Asia is the largest continent in the world both by land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometers, about 30% of the Earth’s total land area and 8% of the Earth’s total area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many early civilizations. Its 4.7 billion people make up about 60% of the world’s population and have more people than all the other continents combined.