Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, covering 29.9% of the Earth's land area and containing more than 60% of the world's population. Chiefly in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Asia is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Eurasia — with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe — lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas. It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, the south by the Indian Ocean, and the north by the Arctic Ocean. Not surprisingly given its size, Asia boosted a very large variety of terrains and climates, as well as incorporating a diverse range of peoples and cultures.

Geography
Medieval Europeans considered Asia as a continent – a distinct landmass. The European concept of the three continents in the Old World goes back to Classical Antiquity, but during the Middle Ages was notably due to Isidore of Sevilla. The demarcation between Asia and Africa (to the southwest) is the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea. The boundary between Asia and Europe is conventionally considered to run through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, the Black Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Ural River to its source, and the Ural Mountains to the Kara Sea near Kara, Russia. While this interpretation of tripartite continents (i.e., of Asia, Europe, and Africa) remains common in modernity, discovery of the extent of Africa and Asia have made this definition somewhat anachronistic. This is especially true in the case of Asia, which would have several regions that would be considered distinct landmasses if these criteria were used (for example, Southern Asia and Eastern Asia).

In the far northeast of Asia, Siberia is separated from North America by the Bering Strait. Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean (specifically, from west to east, the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal); on the east by the waters of the Pacific Ocean (including, counterclockwise, the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, and Bering Sea); and on the north by the Arctic Ocean. Australia (or Oceania) is to the southeast.

Some geographers do not consider Asia and Europe to be separate continents, as there is no logical physical separation between them. For example, Sir Barry Cunliffe, the emeritus professor of European archeology at Oxford, argue that Europe has been geographically and culturally merely “the western excrescence of the continent of Asia.” Geographically, Asia is the major eastern constituent of the continent of Eurasia – with Europe being a northwestern peninsula of the landmass – or of Afro-Eurasia: geologically, Asia, Europe, and Africa comprise a single continuous landmass (save the Suez Canal) and share a common continental shelf. Almost all of Europe and most of Asia sit atop the Eurasian Plate, adjoined on the south by the Arabian and Indian Plates, and with the easternmost part of Siberia (east of the Cherskiy Range) on the North American Plate.

In geography, there are two schools of thought. One school follows historical convention and treats Europe and Asia as different continents, categorizing subregions within them for more detailed analysis. The other school equates the word "continent" with a geographical region when referring to Europe, and use the term "region" to describe Asia in terms of physiography. Since, in linguistic terms, "continent" implies a distinct landmass, it is becoming increasingly common to substitute the term "region" for "continent" to avoid the problem of disambiguation altogether.

Given the scope and diversity of the landmass, it is sometimes not even clear exactly what "Asia" consists of. Some definitions exclude Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Russia while only considering the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent to compose Asia, especially in the United States after World War II. The term is sometimes used more strictly in reference to the Asia-Pacific region, which does not include the Middle East or Russia, but does include islands in the Pacific Ocean—a number of which may also be considered part of Australasia or Oceania, although Pacific Islanders are commonly not considered Asian.

Early History
The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions: East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, linked by the interior mass of the Central Asian steppes.

The coastal periphery was home to some of the world's earliest known civilizations, each of them developing around fertile river valleys. The civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and the Huanghe shared many similarities. These civilizations may well have exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel. Other innovations, such as writing, seem to have been developed individually in each area. Cities, states, and empires developed in these lowlands.

The central steppe region had long been inhabited by horse-mounted nomads who could reach all areas of Asia from the steppes. The earliest postulated expansion out of the steppe is that of the Indo-Europeans, who spread their languages into the Middle East, South Asia, and the borders of China, where the Tocharians resided. The northernmost part of Asia, including much of Siberia, was largely inaccessible to the steppe nomads, owing to the dense forests, climate, and tundra. These areas remained very sparsely populated.

The center and the peripheries were mostly kept separated by mountains and deserts. The Caucasus and Himalaya mountains and the Karakum and Gobi deserts formed barriers that the steppe horsemen could cross only with difficulty. While the urban city dwellers were more advanced technologically and socially, in many cases they could do little in a military aspect to defend against the mounted hordes of the steppe. However, the lowlands did not have enough open grasslands to support a large horsebound force; for this and other reasons, the nomads who conquered states in China, India, and the Middle East often found themselves adapting to the local, more affluent societies.

Tiberium Timeline
During the First Tiberium War, Asia was divided by GDI and Nod affiliations. Much of East Asia (including China) the Middle East and Central Asia fell under Nod sway. Russia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and several other states supported GDI.

As of 2047, Tiberium ravaged much of Asia. Large swathe of the Middle East, China and South East Asia became Red Zones. "Pristine" Blue Zones under GDI control exists in the Russian Far East, Japan, Korea, southern Arabian Peninsula, and in the Himalayas. Most of the population, however, remained in the Yellow Zones, where control is bitterly contested between GDI and Nod (who based a secret cyborg program - the Marked of Kane - in Siberia and China).

By 2077, much of Asia was one large Tiberian Wasteland with a few Forgotten settlements such as Tin City. GDI's new capital city was based in New Adana, transformed into a blue zone utopia. The Giraud Mobius Tiberium Crater, located in what used to be the Himalayas, was the main hideout for the Nod Separatists.

Red Alert Timeline
During the Second World War, the dominant power in Asia was the USSR. The Soviet military machine invaded the rest of the continent, and attempted to establish Communist control over China. After the defeat of the Soviet Union by the Allies, Soviet rule in China collapsed.

Pakistan and Vietnam had became friends to the Soviet forces, but it was unknown if they did join in. Both cities, Karachi and Da Nang became command posts to the Soviets.

Homeland Defense
Back home in America, the Soviet Union and WSA raiders had won against the American military by using a Psychic Beacon to brainwash New York under a senseless Mind control (Red Alert) effort. The United Nations had also been brainwashed and some of their officials and foreign diplomats, went to Korea for some help.

The Koreans agreed on the situation and as the Soviet Commander (Red Alert 2) was congratulated by Romanov and Yuri, a distress signal came through to Moscow on alert, that Vladivostok is invaded by an Allied Commander (Red Alert 2), whose plans were not ready.

The Soviet leader, sent his Commander to defend the motherland at all costs, leaving Vladimir to send the Commander home, rather than staying in the USA for a long time before the Koreans would land on the shores of Vladivostok's coastal beaches.

The Soviet homeland was hit by the Korean Navy in the mission, Home Front. The Soviet home defence in Vladivostok managed to have ten seconds for set-up and the Koreans were badly repelled by the Soviet menace. The mission was completed with an attack on the enemy base and secured victory.

The Empire
In Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, the new faction called the Empire of the Rising Sun rosed to power and decided to attack all Soviet and Allied cities, such as Moscow and London as of being, in the meantime for them to warn themselves of an Imperial invasion. Japan and the Republic of Korea (Red Alert) had destroyed key targets in their missions.

Red Alert 3's missions for the Soviets was Taking Back Ice-Harbor at Vladivostok and To Tame a Living God at Mt. Fuji, which achieved an important victory to defeat the remaining Imperial assaults in the USSR & Japan. The Imperials had the missions named The Death of Father Frost, Assault on the Black Tortoise and Barbarians at the Bay, while the Allies had their only mission to attack the Imperials and the Soviets abandoned with the victors in Forever Sets the Sun.

In the Uprising, the Allied missions would be codenamed with End of Tradition, A House Unfit for Rebels and The True Shogun's Stand. The Japanese forces codenamed their missions as of Greed of the Vanquished, Before the Hallowed Tomb and Blood in the Water, while the missions for Yuriko are Final Exam and Ruin and Reunion.

Commander's Challenge
Many battles were fought in Asia during the Commander's Challenge. They were held in Japan, the Pacific Ocean, Siberia, the Philippines, Laos, China, Indonesia, India and the Indian Ocean.

Generals Timeline
Asia was targeted by the GLA, they swept through China to Kazakhstan under their infamous empire. China started to push GLA forces from Beijing (Generals), Hong Kong and other key parts of Asia back to the GLA capital, Akmola in both the times of Generals and Zero Hour in 2013.

In China, three generals were stationed including: General Tao, Generals Kwai and Fai. Two GLA generals are stationed in the Middle East: both Doctor Thrax and General Juhziz.

Beijing to Tanggula Mountains
China swept their forces through Beijing to attack the GLA nuclear bunker that fired off the war against the Global Liberation Army.

The Convention Center in Hong Kong was lost to the GLA for bombing the Tsing Ma Bridge, losing China's main arsenal and sending Chinese forces to destroy the GLA base after destroying the dam in Hubei province.

The Tanggula Mountains in Tibet brought down a GLA chemical factory by MIG bombers to prevent the river from getting contained with sewage toxins, killing thousands of Chinese citizens and bringing a GLA empire to Tibet.

Balykchy to Yencheng
From the victories of China to win, the Chinese Commander says that American B-52 bombers, from an American Commander has bombed the GLA's five camps down with China, speeding its tanks to destroy the sectors in Balykchy.

From that point, Aldastan was occupied by Chinese forces. Swiftly, taking out the GLA railway system which is sending troops to the two stations. Black Lotus, China's most famous agent has destroyed the bridge by her demolitions, sending the train to the bottom of the river.

China finally set upon the GLA's conclusion, to end this war "once and for all" which the Chinese forces used everything to boom the GLA out of Dushanbe. With that in mind, the GLA forces were destroyed as they tried to attack a Nuclear Reactor.

Kazakhstan Uprising
Chinese forces paraded in Dushanbe but not for long. GLA forces destroyed the dam to smithereens in Shymkent, stole the loot from UN soldiers in Almaty with the GLA Commander and finally disordering a riot in Astana with so many Angry Mob protesters, trying to get 40,000 American dollars.

After going to Turkey to destroy an Airfield over there, the GLA reports got a million cheers as the Americans were removed from the Aral Sea to prevent a Toxin Bunker capture by the GLA. Destroying a splintering GLA faction got the enemy on the run and the Baikonur Cosmodrome is captured to launch a rocket at one major city.

From its recent setback, the GLA managed to get Deathstrike back to Akmola, where he will become as the next GLA leader.

American Intervention
The American Commander intervented the GLA retreat, from Baghdad in Iraq, where the Scud Storm damage is after the enemy base was attacked. Three pilot rescues in Yemen, a UN convoy retreat makes 100 for victory and D-Day destroyed the GLA bases that couldn't be possible for GLA leaders.

Removing GLA positions from Kabara City, where a UN diplomat was killed with China evacuating its rouges to prison for supporting the GLA cause and finally, the GLA organization is fragmented after a long battle. By then, the Americans destroyed the Baikonur Cosmodrome, captured a Tech Oil Derrick and refinery field in Iran and defeated Thrax, the GLA's Toxin commander.