Asia
Regions in Asia
Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a landlocked country in the heart of Asia, bordered by Pakistan to the south and east, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to the north. There is a short border with China... read moreBahrain
The Kingdom of Bahrain is a Middle Eastern archipelago in the Persian Gulf, tucked into a pocket of the sea flanked by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It's an oasis of liberalism – or at least Western-friendly... read moreBangladesh
Bangladesh is in South Asia sometimes converging with Southeast Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal to the south, mostly surrounded by India and bordering Myanmar in the southeast.British... read more
Bhutan
Bhutan is a small country in the Himalayas between the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and India.Besides the stunning natural scenery, the enduring image of the country for most visitors... read more
Brunei Darussalam
The Sultanate of Brunei is a small but very rich country thanks to natural gas and petroleum resources. It is surrounded by Malaysia and has two parts physically separated by Malaysia, almost being an enclave.... read moreCambodia
Cambodia is unpredictable -- very unpredictable -- but that's the allure for many travelers who come here. Traffic is chaos. Corruption is law. Poverty is endemic. The situation is grim in this small agrarian... read moreChina
Want to see one of the oldest civilizations on earth racing full-speed into the future? If there’s one place big enough to embrace puzzling juxtapositions, it’s China. Where else do glittering skylines... read moreIndia
“Melting pot” doesn’t begin get at it. India is a dizzying assault-on-the-senses of cultures, ethnicities, languages, geographies, climates, cuisines—if you need to catch your breath, you’re not alone.... read moreIndonesia
Don’t let its steamy, sumptuous exterior fool you: Indonesia is a whole lot more than mere island paradise. But it does do a pretty good job catching your eye, dropping your jaw and utterly distracting you... read moreIran
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling Shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces subsequently crushed Westernization and also any liberal/left-wing... read moreIraq
Iraq is the birthplace of many of the Earth's oldest civilizations, including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. However, the twentieth century has been an era of coups, wars, and turmoil for the country.... read moreIsrael
This is the real thing. From the holy grounds of Jerusalem, the city of the great Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, to the militant streets of Gaza, the land on which you stand is alive with a past and... read moreJapan
It’s safe to say that there’s nowhere else like Japan. Historic isolation lead to the development of a decidedly distinct culture, anything but left-behind in its current-day bullet-speed race into a modernized... read moreJordan
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan encompasses boundaries defined by the Allied victors of World War I. Emir Abdullah, son of Sherif Hussein of Mecca, whose ancestry can be traced to the Prophet Muhammad, was... read moreKazakhstan
Kazakhstan is by far the largest of Central Asia's former USSR's states. It has borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It is the world's ninth biggest country by size, and it... read moreKuwait
Kuwait, like many nations in Middle Eastern region, has a rich tribal and cultural history that has been punctuated by relatively recent intense war. The Kuwaitis trace their roots to the Al-Anisa and the Al-Utub... read moreKyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is a Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions. It has the most liberal tourist visa policy in Central Asia and one of the more progressive post-Soviet governments... read moreLaos
Somewhere in Southeast Asia there’s an idyllic village full of smiling faces. It might be perched on precarious mountainside, nestled in a hidden valley or languidly swinging in a riverside hammock, but one... read moreLebanon
Lebanon is a country with a long and rich history. Roman ruins are scattered about the country and are easily accessible. Byblos, Beirut, and Sidon are among the oldest continuously populated cities in the... read moreMalaysia
What do you do when four distinct and equally rich cultures coexist in a single country? PARTY! Malaysia is the posterchild of multiculturalism – there’s no single dominant culture – and Malays,... read moreMaldives (Maldive Islands)
The Maldives are an archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts). Formerly a Sultanate under Dutch and English protection,... read moreMongolia
With only 1.7 people per square kilometer, Mongolia has the lowest population density of any independent country, and it is this vast and majestic emptiness that is the country's enduring appeal, bringing... read moreMyanmar (Burma)
Like most of Southeast Asia's countries, Myanmar's people and history is a glorious mishmash of settlers and invaders from all fronts. The Mon and the Pyu are thought to have come from India, while the now... read moreNepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and, as of 2010, the world's most recent nation to become a republic. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and... read moreOman
The Sultanate of Oman is in the Middle East, on the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. Until Sultan Qaboos bin Said exiled the previous Sultan in 1970, Oman was an under-developed nation, and almost completely... read morePakistan
The history of Pakistan traces back to the beginnings of human life in South Asia. Pakistan is home to the Indus Valley civilization, which is amongst the oldest in the world. Prior to the 1900's, the area... read morePhilippines
If you’ve got an affinity for melting pots, The Philippines’ distinctive cultural blend is sure to entice. Indonesian and Malay combine with a splash of Chinese and Spanish for a true collusion of east... read moreQatar
Since the mid-1800's, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate (noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues), which enabled Qatar to... read moreSaudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian peninsula and has both Persian Gulf and Red Sea coast lines. It also contains the holy Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina, to which all physically and financially... read moreSouth Korea
South Korea is a country on the go, on the move, and the faster- the better. The frenetic energy culminates in Seoul, a dynamic, buzzing metropolis with no concept of closing times. You can bargain for antiques,... read moreSri Lanka
Sri Lanka has more than 2,500 years of continuous written history by means of the Mahawansha, and was also mentioned in several ancient Indian texts. One of the most famous is the Ramayana, in which the island,... read moreSyria
Syria has a population of 21,906,000 million people, of which, 6 million are concentrated in the capital Damascus. A moderately large country, Syria is situated centrally within the Middle East region. The... read moreTaiwan
Taiwan is one of Asia's industrial powerhouses, but its diverse natural assets and cultural attractions make it a draw for visitors as well. This small island nation is located southeast of the coast of... read moreTajikistan
The region covering today's Tajikistan was part the of Persian empires for much of its history. This region has been an important place for flourishing Persian culture and language. In recent history, Tajikistan... read moreThailand
Safe, affordable, exotic, modern and full of sinus-clearingly hot food, Thailand is the Southeast Asia’s top tourist destination, attracting backpackers, jet-setters and everyone in between. Zoom around steaming... read moreTurkmenistan
Turkmenistan is one of just two Stalinist countries in existence (the other being North Korea) and the government is in firm control of nearly everything, although, surprisingly, tourism is welcomed as long... read moreUnited Arab Emirates
Fantastic, exotic, cutting-edge, unbelievable... Take your pick of adjectives to describe the limitless personas that make up the United Arab Emirates. With strong Islamic roots and commercial investments reaching... read moreUzbekistan
Uzbekistan is rich in history. Samarkand was conquered by Alexander the Great and Islam was introduced by Arabs in the 8th-9th century here. The most famous leader to come from Uzbekistan is Tamerlane who... read moreVietnam
Vietnam offers adventures and curiosities around every corner. Be ready for a wild ride in a colorful and chaotic land -- along the way, you'll discover tranquil places and opportunities to connect with local... read moreYemen
Yemen is on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman. Yemen has had a troubled recent history predominated by civil war and tribal conflicts. Travel to Yemen... read more