Asian Countries

East Asian Countries

The world’s most populous country China belongs to the East Asian part of the continent. Apart
from China, there are North and South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

This region has played a big role in the ancient and modern bilateral cultural and material
trade. The two major religions practiced in this part are Buddhism and Taoism. The
Chinese culture is huge and has been documented through Chinese scripts. The old Chinese
literature is used as a reference in other countries like Japan and Korea.

Mandarin is the most spoken language in the whole world and has influenced most of the
languages of the neighboring countries Korea, Vietnam and Japan who developed later on.
 Major exports of China

Cotton, Tea, Rice, Potatoes, Soybeans

Electrical machinery, equipment
Furniture (including bedding, lighting)
Knit or crochet clothing
Optical, technical, and medical apparatus
Plastics Footwear

Major Import of China

Mineral fuels
Iron ore
Copper & Copper Ore Seeds

Japan's Top 10 Exports

● Vehicles: US$146.2 billion (20.9% of total exports)
● Machinery including computers: $138.4 billion (19.8%)
● Electrical machinery, equipment: $105.6 billion (15.1%)
● Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $39.8 billion (5.7%)
● Iron, steel: $28 billion (4%)
● Plastics, plastic articles: $25.1 billion (3.6%)

Taiwan export:
semiconductors, petrochemicals, automobile/auto parts, ships, wireless communication
equipment, flat display displays, steel, electronics, plastics, computers
Japan lacks many raw materials needed for industry and
energy, such as oil, coal,
iron ore, copper, aluminum and wood. Japan must
import most of these goods. In order to pay for these
imports, Japan must export a variety of manufactured
goods to other countries.

(East) Asian Consumer Behavior - 5 Things

Every Luxury Brand Should Know
1. Tell the brand story

Asian consumers love to learn about brands. Years of studying and collecting empirical
evidence on cross-cultural differences in consumer behavior have taught me that this
consumer behavior is significantly more robust among east Asians than among
Westerners. This consumer desire manifests itself in a research process that includes
searching for details about product specifications and manufacturing processes as well as
about the brand’s history and heritage. Asian consumers are delighted to learn about
the founder’s upbringing, how the brand came about, and what the logo stands for. They
want to know why the brand is unique. Asian consumers view gaining brand knowledge
as an asset that they can then share with others.

2. Mind the physical-digital retail gap

When compared to other mature markets, businesses in Asian countries, including Japan,
are lagging behind in developing e-commerce sites for their brand. Though consumers
still generally prefer shopping in brick and mortar stores, brands need to ensure that there
is seamlessness and cohesiveness between their physical and digital stores. The biggest
challenge for e-commerce in Asia is to ensure a high level of service. In effect, it is
critical for Asian mobile messaging platforms such as WeChat and Line to develop user-
friendly functionalities that enable consumers to click and purchase products with ease.

3. Really serve the customer

Given that Asian cultures are generally more collectivistic and hierarchical when
compared to Western cultures, Asian consumers expect employees to be highly attentive
and to anticipate and fulfill their needs even without overt communication. Under no
circumstances can service feel transactional; instead, it needs to feel personal and
customized to individual consumers. Consumers expect a flawless service experience, a
reality that makes it essential to train and educate store employees to greet consumers
properly, keep the right distance, and to walk each consumer to the door.

4. Obsess over the details

The high-end Japanese department store, Isetan, is famous for the intensive training in
gift wrapping its employees are required to undergo. Every step, from folding and
creasing the paper, to tying the ribbon on the gift, has to be perfect. If there is even a
single blemish on the wrapping paper, the employee starts over. The customer’s time is
precious, so gift wrapping must be done perfectly and efficiently. In addition, glass
display cases must be impeccably polished at all times. Not a single speck of dust should
be seen anywhere in the store. The bathrooms must be elegantly decorated and pristine.
This level of attention to detail and quality control is especially important in the luxury
context.

5. Respect the seasons

Asian cultures have a very intimate, deep-rooted relationship with nature. As a result,
seasonality has a very strong influence on the market. Asian consumers love seasonal
products and other limited edition products. Major luxury houses understand this very
well, and regularly launch limited edition designs in different locations, and host season-
inspired events that incorporate nature. For example, Moët-Chandon sponsors cherry-
blossom inspired events in the spring in Japan, while other luxury houses launch Chinese
zodiac-inspired collections during the Lunar New Year. To be successful in Asian
markets, luxury brands need to gain a deep understanding of the consumers’ relationship
with nature and its seasons.

South Asia
South Asia consists of the Indian Subcontinent including countries like
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Nepal,
Maldives, Afghanistan and
Bhutan.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN INDIA

BIG SAVERS
India is known as a country of savers, though spending is on the rise.
Disposable income is increasing. By 2030, 80% of households will be middle-
income, compared to 50% today. This growing middle class is expected to drive
consumer spending – buying more and buying better.
Access to credit also plays a key role. Household debt stands at 15.7% of GDP –
low for an emerging market. However, the level of debt doubled in 2017. This is a
rapid change in consumer behavior that’s at least partly generational.
Indian millennials still value traditional priorities, like income and home
ownership. But they have other goals, too. This shows in their spending priorities.
For example, 62% go on holiday 2-5 times a year – even if this means borrowing.
The top goal for millennials is to make a positive impact on society (57%).
Value for money is an important factor in determining consumer behavior in India.
Indian shoppers are well-informed and want to get a good deal – even for luxury
products. This isn’t the whole picture, though. Make sure your brand values come
across clearly, particularly if your business is a positive social force.

NEW TO ECOMMERCE
There are over 15 million traditional “kirana” stores in India – 88% of the retail
market. Many families visit every 2-3 days to stock up on fresh produce.
Storekeepers enjoy long-standing relationships with their customers and detailed
knowledge of their likes and needs.
eCommerce is new to many Indians, particularly outside the big cities. Programs
like Amazon Easy are connecting traditional stores to the eCommerce sector.
Kirana shops can act as delivery points or help customers place orders. Innovative
strategies like this help bridge the gap between customers and new technology.
It’s not surprising personal communication and trust are so highly valued.
Bargaining is a national pastime. And even major brands have had safety scandals,
such as Maggi noodles containing lead.
For eCommerce, clear customer support and payment channels are key in building
trust. Digital payments are on the rise, but cash on delivery still makes up over
50% of transactions.
Building trust also means ears to the ground. Research your audience carefully and
consider expanding one city at a time. Then follow up with great service and a
clear returns policy.
FAMILY-ORIENTED
The Indian family is changing. Traditional, multi-generational households are in
decline. In fact, only 37.1% of Indians now live with extended family. Nuclear
families are the new norm, while single-person households remain rare (4.1%).
Marriage is still central to most people’s lives. It’s not unusual for people to spend
20% of their lifetime’s earnings on their wedding. And spending is rising at over
20% per year, fueled by the increased financial power of the nuclear family. This
means weddings are a major focus for the apparel, beauty, events, and luxury
sectors.
Themes of nurture, care, and affection are prominent in advertising – and
successful. Take Samsung’s ad for its rural repair service. It shows a determined
van driver overcoming all obstacles to help a customer in need. The ad gained 35
million views in two weeks, showing its customers the brand’s warmth and
commitment.
As India’s culture is diverse in every sense, brands should aim to appeal to shared
values. Champion aspirations, not ideology. A touch of drama never goes amiss
either.
The most prevalent religions in the region are Hinduism,
Islam and Buddhism. Hinduism and Buddhism had
evolved in India, and countries like India and Nepal had
80% of its population following Hinduism. Islam, on the
other hand, is the most followed religion in the whole
Asia Pacific region with countries like Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Maldives having most of
the Islamic population.
 This area has a huge cultural diversity. India in itself
is the home to people with varied religions, races and
culture.

The Indo Aryan and Dravidian languages are the most

spoken in this region. Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi Pashto etc. are
some of the major languages. The region is a house to one
of the biggest ancient civilizations, the Indus Valley
Civilization and the remains of the greatest cities like
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa are still being discovered in
some places of Pakistan and India.
South Asia is a diverse place and a large region of Asia. 
There are both physical characteristics and human
characteristics that make this region unique in comparison
to other regions.  Some of the physical characteristics that
define South Asia are the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush
Mountains, the Ganges River, Mount Everest, the Deccan
Plateau, the Indus River, and many more land and water
forms. 
  Throughout the region, chapati, curry, cloves, chili,
black peppers, ghee, ginger, lamb, goat, chicken, and fish
are used for daily cooking.  Beef is avoided because it is
seen as a holy animal.  Some of the clothing that is worn
in this region is a sari, stitched garments, and draped or
wrapped garments.  There are many significant buildings
throughout the region.  Many of them hold some sort of
religious importance, whereas other buildings are
standalone. . 

Human/Environmental Interaction
In South Asia, humans have had to
adapt to the environment.  The weather
in the region also makes adaptation a
necessity.  For example, in
Afghanistan, it is very mountainous
and temperatures can go as low as -58
degrees Fahrenheit.  In Bangladesh, the
temperature can get up to 122 degrees
Fahrenheit.  These two extremes within
South Asia make it essential for people
to adapt to the weather.  The climate of
the region is also very different so
people living in certain areas must be
aware of issues they might run into. 

South Asia consumer behaviour:

The Indian consumers are noted for the high degree of value orientation.
Even luxury brands have to design a unique pricing strategy in order to
get a foothold in the Indian market. Indian consumers are also associated
with values of nurturing, care and affection. Products which
communicate feelings and emotions gel with the Indian consumers.
Consumers undertake complex buying behavior when they are highly
involved in a purchase and perceive significant differences among
brands. Consumers are highly involved when the product is expensive,
risky, purchased infrequently, and highly self expressive. Thus buyers
will have to pass through a learning process, first developing beliefs
about the product, then attitudes, and then making a thoughtful purchase
choice. Marketers of high-involvement products must understand the
information-gathering and evaluation behavior of high-involvement
consumers. They need to help buyers learn about product-class attributes
and their relative importance, and about what the company's brand offers
on the important attributes. After the purchase, consumers might
experience post purchase dissonance when they notice certain
disadvantages of the purchased carpet brand or hear favorable things
about brands not purchased. Habitual buying behavior also occurs
among a certain group of the population under conditions of low
consumer involvement and little significant brand difference.

Agreements of South Asian country: 1) BBIN

Agreement ( Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal &
india)India proposed a SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement during the 18th SAARC
summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. Due to objections from Pakistan, an agreement could not
be reached. India instead pursued a similar motor vehicle agreement with the BBIN. The BBIN Motor
Vehicles Agreement (MVA) was signed on 15 June 2015 at the BBIN transport ministers meeting in
Thimpu, Bhutan.The agreement will permit the member states to enter their vehicles in each other's
territory for transportation of cargo and passengers, including third country transport and personal
vehicles. Each vehicle would require an electronic permit to enter another country's territory, and
border security arrangement between nations' borders will also remain. [27] Cargo vehicles will be able
enter any of the four nations without the need for trans-shipment of goods from one country's truck to
another's at the border. Under the system, cargo vehicles are tracked electronically, permits are
issued online and sent electronically to all land ports. Vehicles are fitted with an electronic seal that
alerts regulators every time the container door is opened. [26]

SASEC priority areas of cooperation (South Asia Subregional

Economic Cooperation)
Members are (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, India, Srilanka)

● Transport — SASEC aims to put in place the critical multi-modal transport networks that will
enhance intraregional trade and investment in the sub region and, in turn, boost economic
growth.
● Trade Facilitation — SASEC is helping speed up the time and reduce the costs of trading across
borders throughout the sub region.
● Energy — SASEC is working to improve energy access and security in the region by developing
essential infrastructure, and promoting intra regional power trade to reduce costs and import
dependence. SASEC energy initiatives focus on renewable energy.
● Economic Corridor Development — SASEC is promoting synergies and linkages between
economic corridors across SASEC countries to optimize development gains, including industrial
growth and competitiveness, the creation of high-quality jobs, increased productivity, and the
strengthening existing value chains.

1) Exports & imports of Afghanistan

Exports Partners
The major export partners of Afghanistan include

● India 23.5%

● Pakistan 17.7%

● US 16.5%

● Tajikistan 12.8%

● Netherlands 6.9%
  

Imports Partners
The major import partners of Afghanistan include (figures as of 2008):

● Pakistan 36%

● US 9.3%

● Germany 7.5%

● India 6.9%

● Export commodities include opium, fruits and nuts, hand-woven

carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-
precious gems.
●Imports include machinery and other capital goods,
food, textiles, petroleum products.

Exports of Pakistan:

Linens $3.1 billion +5%

2 Men's suits, trousers (not knit or crochet) $2 billion +33.9%

3 Rice $1.7 billion +2.4%

4 Yarn (85%+ cotton) $1.2 billion +2.6%

5 Woven fabrics (85%+ cotton) $940.9 million +0.5%

6 Leather clothing, accessories $587.2 million -2.1%

7 Woven cotton fabrics $557 million -4.8%

8 Men's shirts (knit or crochet) $501.4 million +3.6%

9 Men's suits, trousers (knit or crochet) $470.3 million +7.2%

10 Miscellaneous articles, dress patterns $442.1 million +4.1%

Imports include petroleum and petroleum products, edible oil, chemicals, fertilizer,
capital goods, industrial raw materials, and consumer products.

Major exports of Sri Lanka:

● Textiles and apparel.

● Tea and spices.
● Diamonds.
● Emeralds.
● Rubies.
● Coconut products.
● Rubber manufacturers.
● Fish.

Imports of Sri Lanka

● Textile fabrics.
● Mineral products.
● Petroleum.
● Foodstuffs.
● Machinery and transportation equipment.

Exports of Bhutan

Export electricity (to India), cardamom, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit,

goods precious stones, spices

India has been exporting electricity to Bangladesh

and Nepal and importing excess electricity in Bhutan.
Surplus electricity can be exported to the neighboring
countries in return for natural gas supplies from
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Bhutan mainly imports oil and fuels,

base metals, machinery and electrical
appliances, vehicles, wood and food. Bhutan's main
imports partner is India, accounting for around 80 percent
of total imports. Other imports partners include South
Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, China and Nepal.

Nepal: Nepal mainly exports carpets, beverage, textile, tea and plastic. Its main export

partners include India, the US, Bangladesh and Germany.

Nepal mainly imports fuel, apparel, gold, iron and steel, machinery and

equipment. India, China, the UAE, Indonesia and Thailand are main import partners.

Maldives: Maldives imports, this involves a

variety of commodities such as ships,
foods, petroleum products,
clothing, textiles, capital goods, and
intermediate goods.
Major exports of Maldives:
Frozen whole fish ($85.5 million), fish
fillets or pieces ($61.9 million), fresh
whole fish ($52.4 million), preserved or
prepared fish including caviar ($26.5
million), dried, salted and smoked fish
($6.8 million) then live fish ($2.9
million).
 Major Exports of India:
● Meat Exportation. ...
● Dairy Products. ...
● Homeopathy Medicines. ...
● Jewelry and Precious Stones. ...
● Leather and Leather Products. ...
● Ceramics. ...
● Petroleum Products: ...
● Textiles. Textile export from India accounts for 15% of the total export.
● Spices
● Handicraft
● Jute
● Tea
● Coconut products

Major import in 2018

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$123 billion (27.7% of total imports)
2. Gems, precious metals: $74.4 billion (16.7%)
3. Electrical machinery, equipment: $46.9 billion (10.6%)
4. Machinery including computers: $36 billion (8.1%)
5. Organic chemicals: $18 billion (4%)
6. Plastics, plastic articles: $13 billion (2.9%)
7. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $11.9 billion (2.7%)
8. Iron, steel: $10 billion (2.2%)
9. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $8.4 billion (1.9%)
10. Ores, slag, ash: $5.9 billion (1.3%)
South East Asia consists of Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines,
Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam and Timor. The regions like India,
China and Islamic countries have greatly influenced the culture of this region.
The main religions followed here are Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. The South
East Asian countries are some of the biggest tourist destinations in the world
because of their terrain and architectural beauties. Hinduism and Buddhism were
the major religion influencers in these countries. These were later developed into
their own forms and a unique culture was created around them. Later Islam
emerged as the dominant religion in Brunei, Malaysia and Philippines. They have
some great traditional dance forms and religious literature that have been derived
from lots of religions and yet are unique to the region.

The Central Asian countries include mainly all the Islamic countries like
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and some
parts of Afghanistan. They have seen a huge number of dynasties including
Persian, Mongols, Russian etc. Hence, their culture is a mix of these. The
region is famous for its food and music. The area has a very high
temperature and the residents of the area were mostly nomads in the
ancient times.

The silk route has been of a huge historic importance and passes through this
region.

The Persian literature is one of the biggest written literature in the whole world and has
been an intrinsic part of the Persian Dynasty.

The West Asian countries, also known as the middle east, consist of some of the most
modern and richest countries in the world including Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Georgia,
Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Armenia and
Syria. The major religion followed by these countries are Christianity, Islam and
Judaism.

This region holds its importance in history as the birthplace of Jewish culture
although in the present times the region is mostly dominated by the Muslim
population except Israel.
There is a huge cultural contrast in these countries with some of the population being
tribal nomads and the other population living in some of the world’s most developed
cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha etc. Their literature is a mix of Jewish, Persian,
Arabic and Turkish literature.

North Asia consists of Siberia which is considered as a part of Russia and it is under the
Russian rule. Most of the population living in this area is Russian and Siberian. Christianity is
the biggest religion practiced in this region but some people also practice Shamanistic religion.

Southeast Asia is made up of 11 countries. Here is a short highlight

video featuring
them: Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, East Timor,
Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Burma and Thailand.
These countries have similar warm, wet climates, and they share many
trees, flowers, and crops. But their hilly uplands are quite different from
their lush river valleys. Also, of course, life in the islands—dominated as
it is by the surrounding sea—is different from life on the
mainland. Culturally, the region is extremely diverse. Its peoples
speak many unrelated languages employing a number of
alphabets. Several sects of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity
are widespread; other religions, such as Hinduism, also have hundreds of
thousands of followers. At the same time, some have suggested that
there are traits common to the cultures of Southeast Asia. Among these
are the relatively high status of women, a tendency to place sacred
sites on hills or mountains, and myths involving oppositions between
beings associated with the sky or mountains and those associated with
the waters or coasts
Country Religions

Brunei Islam (67%),

Burma Buddhism (89%),

Cambodia Buddhism (97%),

East Timor Roman Catholicism (97%), currency is USD

 Indonesia Islam (87.18%),

Laos Buddhism (67%),

Malaysia Islam (60.4%) It holds strongest economic condition as compare to other South east Asia countries.

Philippines Roman Catholicism (80%),

Singapore Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, others

Thailand Buddhism (93.83%),

Vietnam Vietnamese folk religion (45.3%), Buddhism (16.4%), Christianity (8.2%), Muslim (0.2%),

Community of Southeast Asian countries

The three pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely the ASEAN Political-SecurityCommunity
(APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community
(ASCC), are the most crucial areas deemed necessary for the progress and evolution of
ASEAN and its peoples.

There is no specific & common language in south east asia, like

Vietnamese for Vietnam, Timorese for east timor, Mandarin for
Singapore, Filipino for Philippine, Indonesian for Indonesia,
Malaya for Malaysian, Thai for Thailand, Burmese for Myanmar
& lao for Laos.
 Exports

● U.S. goods exports to the ASEAN countries in 2013 were $79.0 billion, up 4.7%
($3.6 billion) from 2012, and 75% from 2003.  U.S. exports to the ASEAN
countries account for 5.0% of overall U.S. exports in 2013.
 
● The ASEAN countries, together, would rank 4th as an export market for the
United States in 2013.
 
● The top 5 ASEAN export markets in 2013 were Singapore ($30.7 billion),
Malaysia ($13.0 billion), Thailand ($11.8 billion), Indonesia ($9.1 billion), and
Philippines ($8.4 billion).
 
 ● The top export categories (2-digit HS) in 2013 were: Electrical Machinery ($15.6
billion), Machinery ($10.5 billion), Aircraft ($9.9 billion), Mineral Fuel and Oil ($5.1
billion), and Optic and Medical Instruments ($4.8 billion).
 
● U.S. exports of agricultural products to ASEAN countries totaled $10.7 billion in
2013.  Leading categories include:  soybeans ($1.7 billion), dairy products ($1.3
billion), wheat ($1.1 billion), cotton ($923 million), and soybean meal ($909
million).
 
● U.S. exports of services to ASEAN were $21.5 billion in 2013, down 6.9% ($1.6
billion) from 2012, but up 93% since 2003.

Imports

● U.S. goods imports from the ASEAN countries totaled $127.0 billion in 2013, up
3.3% ($4.1 billion) from 2012, and up 55.1% from 2003.  U.S. imports from
ASEAN account for 5.6% of overall U.S. imports in 2013.
 
● The ASEAN countries, together, would rank as our 5th largest supplier of imports
in 2013.
 
● The top 5 ASEAN import suppliers in 2013 were Malaysia ($27.3 billion),
Thailand ($26.2 billion), Vietnam ($24.7 billion), Indonesia ($18.9 billion), and
Singapore ($17.9 billion).
 
● The five largest categories in 2012 were:  Electrical Machinery ($30.8 billion),
Machinery ($17.8 billion), Knit Apparel ($11.0 billion), Woven Apparel ($7.3
billion), and Rubber ($6.0 billion).
 
● U.S. imports of agricultural products from ASEAN countries totaled $9.5 billion in
2013.  Leading categories include:  rubber and allied products ($2.2 billion),
tropical oils ($2.0 billion), processed fruit and vegetables ($781 million), coffee
(unroasted) ($759 million), and tree nuts ($697 million).
 
● U.S. imports of services from ASEAN were $14.2 billion in 2013, up 0.9% ($133
million) from 2012, and up 180% since 2003.
North Asia: Russian main exports are energy (oil and petroleum
products, gas, and coal), rolled steel, ferrous and nonferrous metals and
minerals. The greater part of Russian exports belongs to oil and
petroleum products. Other leading exports are natural gas, timber,
fertilizers, machinery and equipment, armaments. The foreign countries
receive from Russia over 300 million tons of oil and approximately 250
billion cubic meters of gas. 
Languages & Religion: Most spoken languages are Russian & Slavic.
More than 50% of the population is Orthodoxy Christian.

Russia imports machinery and equipment, vehicles, consumer goods,

foodstuffs, chemical products, industrial consumer goods.

Major trading partners of Russia are Germany, Italy, China, Turkey,

Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and Finland. 

Central Asia:
More than 90 million people live in Central Asia, about
2% of Asia's total population. Central Asia is made up of
five former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The five
nations have a total population of 69 million people with
Uzbekistan having the highest population.
Languages & Religion: Most spoken language is Russian
& there regional language. Islam is the dominant religion
in central Asia.

▪ Central Asian exports to the EU remain

concentrated in a few commodities, especially
crude oil, gas, metals and cotton fiber.
▪ Mineral fuels including oil: US$30.7 billion (63.5% of total
exports)
▪ Iron, steel: $4.2 billion (8.7%)
▪ Copper: $2.5 billion (5.2%)
▪ Inorganic chemicals: $2.2 billion (4.5%)
▪ Ores, slag, ash: $2.1 billion (4.3%)
▪ Zinc: $837.7 million (1.7%)

▪ Imports are heavy machinery, agricultural

products, consumable goods etc.
West Asia or Middle East countries:

Introduction: Western Asia is

primarily arid and semi-arid ( Dry), and can be
subject to drought, but it also contains vast
expanses of forest and fertile valleys. The region
consists of grasslands, rangelands, deserts,
and mountains. Water shortages are a problem in
many parts of West Asia, with rapidly
growing populations increasing demands for water,
while salinization and pollution threaten water
supplies. Major rivers, including
the Tigris and Euphrates, provide sources
for irrigation water to support agriculture.

The economy of Western Asia is diverse and

the region experiences high economic
growth. Turkey has the largest economy in
the region, followed by Saudi Arabia and
Iran. Petroleum is the major industry in the
regional economy, as more than half of the
world's oil reserves and around 40 percent
of the world's natural gas reserves are
located in the region.
Islam is the dominant religion & Arabic is
common language in West or middle asia.

Imports: Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food, consumables,

dairy products, spices etc.