Asia is the world's largest continent and has the highest population. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's surface area and with almost 4 billion people, it has more than 60% of the world's current human population. Asia is the largest continent in the world, and it is rich in natural resources, such as petroleum and lumber (forests). Manufacturing in Asia has traditionally been strongest in the East and Southeast, mostly in China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Japan and South Korea dominate the area of multinational corporations, but more so recently, China, Taiwan, and India are making gains in this area. Asia was the home of some of the world's oldest civilizations. The empires of Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, Media, and Persia and the civilizations of Islam flourished in south west Asia, while in the east the ancient civilizations of India, China, and Japan prospered. Later, nomadic tribes (Huns, Mongols, and Turks) in northern and central Asia established great empires and precipitated westward migration. Their tribal, military-state organizations reached their highest form in the 13th-14th century under the Mongols, whose court was visited by early European travelers, notably Marco Polo.
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