East Asia - Definition and Overview

East Asia is a subregion of Asia. It covers about 6,640,000 km², or 15 percent of the continent.

The following countries are located in East Asia:

• The People's Republic of China, except for the province of Qinghai and the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, which may also be considered to be located in Central Asia
• Japan
• North Korea
• South Korea
• The Republic of China on Taiwan

The following countries or regions are sometimes considered part of East Asia. Political point of view is an important factor contributing to one's views on how the following countries or regions should be categorized:

• The remaining parts of China: Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet (either East Asia or Central Asia)
• Mongolia (either East Asia or Central Asia)
• Vietnam (either East Asia or Southeast Asia)
• Russian Far East (either East Asia or North Asia)

More than 1,500 million people, or about 40 per cent of all Asians and a quarter of all the people in the world, live in East Asia. The region is one of the world's most crowded places. The population density of East Asia, 230 per km², is over five times the world average.

The history of East Asia, as well as parts of Southeast Asia, is heavily influenced by and intertwined with that of China. For example, all East Asian countries have used Chinese characters at some point in their history. The regions of China, Japan, and Korea, which have historically related writing systems, are sometimes collectively referred to as CJK (or CJKV with the inclusion of Vietnam).

Other subregions of Asia

• Southeast Asia
• South Asia (Indian Subcontinent)
• Central Asia
• Southwest Asia or West Asia (One definition of the Middle East is synonymous with Southwest Asia)
• North Asia (Siberia)
• Northern Eurasia (Extends into Europe)
• Central Eurasia (Extends into Europe)

See also

• History of East Asia (a small index)
• Eastasia — One of the three superpowers in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.