<P> Different sources give different estimates of the area enclosed by the imaginary border of Asia . The New York Times Atlas of the World gives 43,608,000 km (16,837,000 sq mi). Chambers World Gazetteer rounds off to 44,000,000 km (17,000,000 sq mi), while the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia gives 44,390,000 km (17,140,000 sq mi). The 2011 Pearson's has 44,030,000 km (17,000,000 sq mi). The methods of obtaining these figures and exactly what areas they include have not been divulged . </P> <P> The map surface of mainland Asia is entirely contained within a Geodetic quadrangle formed from segments of latitude going through its north and south extremes and segments of longitude passing through the east and west extremes . Cape Chelyuskin is at 77 ° 43 ′ N; Cape Piai in the Malay Peninsula is at 1 ° 16 ′ N; Cape Baba in Turkey is at 26 ° 4 ′ E; Cape Dezhnyov is at 169 ° 40 ′ W; that is, mainland Asia ranges through about 77 ° of latitude and 195 ° of longitude, distances of about 8,560 km (5,320 mi) long by 9,600 km (6,000 mi) wide according to Chambers, or 8,700 km (5,400 mi) long by 9,700 km (6,000 mi) wide according to Pearson's . </P> <P> Indonesia to the southeast, a nation consisting of thousands of islands, adds a significant amount of territory to mainland Asia and extends the extreme Asian latitude further south . The geographic nature of the country raises such questions as whether the sea and the seabed count as Asia . The Australia--Indonesia border is still being negotiated . Currently a 1997 treaty remains unratified . As there are questions of fishing rights in the waters and mineral rights in the seabed, two different boundaries are being negotiated, one for the water column and one for the seabed . The southernmost seabed boundary is 10 ° 50' S, the latitude of Point A3, the Australia, Indonesia and Papua lokesh New Guinea common tripoint . The southernmost water column boundary is still further south at Point Z88, 13 ° 56' 31.8 ". </P> <P> Medieval Europeans considered Asia as a continent, a distinct landmass . The European concept of the three continents in the Old World goes back to classical antiquity . Definition of continents has long been and remains primarily the realm of geographers, including cultural geographers as well as physical geographers . A wide majority of geographers, via nearly all atlases and many other publications from the National Geographic to the CIA World Factbook and Merriam - Webster's Geographical Dictionary define Europe, Asia and Africa as continents . </P>

This region under the ocean marks the eastern edge of asia
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