60
Asia
Welcome to Earth’s largest continent! Asia
contains half the world’s human population,
but there is still a lot of land for wildlife.
Habitats here include vast deserts, grassy
plains, snowy mountains, and dense,
green rain forests.
City wildlife
The Turkish capital of Istanbul is rich in wildlife—
337 of the country’s 483 bird species, such as this
seagull, live here. The city is also part of an important
migration route for hundreds of thousands of storks,
raptors, and water birds each year.
Arabian highlands
The Arabian highlands are
made of the mountains and high
plateaus that border the desert
of the Arabian Peninsula, in
southwest Asia. The highlands
are cooler than the desert, and
have more rainfall, so shrubs and
grasses can grow. These plants are
food for animals such as camels.
Savanna
This region in northern India is warm
all year round. It has the highest
grasslands in the world—some
grow more than 10 ft (3 m)
tall! The grasslands provide
food for deer and rhinos,
and cover for predators
such as the tiger.
N
S
W E
TURKEY
KAZAKHSTAN
SYRIA
SAUDI
ARABIA
INDIA
IRAN
LEBANON
ISRAEL
JO
RD
AN IRAQ
GE
OR
GIA
ARMENIA
AZERBAIJAN
TUR
KM
EN
IS
TA
N
UZ
BE
KI
ST
AN
KYRGYZST
AN
TAJIKISTA
N
AF
GH
ANI
STAN
PAK
IS
T
A
N
KUWAIT
QATAR
UNITED
ARAB
EMIRATES
YEMEN
OM
AN
NEP
AL
BHUTAN
BANGLADESH
SRI LANKA
An
da
m
an
Is
la
nd
s
N
ic
ob
ar
Is
la
nd
s
M
al
di
ve
s
ARABIAN
SEA
B
A
Y
O
F
B
EN
G
A
L
M E D I T E R R A N E A N
S
E
A
BLA
CK
(^) S
EA
C
A
S
P
IA
N
S
E
A
R E D S E A
GULF OF^ AD
EN
Socotra
A N D A M A N
S E A
BAHRAIN
INDIAN^ OCEAN
CYPRUS
US_060_061_Asia_opener.indd 60 31/03/2017 14:49