ABSTRACT
Welcome to Asia and the Pacific! Asia is the world’s largest continent by both size and population. A region of enormous diversity, Asia and the Pacific has been influenced by traditions as varied as Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity, with economic structures ranging from capitalism to communism and governments ranging from democracies to dictatorships. Asia is home to some of the most densely populated countries on earth, such as China, Singapore, and Bangladesh. On the other hand, Central Asia-a region including Western China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-has an average population density of just 24 people per square mile, who largely herd livestock (Haque, 2004, p. 349). Japan has one of the world’s highest standards of living; the physical growth of many North Koreans has been stunted as a result of starvation by their dictator.
