Some
of the world’s first great civilizations sprang up in Asia from 3500 BC
onwards. Their riches attracted trade and conquering armies. Over the centuries
peoples such as the Mongols and the Turks built up and then lost vast empires.
From the 1800’s much of Asia was colonized by European countries. These new
rulers took away wealth, but did not help the colonies develop their
industries.
Great
social changes have taken place in Asia during this century. Many colonies
freed themselves from their European rulers, creating independent nation such
as India and Jordan. In countries where a large majority of poor people were
ruled by a wealthy few, communism seemed to be the answer. Communist governments
set prices for goods and labour. They also owned all property. The idea was
that people would share the profits as well as the work. However, the spread of
communism often caused wars with capitalist countries where individuals were
able to own property and to set all prices. In 1991, the Soviet Union abandoned
communism and , as it broke up, republics such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
become independent countries. Some Asian countries still have communist governments,
although a number have recently held democratic elections for the first time.
Many Asian governments are now improving the economies of their countries by
creating new industries and improving old ones. They are using both government
money and foreign aid.
Animal
of all shapes and sizes are found throughout Asia. They include the Asian elephant,
the Bactrian camel and the giant panda.
The word’s largest and smallest bats are also found on
this continent. The tiny Kitti’s hognosed
bat lives in caves in Thailand , while the large Bismark fying fox is found in Indonesia. In the waters
off southern Japan lurks the giant spider crab with a massive caw span of up to
four metres.
