17 Facts about Asia

Did you know that... With over 4 billion people and 30% of Earth's total land area, Asia is the Earth's largest and most populous continent?

1) With over 4 billion people and 30% of Earth's total land area, Asia is the Earth's largest and most populous continent.

2)The five most practiced religions in the world --Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Chinese folk religion and Buddhism-- have their origins in Asia.

3) 90% of all the rice in the world is consumed in Asia.

4) About 50% of Asians have trouble metabolizing alcohol due to a missing liver enzyme needed to process it.

5) Monkey brains are eaten as a delicacy in parts of China, South Asia and Africa.

6) Contrary to popular belief, there are no wild tigers in Africa. Only in Asia.

7) The richest man in Asia, Sir Ka-shing Li, dropped out of school at the age of 15.

8) Christianity began as a Second Temple Judaic sect in the mid-1st century in Judea. It quickly spread to Europe, Mesopotamia, Asia and by the 4th century had become the official state church of the Roman Empire.

9) Nepal was the first country in Asia to introduce gay marriage. It has also outlawed the death penalty.

10) A genetic study in 2007 concluded that domestic cats are descended from Near Eastern wildcats, having diverged around 8,000 BCE in West Asia.

11) In half of Asia and Africa and two-thirds of Europe, households pay a "TV licence" every year.

12) The Philippines has the slowest Internet speed in the entire Southeast Asian region with an average speed of 3.54 Mbps.

13) It is estimated that Genghis Khan killed about 40 million people across Asia and Europe.

14) People in Africa and Asia have to walk an average of 3.7 miles (6 KM) to collect water.

15) Cockroaches are served fried in China, Thailand and other Asian countries.

16) In 2010, Asia had 3.3 million millionaires, slightly below North America with 3.4 million millionaires.

17) Alexander the Great was simultaneously the King of Macedonia, Pharaoh of Egypt, King of Persia, and King of Asia.