Asia is an extraordinary continent. This article contains five fascinating facts about this beautiful continent.
There is a separate Valentine’s Day for singles in South Korea.
In South Korea, they celebrate Valentine’s Day differently compared to many Western cultures. Rather than being solely focused on couples exchanging gifts on February 14th, the celebration is part of a series of 12 ‘love days’, each occurring on the 14th of every month. On February 14th, women in South Korea express their affection for men by presenting them with chocolates. The following month, on March 14th, White Day is celebrated, during which men traditionally reciprocate with a gift. For those who did not receive any gifts, an unofficial holiday known as Black Day is observed on April 14th. This day is dedicated to unhitched singles who gather together to commiserate over a bowl of jajangmyeon, a black noodle dish that gave the occasion its name.
22 people from Japan have won the Nobel Prize.
The Nobel Prize is a very important award given in six different areas to people who have helped humanity the most in the previous year. The areas are physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace, and economics. The Nobel Prize was started in 1895 by the Swiss scientist Alfred Nobel. He left most of his money to create the prizes. Later, in 1968, a new prize was added for economics, but it is not officially called the Nobel Prize. It is called “The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel” and was made by Sweden’s central bank.
Japan has created 22 Nobel Prize winners, which is more than any other Asian country when considering the population. Japan has always been known for its advancements in technology, culture, and art. This reputation began even before Hideki Yukawa became the first Japanese Nobel Prize winner in 1949. Yukawa was a theoretical physicist who worked at Kyoto Imperial University. He received the Nobel Prize for his research on subatomic particles and went on to receive numerous awards in Japan and internationally, including the esteemed Lomonosov Gold Medal in 1964.
South East Asia has the biggest flower and the tiniest mammal in the world
Southeast Asia is famous for being the habitat of the largest flower in the world. The Rafflesia, a flower found flourishing on the forest floors of Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, possesses the ability to produce enormous flowers that can reach up to a meter in diameter. The distinctive shape and size of these flowers have led to Rafflesia being Indonesia’s official state flower. However, it is advisable to exercise caution if you happen to encounter Rafflesia during your study abroad adventure. This particular flower is commonly referred to as the ‘corpse flower’ or the’stinking lily’, because of its physical appearance and the repugnant odor it emits to attract pollinating insects.
Furthermore, Southeast Asia is where you can find the smallest mammal in the world. The Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, also called the bumblebee bat, lives in Western Thailand and is believed to be the tiniest mammal on Earth. These tiny bats have only one baby each year and usually live in colonies of about 100 bats, often found in caves. Although they are at risk, the species was found in Myanmar (also known as Burma) in 2001, which gave hope that there might be more colonies of these bats in other countries.
Asia is the largest continent in the world.
The continent covers one-third of the Earth’s surface. There are a total of 49 countries located on the continent of Asia. Two of those countries, Russia and Turkey, have land that extends to both Europe and Asia. Borneo, located in Southeast Asia, is the largest island in Asia and the third-largest island in the world. It is divided among three countries: Malaysia and Brunei in the north, and Indonesia in the south. Furthermore, there are 12 landlocked countries in Asia, which are countries lacking a coastline and access to the sea. These countries include Armenia, Bhutan, Laos, Nepal, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Asia is home to a population exceeding 4.7 billion individuals, making it the continent with the highest population. There are approximately 2,300 languages spoken on this continent. Among the most widely spoken Asian languages are Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Bengali, and Japanese. Additionally, Hindi holds the distinction of being the oldest language in the world.
Indonesia has more than 150 volcanoes.
Indonesia has about 400 volcanoes. 127 of these volcanoes are active, which is about one-third of all the active volcanoes in the world. The most active volcano is Mount Merapi on Java Island. It erupts every few years, with bigger eruptions every ten years. In 1006, the eruption was so large that the whole island was covered in ash. Indonesia is considered one of the most geologically active areas in the world. There are usually three earthquakes a day that measure 5 or more on the Richter scale. Indonesia has about 10 times more deaths from volcanic eruptions than any other country.
Sources:
https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/10-surprising-facts-about-asia
https://www.business-standard.com/about/what-is-nobel-prize/
https://www.funkidslive.com/learn/top-10-facts/top-10-facts-about-asia/
https://factsanddetails.com/indonesia/Nature_Science_Animals/sub6_8b/entry-4080.html#