇳 | Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | 3,544,835 | 1,564,110 km2 |
| 🇯🇵 | Japan | Tokyo | 123,210,000 | 377,930 km2 |
| 🇰🇵 | North Korea | Pyongyang | 25,950,000 | 120,538 km2 |
| 🇰🇷 | South Korea | Seoul | 51,159,889 | 100,210 km2 |
What are the countries of South-Eastern Asia?
South-Eastern Asia has 11 countries, from Myanmar to the Philippines, through the Indonesian archipelago, the largest in the world with over 17,000 islands. The region is marked by incredible biodiversity — tropical forests, coral reefs, Borneo's orangutans — and by ancient civilizations such as the Khmer kingdoms (Angkor) and the city-states of the South China Sea.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇩 | Indonesia | Jakarta | 284,438,782 | 1,904,569 km2 |
| 🇲🇲 | Myanmar | Naypyidaw | 51,316,756 | 676,578 km2 |
| 🇹🇭 | Thailand | Bangkok | 71,801,279 | 513,120 km2 |
| 🇵🇭 | Philippines | Manila | 114,123,600 | 342,353 km2 |
| 🇻🇳 | Vietnam | Hanoi | 101,343,800 | 331,212 km2 |
| 🇲🇾 | Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur | 34,231,700 | 330,803 km2 |
| 🇱🇦 | Laos | Vientiane | 7,647,000 | 236,800 km2 |
| 🇰🇭 | Cambodia | Phnom Penh | 17,577,760 | 181,035 km2 |
| 🇹🇱 | Timor-Leste | Dili | 1,391,221 | 14,874 km2 |
| 🇧🇳 | Brunei | Bandar Seri Begawan | 455,500 | 5,765 km2 |
| 🇸🇬 | Singapore | Singapore | 6,110,200 | 733 km2 |
What are the countries of Southern Asia?
Southern Asia has 9 countries, dominated by India, the world's most populated country. The region is bounded by the Himalayas to the north and washed by the Indian Ocean to the south. It is home to the highest peaks on the planet (Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga), the Ganges river and one of the most diverse mosaics of cultures, languages and religions in the world.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇳 | India | New Delhi | 1,417,492,000 | 3,287,263 km2 |
| 🇮🇷 | Iran | Tehran | 85,961,000 | 1,648,195 km2 |
| 🇵🇰 | Pakistan | Islamabad | 241,499,431 | 796,095 km2 |
| 🇦🇫 | Afghanistan | Kabul | 43,844,000 | 652,230 km2 |
| 🇧🇩 | Bangladesh | Dhaka | 169,828,911 | 147,570 km2 |
| 🇳🇵 | Nepal | Kathmandu | 29,911,840 | 147,181 km2 |
| 🇱🇰 | Sri Lanka | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | 21,763,170 | 65,610 km2 |
| 🇧🇹 | Bhutan | Thimphu | 784,043 | 38,394 km2 |
| 🇲🇻 | Maldives | Malé | 515,132 | 300 km2 |
What are the countries of Western Asia?
Western Asia, often called the Middle East, has 18 countries. This region, cradle of the three great monotheistic religions, stretches from Turkey to Yemen and from the Mediterranean Sea to Iran. It is home to the world's largest oil reserves, millenary historic cities (Jerusalem, Baghdad, Damascus) and states with striking contrasts between ultra-modernity and ancient traditions. Turkey, Cyprus and Palestine are included here in accordance with the UN classification.
| Flag | Country | Capital | Population | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇸🇦 | Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | 35,300,280 | 2,149,690 km2 |
| 🇹🇷 | Turkey | Ankara | 85,664,944 | 783,562 km2 |
| 🇾🇪 | Yemen | Sana'a | 32,684,503 | 527,968 km2 |
| 🇮🇶 | Iraq | Baghdad | 46,118,793 | 438,317 km2 |
| 🇴🇲 | Oman | Muscat | 5,343,630 | 309,500 km2 |
| 🇸🇾 | Syria | Damascus | 25,620,000 | 185,180 km2 |
| 🇯🇴 | Jordan | Amman | 11,734,000 | 89,342 km2 |
| 🇦🇿 | Azerbaijan | Baku | 10,241,722 | 86,600 km2 |
| 🇦🇪 | UAE | Abu Dhabi | 11,294,243 | 83,600 km2 |
| 🇬🇪 | Georgia | Tbilisi | 4,000,921 | 69,700 km2 |
| 🇦🇲 | Armenia | Yerevan | 3,076,200 | 29,743 km2 |
| 🇮🇱 | Israel | Jerusalem | 10,134,800 | 21,937 km2 |
| 🇰🇼 | Kuwait | Kuwait City | 4,881,254 | 17,818 km2 |
| 🇶🇦 | Qatar | Doha | 3,173,024 | 11,586 km2 |
| 🇱🇧 | Lebanon | Beirut | 5,490,000 | 10,452 km2 |
| 🇨🇾 | Cyprus | Nicosia | 1,442,614 | 9,251 km2 |
| 🇵🇸 | Palestine | Ramallah | 5,483,450 | 6,220 km2 |
| 🇧🇭 | Bahrain | Manama | 1,594,654 | 765 km2 |
Non-sovereign territories in Asia
Asia is more than just its sovereign states. Several non-independent territories play an important role in the region:
- Taiwan (🇹🇼): an island of 23.9 million inhabitants off the coast of mainland China. With its own constitution, currency and military, its political status is disputed between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China. Not recognized as a state by the UN, but functioning de facto as an independent state.
- Hong Kong (🇭🇰): a special administrative region of China since 1997, with 7.5 million inhabitants. A former British colony, it enjoys a high degree of autonomy under the "one country, two systems" principle.
- Macau (🇲🇴): a special administrative region of China since 1999, with 685,000 inhabitants. A former Portuguese colony, it is one of the most densely populated territories in the world.
- British territories: British Overseas Territories such as Akrotiri and Dhekelia (sovereign base areas in Cyprus) and the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Although non-sovereign, these territories often have a strong cultural identity and a significant degree of autonomy.
What are Asia's geographic records?
Asia is a continent of superlatives. Here are the most notable records:
- Largest country: Russia (17,098,246 km² total), 77% in Asia — the largest country in the world
- Largest entirely Asian country: China (9,706,961 km²), 3rd largest country in the world
- Smallest country: the Maldives (300 km²), an archipelago of 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean
- Most populated country: India (~1.42 billion inhabitants), the world's most populated country since 2023
- Least populated country: Brunei (455,500 inhabitants)
- Highest mountain: Mount Everest in Nepal/China (8,849 m), the highest peak in the world
- Largest lake: the Caspian Sea (371,000 km²), the largest lake in the world, between Asia and Europe
- Largest desert: the Arabian Desert (2.3 million km²), spanning Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and the UAE
- Most densely populated country: Singapore (8,337 inh./km²), one of the most densely populated countries in the world
How can you learn Asian countries?
Think you know all the Asian countries? Challenge yourself with our interactive quizzes:
- Listing Mode: can you name all 49 Asian countries on a map? It's the ultimate challenge for geography enthusiasts.
- Flag Quiz Mode: can you recognize Asian flags? Test your visual memory with our flag quiz.
- MapGuessing Mode: place Asian countries on the map as precisely as possible. Every kilometer counts!
Whether you're a student, traveler, or simply curious, these quizzes are the best way to learn Asian geography while having fun.
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Frequently asked questions
Asia has 49 countries, five of which are transcontinental (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey) with part of their territory in Europe. It is the most populated continent with approximately 4.8 billion people, accounting for nearly 61% of the world's population.
Russia is the largest country in Asia with 17.1 million km² in total, about 77% of which is in Asia (~13.1 million km²). China comes second with 9,706,961 km², followed by India (3,287,263 km²).
India surpassed China in 2023 to become the world's most populated country with over 1.4 billion inhabitants. China remains very close with 1.4 billion inhabitants. Together, they account for more than 58% of Asia's population.
The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia with only 300 km² and approximately 515,000 inhabitants. It is an archipelago of 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean. Singapore, with 733 km², is the second smallest Asian state.
Five Asian countries are transcontinental: Russia (Europe and Asia), Turkey (Europe and Asia), Kazakhstan (partially in Europe), Azerbaijan and Georgia (partially in Europe). Egypt, although African, has the Sinai Peninsula in Asia.
The best way is to practice with interactive quizzes. On MapGuesser, the Listing mode challenges you to name all 49 countries on a map, the Flag Quiz tests your knowledge of flags, and MapGuessing mode has you place countries as precisely as possible.
