Altai Mountains A mountain range that stretches around 2000 kilometres (1200 miles) through western Mongolia and northern China. The highest peak, Belukha Mountain, is 4506 metres (14,783 feet) high.

An Nafud A red, sandy desert in the north of the Arabian Peninsula. The sand is piled into enormous, crescent-shaped dunes by frequent storms.

Anatolian Plateau A broad area of land, between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, joining Europe and Asia.

Andaman Islands A chain of islands in the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar. Most of the Andaman Islands belong to India.

Angkor Wat A huge temple in Cambodia, built 800 years ago at the centre of a city. Angkor Wat was first Hindu, then Buddhist.

Anti-Lebanon Mountains A mountain range on the Syria–Lebanon border. The highest peak, Mount Hermon, is 2814 metres (9232 feet) high.

Arabian Peninsula The part of Asia that is surrounded on three sides by the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.

Aral Sea A saltwater lake on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In recent years, the waters flowing into the Aral Sea have been diverted to irrigate crops, causing large parts of it to dry up.

Baghdad The capital of Iraq. It is the third largest city in the Middle East (after Cairo, in Egypt, and Tehran, in Iran), with a population of just under 8 million.

Baikal, Lake The deepest lake in the world, located in the far east of Siberia. It contains around one-fifth of the world’s total fresh surface water.

Balkhash, Lake A large lake in eastern Kazakhstan. It is all that remains of a sea that once covered much of Central Asia.

Bangkok The capital of Thailand on the banks of the Chao Phraya. In Thailand it is known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, meaning “city of angels”.

Bedouins Bedouins are desert-dwelling Arabs who traditionally live as nomads, wandering from place to place.

Beijing The capital of China, in the northeast of the country. At its centre lies the Forbidden City, once the home of China’s emperors, named because ordinary people were not allowed to enter its walls.

Beirut The capital of Lebanon and the country’s main port, built on the Mediterranean coast. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

Borneo The third largest island in the world, divided between Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. It is covered mainly in rainforest. Tree-felling in the area is seriously threatening wild animals, such as orang-utans, as it destroys their habitats.

Brahmaputra A river that flows 2900 kilometres (1800 miles) from China, through India to Bangladesh, where it meets the River Ganges.

Chao Phraya A major river that flows about 370 kilometres (230 miles) through Thailand, through Bangkok into the Gulf of Thailand. There are many rice fields surrounding the river.

Damascus The capital of Syria, built around an oasis near the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. It is thought to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, first settled 4000 years ago.

Dasht-e Kavir A large desert in Iran, dotted with shallow lakes. These are covered in a thick crust of salt, formed when surface water evaporates in the heat.

Dead Sea A saltwater lake between Israel and Jordan, surrounded by arid hills. It is more than eight times saltier than the ocean. Located 423 metres (1388 feet) below sea level, it is the lowest point on the Earth’s surface.

Deccan Plateau A high area of land in central India, lying between the Eastern and Western Ghats.

Dubai A city in the United Arab Emirates. It is home to the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, which is 828 metres (2717 feet) high.

Elburz Mountains A mountain range in Iran, running over 1500 kilometres (930 miles) around the southern edge of the Caspian Sea. It includes the tallest mountain in the Middle East, Mount Damavand, which is 5670 metres (18,602 feet) high.

Euphrates A river that flows 2800 kilometres (1740 miles) from eastern Turkey to meet the River Tigris in Iraq, from where it flows into the Persian Gulf.

Everest, Mount The highest mountain in the world, at 8849 metres (29,032 feet) high. It is part of the Himalayan Mountain Range on the border between Tibet, part of China, and Nepal.

Fuji, Mount Japan’s highest mountain, on the main island of Honshu. It has a striking cone shape and is 3776 metres (12,389 feet) high. It is a volcano, but has been dormant since 1707.

Ganges A river that flows 2500 kilometres (1550 miles) from the Himalayas, through India and Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal. For followers of the Hindu religion, the Ganges is a holy river.

Ghats Two mountain ranges in India, the Eastern and Western Ghats, bordering its eastern and western coasts.

Gobi Desert A vast desert that stretches across China and Mongolia. Its name means “waterless place” in Mongolian. Most of the Gobi Desert is not sand but bare, dry rock.

Grand Canal The world’s longest man-made waterway, which stretches 1790 kilometres (1100 miles) from Beijing to Hangzhou, in China. The oldest part of the canal was built 2500 years ago.

Great Wall of China A stone wall built between the 3rd century BC and the 16th century to protect the north of China from attack by its enemies. The Great Wall is about 20,000 kilometres long (including natural barriers and trenches) and 10 metres (33 feet) high.

Hanoi The capital of Vietnam, in the north, with a population of about 8.5 million.

Himalayas A mountain range, running 2400 kilometres (1500 miles) between the Tibetan Plateau and Pakistan. The Himalayas include many of the highest peaks in the world, including Mount Everest.

Hindu Kush A 800-kilometre (500-mile) mountain range lying between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Its highest point is Tirich Mir (7708 metres / 25,289 feet). The Hindu Kush divides the valley of the Amu Darya to the north from the Indus valley to the south, and thus separates Central Asia from South Asia.

Ho Chi Minh City A major city and port on the south coast of Vietnam, formerly known as Saigon.

Hong Kong A large industrial port off the southeast coast of China. Hong Kong is famous for its skyscrapers and the high density of its population.

Huang He One of China’s major rivers, also known as the Yellow River. It flows 5460 kilometres (3400 miles) across regions of yellow soil, called loess, which turns the river yellow before it reaches the Yellow Sea.

Indus A river that flows 3200 kilometres (1990 miles) from the Tibetan Plateau to the Arabian Sea. The Indus Valley was the site of one of the world’s first civilizations.

Irrawaddy The main river in Myanmar, which flows 2170 kilometres (1350 miles) through the country. It is an important waterway for commercial boats.

Istanbul The largest city in Turkey, on both the European and Asian sides of the Bosporus Strait. It has a population of around 15.6 million.

Jerusalem An ancient city in the Middle East. It is an important holy place to Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Jordan A river that flows 251 kilometres (155 miles) from the Anti-Lebanon Mountains to the Dead Sea.

Kamchatka Peninsula Part of northeast Russia that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula contains around 160 volcanoes, 29 of which are still active.The highest is Kliuchevskoi, the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere.

Karakoram Range A mountain range on the borders of Pakistan and India. It contains the second highest mountain in the world, K2, which is 8611 metres (28,251 feet) high.

Karakum Desert A desert in Central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea. It covers 70% of Turkmenistan.

Khorat Plateau A region of flat, high land in northeast Thailand, used for farming.

Koko Nor A saltwater lake in central China. It is the largest lake in China.

Kunlun Mountains A mountain range stretching 3000 kilometres (1860 miles) along the north of the Tibetan Plateau. Its highest point, Kunlun Goddess, is 7167 metres (23,514 feet) high.

Kuril Islands A chain of 56 volcanic islands stretching between the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia, and Hokkaido, Japan.

Kyzyl Kum A desert stretching from the Aral Sea to the Pamir Mountains, covering parts of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Lena A river in eastern Siberia, Russia, that flows 4400 kilometres (2700 miles) to the Arctic Ocean. The Lena Basin is rich in gold and diamonds.

Litani A river that flows 140 kilometres (86 miles) through Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea.

Malay Peninsula A long, narrow area of land along the western edge of the South China Sea. It is occupied by Malaysia along with parts of Myanmar.

Mecca A city in Saudi Arabia which is holy for Muslims, because it is where the prophet of their religion, the Prophet Mohammed, was born.

Mekong A river that flows 4180 kilometres (2598 miles) from Tibet through southern China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to the South China Sea. It forms the border between Laos, Burma and Thailand.

Mesopotamia The land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present-day Iraq. Thousands of years ago, Mesopotamia was home to some of the first civilizations.

North China Plain A large area of flat land surrounding the Huang He in China. Its fertile, yellow soil, called loess, is deposited by the river when it floods and makes it an ideal location for arable farming.

Northeastern Plain A large area of low-lying land in northeastern China. Its dark soil is very fertile, and large parts of the plain are planted with crops.

Ob A major river in western Siberia, flowing 3650 kilometres (2268 miles) into the Arctic Ocean.

Orontes A river that flows 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea.

Pamir Mountains A mountain range in Tajikistan. The highest peak is Ismoil Somoni, which is 7495 metres (24,590 feet) high.

Persian Gulf Part of the Arabian Sea, almost completely enclosed by the Arabian Peninsula in the west and Iran in the east.

Petra A historical city in Jordan, cut out of a sandstone cliff face around 2500 years ago by the Nabataean people.

Pontic Mountains A mountain range in northern Turkey, running around the northern edge of the Black Sea. The highest peak, Kaçkar Dagi, is 3937 metres (12,917 feet) high.

Rub' al Khali A vast uninhabited desert in the Arabian Peninsula. The Rub' al Khali is one of the largest areas of sandy desert in the world.

Sakhalin A large island off the eastern coast of Russia and just north of Japan. From 1905 to 1946 it was occupied by Russia in the north and Japan in the south. Today, it is all part of Russia.

Salween A river that flows 2815 kilometres (1750 miles) from China, through Myanmar to the sea, cutting through deep, narrow gorges.

Samarkand One of the oldest cities in the world, located in eastern Uzbekistan. It was once a major stop on the Silk Road from Asia to Europe and an important centre of Islamic learning.

Shanghai China’s largest city, situated on the east coast. It has a population of around 22 million. It is one of the largest ports in the world and is a centre of industry in China.

Shenzhen A large city that has grown up rapidly in China close to Hong Kong and is now one of the world’s largest centres of manufacturing.

Siberia The Asian part of Russia, lying between the Ural Mountains in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. It is sparsely populated but is rich in coal, oil, gas and metal ores.

Syr Darya A river stretching 2212 kilometres (1375 miles) from the Tian Shan Mountains to the Aral Sea.

Taj Mahal A building in India built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz. Work on the tomb started in 1632 and continued for 22 years. The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

Takla Makan A large desert in the Tarim Basin in Central Asia. It has a cold climate and is almost entirely covered in sand. Its name means “abandoned place”.

Tarim Basin A vast area of low-lying land in northwest China, drained by the Tarim River and surrounded by the Kunlun, Pamir and Tian Shan mountains. The Takla Makan occupies much of the basin.

Tashkent The capital of Uzbekistan, in the foothills of the Tian Shan Mountains.

Taurus Mountains A mountain range in Turkey, bordering the Anatolian Plateau.

Tehran The capital of Iran, in the foothills of the Elburz Mountains. It is the second largest city in the Middle East (after Cairo, Egypt), with the population of its metro area around 14.4 million.

Tenasserim Hills A mountain range that runs 1700 kilometres (1000 miles) along the border between Myanmar and Thailand and down the length of the Malay Peninsula.

Thar Desert A large desert in northwest India and Pakistan, also known as the Great Indian Desert. Much of the desert is covered by large sand dunes.

Three Gorges Dam A dam across the River Yangtze in China. It controls flooding downstream and uses the river’s power to generate electricity. It is one of the largest dams in the world.

Tian Shan A mountain range, stretching 2400 kilometres (1500 miles) from Kyrgyzstan eastwards into northern China. Its highest point, Jengish Chokusu, is 7439 metres (24,406 feet) high.

Tibetan Plateau The largest and highest area of raised land in the world. The Tibetan Plateau has an average height of 4500 metres (14,760 feet). It is sometimes called “the roof of the world”.

Tigris A river that flows 1850 kilometres (1150 miles) from the Taurus Mountains to southern Iraq, where it meets the River Euphrates and empties into the Persian Gulf.

Tokyo The capital of Japan on the Pacific coast of the main island, Honshu. Together with its port Yokohama, it is often considered the largest city in the world, with a population of around 38 million.

Tonlé Sap A lake in central Cambodia. During the dry season, the lake is small, but after the monsoon rains in the autumn, water from the Mekong fills it to more than seven times its normal size.

Trans-Siberian Railway A railway line stretching 9289 kilometres (5772 miles) from Moscow to Vladivostok in Russia. It is the longest railway in the world; a journey from one end to the other takes nearly eight days.

Urmia, Lake A saltwater lake in northwest Iran. It is the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth largest saltwater lake in the world.

Van, Lake The largest lake in Turkey, in the far east of the country.

Yangtze The longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world, flowing 6300 kilometres (3910 miles) from the Tibetan Plateau across China to the East China Sea at Shanghai.

Yenisey A river flowing 5539 kilometres (3442 miles) from Lake Baikal in Russia, north to the Arctic Ocean. A series of dams along the river use the water’s power to generate electricity.

Zagros Mountains A mountain range running 1500 kilometres (930 miles) along the Iran–Iraq border. The highest point, Zard Kuh, is 4200 metres (13,780 feet) high.

Consultant: Lloyd Jenkins