Australasia & Asia Pacific

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area (or 29.4% of its land area) and, with almost 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population. Chiefly in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Asia is traditionally defined as part of the landmass of Eurasia – with the western portion of the latter occupied by Europe – lying east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian and Black Seas. It is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the Indian Ocean, and to the north by the Arctic Ocean.

Today Asia is made up of 37 countries with China, India and Japan having the largest economies. In recent years there has been widespread economic development in the region which has provided employment and huge improvements in infrastructure. However, the region is thought to have over 900 million people living on one dollar a day and there are thought to be more people living in poverty now, than in the 1990s.

Australasia

Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and a number of other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. The population is just over 21 million, with approximately 60% of the population concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. The country has a prosperous economy and is ranked third out of 177 in the United Nations' 2007 Human Development Index.

New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands. The country’s population of just over 4 million people is mostly of European descent, with the indigenous Maori being the largest minority.

The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands. Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Inhabitants are sometimes referred to as Pacific Islanders.
Pacific islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania  (although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago).

St John in the region 

St John is currently working in 11 countries across Asia and the Pacific region and is providing a huge variety of services and support to communities, which reflects the great diversity of this region. Click on country pages to find out more about St John activities across the two continents.