Asia isthe world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and comprises 30% of its land area. With approximately 4.3 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population. Asia has a high growth rate in the modern era. For instance, during the 20th century, Asia's population nearly quadrupled. TheNorth Sea is in the north of Asia, while the Indian Ocean is in the south and the Pacific in the east, the continent of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea in the west and Africa and the Red Sea in the south-west. The Suez Canal separates Asia and Africa. Bering Strait separates North America from Asia. The total area of Asia is 4,64,91,180 square kilometres.