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East Asia facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Southeast Asia or South Asia.
East Asia (Geog)
Geographic East Asia.

East Asia or Eastern Asia is part of the continent Asia. East Asia covers about 6,640,000 km2 (2,560,000 sq mi), or 15% of the continent.

These are the countries and territories in East Asia:

Population

State/Territory Area km2 Population
(2018)		 Population density
per km2		 HDI Capital/Administrative Center
 China 9,640,011 1,427,647,786 138 0.752 Beijing
 Hong Kong 1,104 7,371,730 6,390 0.933 Hong Kong
 Macau 30 631,636 18,662 0.909 Macao
 Japan 377,930 127,202,192 337 0.909 Tokyo
 Mongolia 1,564,100 3,170,216 2 0.741 Ulaanbaatar
 North Korea 120,538 25,549,604 198 0.733 Pyongyang
 South Korea 100,210 51,171,706 500 0.903 Seoul
 Taiwan 36,197 23,726,460 639 0.907 Taipei

Ethnic groups

Ethnicity Native name Population Language(s) Writing system(s) Major states/territories! class="unsortable" | Traditional attire
Han/Chinese 漢族 or 汉族 1,268,000,000 Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien, Hakka, Gan, Hsiang, etc.) Simplified Han characters, Traditional Han characters China (Hong KongMacau) Taiwan Japan South Korea
Hanfu man and lady
Yamato/Japanese 大和民族 125,117,000 Japanese Han characters (Kanji), Katakana, Hiragana Japan
Shinto married couple
Korean 조선족 (朝鮮族)
한민족 (韓民族)		 79,432,225 Korean Hangul, Han characters (Hanja) South Korea North Korea China Japan
Hanbok (female and male)
Bai 白族 1,858,063 Bai, Southwestern Mandarin Simplified Han characters, Latin script China
Bai 5
Hui 回族 10,586,087 Northwestern Mandarin, other Chinese Dialects, Huihui language, etc. Simplified Han characters China
HuiChineseMuslim3
Mongols 蒙古族/Монголчууд/ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯᠴᠤᠳ
Монгол/ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ		 8,942,528 Mongolian Mongol script, Cyrillic script China Mongolia
Mongolian Musician
Zhuang 壮族/Bouxcuengh 18,000,000 Zhuang, Southwestern Mandarin, etc. Simplified Han characters, Latin script China
Zhuang's beautiful maiden in Chongzuo Fusui
Uyghurs 维吾尔族/ئۇيغۇر 15,000,000+ Uighur Arabic alphabet, Cyrillic script China
Uyghur-elders-sunday-market-Kashgar
Manchus 满族/ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ 10,422,873 Northeastern Mandarin, Manchu language Simplified Han characters, Mongol script China
Akšan
Hmong/Miao 苗族/Ghaob Xongb/Hmub/Mongb 9,426,007 Hmong/Miao, Southwestern Mandarin Latin script, Simplified Han characters China
贵州黔东南苗族女性（a Miao woman in Qiandongnan，Guizhou）
Tibetans 藏族/བོད་པ་ 6,500,000 Tibetan, Rgyal Rong, Rgu, etc. Tibetan script China
People of Tibet46
Yi 彝族/ꆈꌠ 8,714,393 Various Loloish, Southwestern Mandarin Yi script, Simplified Han characters China
Ethnic Yi China Costume
Tujia 土家族 8,353,912 Northern Tujia, Southern Tujia Simplified Han characters China
Tujia women
Kam 侗族/Gaeml 2,879,974 Gaeml Simplified Han characters, Latin script China
Ethic Dong Liping Guizhou China
Tu 土族/Monguor 289,565 Tu, Northwestern Mandarin Simplified Han characters China
Nadun Picture 1
Daur 达斡尔族/ᠳᠠᠭᠤᠷ 131,992 Daur, Northeastern Mandarin Mongol script, Simplified Han characters China Mongolia
Daur woman smiling
Indigenous Taiwanese Peoples 阿美族/Pangcah, etc. 533,600 Austronesian languages (Amis, Yami), etc. Latin script, Traditional Han characters Taiwan
Tao1
Ryukyuan 琉球民族(沖縄人) 1,900,000 Japanese
Ryukyuan		 Han characters (Kanji), Katakana, Hiragana Japan (Okinawa Prefecture) Taiwan
Five men wearing Ryukyuan Dress
Ainu アイヌ 200,000 Japanese
Ainu		 Han characters (Kanji), Katakana, Hiragana Japan
AinuSan

East Asian culture

The culture of East Asia has largely been influenced by China, as it was the civilization that had the most dominant influence in the region throughout the ages that ultimately laid the foundation for East Asian civilization. The vast knowledge and ingenuity of Chinese civilization and the classics of Chinese literature and culture were seen as the foundations for a civilized life in East Asia. Imperial China served as a vehicle through which the adoption of Confucian ethical philosophy, Chinese calendar system, political and legal systems, architectural style, diet, terminology, institutions, religious beliefs, imperial examinations that emphasized a knowledge of Chinese classics, political philosophy and cultural value systems, as well as historically sharing a common writing system reflected in the histories of Japan and Korea. The Imperial Chinese tributary system was the bedrock of network of trade and foreign relations between China and its East Asian tributaries, which helped to shape much of East Asian affairs during the ancient and medieval eras. Through the tributary system, the various dynasties of Imperial China facilitated frequent economic and cultural exchange that influenced the cultures of Japan and Korea and drew them into a Chinese international order. The Imperial Chinese tributary system shaped much of East Asia's foreign policy and trade for over two millennia due to Imperial China's economic and cultural dominance over the region, and thus played a huge role in the history of East Asia in particular. The relationship between China and its cultural influence on East Asia has been compared to the historical influence of Greco-Roman civilization on Europe and the Western World.

Related pages

Images for kids

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    The countries of East Asia also form the core of Northeast Asia, which itself is a broader region.

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    Tokyo is the capital of Japan and the largest city in the world, both in metropolitan population and economy.

  • Namdaemun-ro, Seoul

    Seoul is the capital of South Korea, leading global technology hub.

  • Lujiazui 2016

    Shanghai is the largest city in China.

  • Parkview Green and CBD skyline (20210927131419)

    Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China.

  • Osaka Umeda Sky Building Panoramablick 05

    Osaka is the second largest metropolitan area in Japan.

  • Guangzhou skyline

    Guangzhou is one of the most important cities in southern China. It has a history of over 2,200 years and was a major terminus of the maritime Silk Road and continues to serve as a major port and transportation hub today.

  • Nagoya Night View

    Nagoya is the third largest metropolitan area in Japan. Nagoya is famous as the location of Lexus headquarters.

  • Kyoto, Japan (Unsplash UIN-pFfJ7c)

    Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan for eleven centuries.

  • UB downtown

    Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia with a population of 1 million as of 2008.

  • Hong Kong Night view from Victoria Peak

    Hong Kong is one of the global financial centres and is known as a cosmopolitan metropolis.

  • Pyongyang City - Ryugyong Hotel in Background (13913572409)

    Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea, and is a metropolis on the Korean Peninsula.

  • Xian city wall 2

    Xi'an or Chang'an is the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, having held the position under several of the most important dynasties. It has a significant cultural influence in East Asia.

  • Taipei skyline cityscape at night with full moon

    With a population of .646 million,Taipei is the capital, financial centre of Taiwan and anchors a major high-tech industrial area in Taiwan.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Asia Oriental para niños

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