Newspapers in Western Sahara
Information dissemination in Western Sahara is dominated by newspapers, radio
broadcasts and TV from Morocco. Moroccan national radio covers Western Sahara,
but there are also local stations, and TV reaches certain parts of the country.
The liberation movement Polisario publishes a monthly and a fortnightly
newspaper from Algiers and has since 1979 broadcast radio in Arabic and Spanish
from a station in Algiers. There are about 180 radio receivers per 1,000
residents (1991).
With an area of 44.4 million km², the continent is the
largest in the world.The highest mountain on earth,
Mount Everest, which has a height of 8,848 m, is located
in Asia, and with the Himalayas the highest mountain
range on earth - with 10 eight-thousanders. The 4 other
eight-thousanders are in the neighboring Karakoram
Mountains - after the Himalayas, the second highest
mountain range on earth.

The largest freshwater lake in the world is also
located there, the Caspian Sea on the border with
Eastern Europe. The lake or the sea - depending on
visibility - has an area of 386,400 km² - and is
therefore larger than Germany - and a volume of 78,200
km³.
Around 4.3 billion people live in Asia, which is
around 60% of the world's population.
The light comes from the Orient (Asia). This ancient
wisdom certainly not only relates to the fact that the
sun rises in the east, but also that some of the oldest
cultures of mankind existed there. Who does not know the
Chinese Empire or the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan (around
1162 to 1227), who penetrated far into southern Russia
and the Ukraine.
The term Asia comes from Assyrian and means something
like sunrise. The term Far East is now rarely used
because it stems from a Eurocentric worldview and is
therefore not popular in the economically prosperous
countries of Asia.
Many Asian countries are in the process of catching up
with Europe economically and culturally, or even
overtaking it.
In this context, China, India, South Korea, Japan and
Singapore should be mentioned. The popular travel
destination Thailand is also economically stronger. Not
to mention the oil countries of the Middle East.
The following should be stated somewhat ironically: If
in Germany, after years, the decision is finally made to
start a major construction project, then on Mondays
there are hordes of lawyers at the door. In China, for
example, the Politburo decides on Friday to build a
motorway, then on Saturdays the construction machines
and workers will be at the construction site.
The countries of Asia
Country |
Area in km² |
Population in millions |
Capital |
Afghanistan |
652.230 |
38.9 |
Kabul |
Armenia |
29,800 |
2.9 |
Yerevan (Yerevan) |
Azerbaijan |
86,600 |
10.1 |
Baku |
Bahrain |
760 |
1.6 |
Manama |
Bangladesh |
147,570 |
165 |
Dhaka |
Bhutan |
38,394 |
0.7 |
Thimphu |
Brunei |
5,765 |
0.45 |
Bandar Seri Begawan |
Georgia |
69,700 |
3.7 |
Tbilisi (Tblissi) |
India |
3,287,590 |
about 1.38 billion |
New Delhi |
Indonesia |
2,020,000 |
267 |
Jakarta |
Iraq |
437.393 |
40 |
Baghdad |
Iran |
1,648,000 |
83 |
Tehran |
Israel |
20,766 |
9.2 |
Jerusalem |
Japan |
377.930 |
125.9 |
Tokyo |
Yemen |
528.076 |
29 |
Sanaa |
Jordan |
89,342 |
10.6 |
Amman |
Cambodia |
181.035 |
15.3 |
Phom Penh |
Kazakhstan |
2,724,900 |
18.7 |
Astana |
Qatar |
11,437 |
2.7 |
Doha |
Kyrgyzstan |
198,500 |
6.5 |
Bishkek, Biskek |
Kuwait |
17,818 |
4.4 |
Kuwait City |
Laos |
236,800 |
7.1 |
Vientiane |
Lebanon |
10,452 |
6.8 |
Beirut |
Malaysia |
329,758 |
32.7 |
Kuala Lumpur |
Maldives |
298 |
0.38 |
times |
Mongolia |
1,565,000 |
3.5 |
Ulan Bator (Ulaanbaatar) |
Myanmar (formerly Burma) |
678,500 |
55 |
Yangon (Yangon) |
Nepal |
147.181 |
29 |
Kathmandu |
North Korea |
122,762 |
25 |
Pyongyang |
Oman |
309,500 |
5 |
Muscat (Muscat) |
Pakistan |
800,000 |
220 |
Islamabad |
Palestinian Territories |
5,900 West Bank, 400 Gaza Strip |
West Bank 2.7 Gaza Strip 1.8 |
Gaza, but East Jerusalem is claimed |
Philippines |
300,000 |
109 |
Manila |
Russia |
Total country: 17,098,200 |
143 |
Moscow |
Saudi Arabia |
2.240.00 |
28.4 |
Riad |
Singapore |
714 |
5.3 |
Singapore |
Sri Lanka |
65,610 |
20.7 |
Colombo |
South Korea |
99,720 |
50 |
Seoul |
Syria |
185.180 |
21 |
Damascus |
Tajikistan |
142,000 |
7.6 |
Dushanbe |
Taiwan |
36.192 |
23.2 |
Taipei |
Thailand |
513.115 |
69.5 |
Bangkok |
East Timor |
14,954 |
1.1 |
Dili |
Turkey |
814,578 |
74.7 |
Ankara |
Turkmenistan |
488.100 |
6.7 |
Ashkhabad |
Uzbekistan |
477,400 |
29.6 |
Tashkent |
United Arab Emirates |
83,600 |
4.8 |
Abu Dhabi |
Vietnam |
332,800 |
91.5 |
Hanoi |
China |
9,600,000 |
about 1.4 billion |
Beijing (Bejing) |
Source:
List of Countries in Asia – Countryaah.com
Here are overview of each country in Asia:
- Afghanistan: Afghanistan was liberated from the
Taliban's reign of terror in November 2001 by US
troops and has since been protected by international
troops, including soldiers from the German
Bundeswehr.
- Armenia: The country became independent after
the collapse of the Soviet Union on Sept. 21, 1991.
Around 95% of the population profess to the
(Christian) Armenian Apostolic Church. The capital
was known in earlier times through satirical jokes
under: "Radio Yerevan answers".
- Azerbaijan: The country gained independence
after the collapse of the Soviet Union on October
18, 1991. About 94% of the population of this
Caucasian republic professes Islam.
- Bahrain: The country is an island state east of
Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. It includes around
33 islands. The state is a constitutional monarchy
with a king as head of state.
- Bangladesh: Until 1971, the country was part of
Pakistan, although it was separated from East
Pakistan by India for some 2,000 km. The 83% Muslim
(16% Hindu) country is one of the poorest countries
in the world and, due to its location, is repeatedly
hit by typhoons and the associated severe floods.
- Bhutan: The Kingdom of Bhutan lies between India
and China in East Asia. It was not until 12.
February 1971 its recognition under international
law, although it had been de facto independent since
August 8, 1949.
- Brunei: The relatively small sultanate is
located on the island of Borneo and only borders
Malaysia. Since the country has considerable oil and
gas reserves, the people of the sultanate live in
relative prosperity. The country gained independence
from Great Britain on January 1, 1984.
- Georgia: The country gained independence after
the collapse of the Soviet Union on April 9, 1991.
Around 84% of the population of this Caucasian
republic profess themselves to be Orthodox
Christians.
- India: On August 15, 1947, India gained its
independence from Great Britain, not least through
the peaceful protest of Mahatma Gandhi. India is now
the world's most populous democracy, it is a nuclear
power and an economically enormously prosperous
country. About 81% of Indians profess Hinduism, with
about 13.5% Muslim.
- Indonesia: Indonesia is the largest island
nation in the world. A total of around 13,000
islands belong to the state. The two terrorist
attacks on Bali on October 12, 2002 with 202 deaths,
which were targeted against Western, and in this
case particularly Australian, tourists and the one
on October 1, 2005 with 26 deaths, are terrible
memories.
About 88% of Indonesians are Muslim, 8% Christian,
2% Hindu and 1% Buddhist.
- Iraq: The autocratic regime of Saddam Hussein
was in the 3rd Gulf War from March 20th to May 5th.
Overthrown by US, British and foreign troops in
2003. Terror and chaos have reigned in Iraq ever
since.
- Iran: Since the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 by
Ayatollah Khomeini, the country has been an Islamic
republic since April 1, 1979, and thus also a state
of God.
- Israel: The State of Israel is the only state in
the Middle East with a functioning democratic form
of government. Israel is the land of the 3 great
world religions and the land of the work of Jesus
Christ. Unfortunately, since it was founded on May
14, 1948, as a result of a UN resolution, it has
been in constant conflict with many of its neighbors
and, above all, with the Palestinians. Jerusalem,
the official capital, is only recognized as a
capital by a few other states; the other countries
have their diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv
- Japan: Japan is also known as the land of the
rising sun. After the Second World War, the country
developed into one of the leading industrial nations
in the world. For European visitors in particular,
the incredible density of people is confusing and
takes some getting used to.
- Yemen: Yemen is culturally and in terms of
landscape almost unique. Unfortunately, due to
tribal disputes with the government in Sanaa,
visitors have been kidnapped again and again, but so
far they have all turned out well. The vast majority
of people are Muslims, with a few Christians, Hindus
and Jews.
- Jordan: Despite its involvement in the Middle
East conflict, the Kingdom of Jordan can be regarded
as stable and relatively safe. Unfortunately, the
capital Amman lacks the expected oriental flair.
- Cambodia: After the murderous reign of terror of
the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to the end of 1978 under
the leadership of Pol Pot (1928-1998), the country
is now largely considered to be relatively safe. The
jungle temple city of Angkor Wat near Siem Reap is a
very special gem.
- Kazakhstan: On December 16, the country became
independent from the collapsing Soviet Union. It is
the 9th largest country in the world by area. It is
governed in a very authoritarian and repressive
manner. Kazakhstan is breathtakingly beautiful in
terms of its landscape. About 47% of the population
are Muslim, 44% Russian Orthodox and only 2%
Protestants.
- Qatar: On September 1, 1971, the country gained
independence from Great Britain. Qatar is ruled by a
sheikh. It is located on the peninsula of the same
name in the Persian Gulf and borders Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates in the south. The
headquarters of the US armed forces for the Middle
East is located in Qatar. The country has oil and
gas reserves. Over 95% of the population professes
Islam.
- Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan is one of the Central
Asian republics. It became independent from the
collapsing Soviet Union on August 31. It is a
parliamentary democracy with a president as head of
state. Around 80% of the people in the country
profess Sunni Islam, 17% are Russian Orthodox
Christians, and there are also small minorities of
other creeds
- Kuwait: The country became known to a broad
worldwide public, particularly through the invasion
of Iraqi troops on August 2, 1990 and the following,
from January 17 to February 27, the 2nd Gulf War. In
the course of this war, the Iraqis were crushed and
driven from the country. The country has
considerable oil reserves, the export of which makes
up around 95% of its income. About 85 to 90% of the
population is Muslim and 12 to 15% Christian. From
2007 women have both the right to stand and vote.
- Laos: As a result of the Indochina Conference of
June 21, 1954, the country gained independence from
France. After the proclamation of the Democratic
People's Republic of Laos on December 2, 1975, the
country is ruled by the communist Lao People's
Revolutionary Party. Laos currently hardly plays a
role in tourism. It is the only landlocked country
in Southeast Asia, framed between Vietnam and
Thailand and still bordered by Myanmar, China (in
the north) and Cambodia (in the south). The main
religion in the country is Buddhism, to which around
60% of the people belong. The rest are animists and
others, including only about 1.5% Christians.
- Lebanon: Lebanon was and is fatefully involved
in the Middle East conflict. The country was largely
destroyed during the gruesome civil war between the
mid-1970s and 1990. A strong Syrian military
contingent was in the country from 1976 to April
2005. In 1982 the Israeli army marched into the
country, but soon withdrew after considerable
losses. Since the mid-1990s, the country began to
prosper and find its way back to stable security.
This process was interrupted by the 2005 car bomb
attack on anti-Syrian politician Rafiq al Hariri.
- Malaysia: The country is a
parliamentary-democratic electoral monarchy. The
king as head of state is selected every 5 years on a
rotating basis from the rulers of the 9 sultanates.
The country is located on the Malay Peninsula and in
the north of the island of Borneo. Islam is the
state religion, with around 60% Muslims, 20%
Buddhists, 6% Hindus and 9% Christians.
- Maldives: The Maldives are an island nation that
extends to around 2,000 islands, of which only
around 200 are inhabited by locals. Here in the
Indian Ocean, holidaymakers can find incomparably
beautiful islands that are ideal for diving,
swimming, snorkeling and enjoying delicious food and
drink.
- Mongolia: The Republic of Mongolia lies between
Russia in the north and China in the south. It is a
very sparsely populated country, which consists
mainly of steppe, desert and high mountains. It is a
parliamentary democracy with a multi-party system.
About 50% of the people profess Lamaism (Tibetan
Buddhism), 40% are without religious belief and 6%
profess shamanism and Christianity and 4% Islam.
- Myanmar (formerly Burma): This Buddhist country
gained independence from Great Britain on January 4,
1948. Since that time, with the exception of a few
years, the country has been ruled with a hard hand
by the military. The country has been in a process
of democratization since the parliamentary elections
held in 2011. Around 89% of the population are
Buddhists, around 4% Christians and 4% Muslims.
- Nepal: Nepal is mainly known to tourists as a
land of high mountains and a trekking paradise in
the Himalayas. But the Kingdom of Nepal has a lot
more to offer than just mountains. Unfortunately, a
violent war between Maoists and the government took
place in the country, but it was officially ended on
November 21, 2006.
- North Korea: One of the few countries that has
almost completely cut itself off from the outside
world. After the death of Kim Il-sung, it is ruled
with an iron hand by his son Kim Jong-il in the
third generation of Kim Jong-un. Every year,
numerous people starve to death in the country,
while critics or even alleged ones lead a miserable
life in the re-education camps. North Korea also has
nuclear weapons.
- Oman: The Sultanate of Oman is located on the
southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and borders
with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and
Yemen. About 90% of the people are Muslim, the rest
are Hindus, Jews and Christians. About 85% of
exports are oil products.
- Pakistan: Although Pakistan is a strictly Muslim
country, under the President General Pervez
Musharraf (born 1943) it has allied itself strongly
with the West, especially with the USA. The country
has nuclear weapons. Musharraf, who came to power in
a bloodless coup in 1999, resigned in 2008.
- Palestinian Territories: So far there is no
state recognized under international law. The
clashes with Israel are one of the causes of the
global tension between Islam and the Western world.
- Philippines: This Southeast Asian island state
is located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the 5th
largest island nation (the largest: Indonesia)
worldwide. The Philippines are a parliamentary
presidential democracy. The state gained
independence from Spain in 1898. About 83% of the
population are Roman Catholic, 9% are Protestants,
5% are Muslims and 3% are Buddhism.
- Russia: Today's Russia was founded on June 12,
1990, while the Soviet Union only disintegrated on
December 26, 1991. Russia is the largest country in
the world by area. Russia is a presidential republic
with an elected parliament. The current president is
Vladimir Putin, who rules the country very
successfully but also in an authoritarian manner.
Around 58% belong to the Russian Orthodox Church,
32% are not considered to be religious and around 5%
are Muslims.
- Saudi Arabia: The country is one of the largest
oil producing countries in the world. Officially, it
is closely allied with the United States. Saudi
Arabia is a strictly governed monarchy in which the
members of the ruling house with their approx. 3,000
princes dominate almost all of public and economic
life. The state religion is Islam, to which almost
100% of the local population belong. Most Saudis
belong to the particularly strict form of Islam, the
Wahhabis. Religions other than Islam are strictly
forbidden.
- Singapore: The island or. City city Singapore
became part of the Malay Confederation in 1963, from
which Singapore made independent on August 9, 1965.
Singapore is ruled authoritarian and has a high
gross national product. Around 43% of the
city-state's population profess Buddhism, around 15%
Christianity, around 15% are Muslims and 9% are
Taoists.
- Sri Lanka: This beautiful island state in the
Indian Ocean, south of India, has unfortunately been
shaken by civil war-like conflicts. The conflict
between Tamils and Sinhalese began around 1983
with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who
called for an independent Tamil state. Around 69% of
the population are Buddhists, 8% Muslims, 7% Hindus
and 6% Christians. The religion of the rest is
unknown.
- South Korea: The Republic of Korea, or South
Korea for short, is located on the southern part of
the Korean Peninsula. The country has existed in its
present form since 1948. The Korean War, which began
on June 25, 1950 with the invasion of North Korean
troops, was a serious turning point in the country's
development. It ended on July 27, 1953 with an
armistice after the intervention of the UN, with
substantial participation by the USA. The border
between South and North Korea was drawn at the 38th
parallel and still exists today. The country is a
democratic-parliamentary democracy. South Korea is
one of the prosperous countries in Asia. Around 6%
of the population are Christians, 26% Buddhists and
26% who do not belong to a religious community. And
around 1% are Confucianists.
- Syria: Syria is a country in the Middle East and
is heavily involved in the Middle East conflict with
Israel. The country is governed in a very
authoritarian manner and is suspected of being
involved in serious human rights violations.
Beginning in spring 2011, peaceful demonstrations
against the Syrian government developed into a
bloody civil war that has so far cost the lives of
more than 100,000 people and made more than 2
million Syrians refugees. About 72% of the
population profess Sunni Islam. There is a strong
Jewish and Christian minority in the country.
- Tajikistan: Tajikistan is located in Central
Asia and is a pure landlocked country. The country
is a democratic presidential republic and became
independent from the collapsed Soviet Union on
September 9, 1991. Around 90% of the population are
Muslims.
- Taiwan: The island nation of Taiwan is a
parliamentary democracy with considerable wealth.
But it is still seen by China as part of it, up to
the point of threatening to force unity militarily.
- Thailand: Thailand = Land of the Free is one of
the few countries that was not colonized by other
countries in the 20th century. The Kingdom of
Thailand has become one of the most popular travel
destinations in Asia. A wonderful nature with large
primeval forests, with wonderful long and white
sandy beaches, with very lovable and friendly
people, all that makes up the charm of the country.
But also the Thai food, the beautiful often simple
bamboo huts as tourist accommodation and the very
inexpensive life there for tourists make the country
particularly attractive.
- East Timor: In 2002, after some 25 years of
sometimes violent and bloody conflicts with
Indonesia, the state became independent. Around 95%
of the people there are Catholic, the rest are other
Christians as well as Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.
- Turkey: Turkey has a great political, scientific
and cultural past in the form of the Ottoman Empire.
Today this Muslim country is a secure democracy that
has kept religion and state strictly separate since
the reign of Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938). Ataturk was
president from 1923 until his death. Around 99% of
the Turks are Muslims, most of them of the Sunni
faith.
- Turkmenistan: The currently very authoritarian
ruled country gained its independence on October 27,
1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. About
80% of the country is occupied by the Karakum
Desert. The country has abundant oil and gas
reserves. Around 90% of the population are Muslims
and around 9% are Christian Orthodox.
- Uzbekistan: This Caucasian Central Asian
republic gained independence on September 1, 1991 as
a former part of the collapsed Soviet Union. The
country is a presidential dictatorship. In 2005, for
example, hundreds of people were shot dead during a
demonstration in Andijan.
- United Arab Emirates: internationally not yet a
separate state.
- Vietnam: For the so-called 68s, the Vietnam War
was and is the symbol of the oppression of the third
world, especially by the USA. During this time there
were the strongest peace demonstrations in the whole
western world.
- China: China is the world's most populous
country and an extremely prosperous country. After
Russia and Canada, China is the third largest
country in the world by area.
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