Asia

Safe travels in Asia

Asia is the largest continent in the world. In 2016, the continent had a population of 4.46 billion, or 61% of the total global population (7.6 billion). Asia, with a total area of 43,810,000 km² covers 8.6% of the earth’s surface and 29.4% of the total land area.

Climate

Asia’s climate is extreme and diverse. Asia has places that are among the warmest and the coldest, the driest and the wettest.

Central Asia has varying weather patterns from extreme cold in mountainous areas and extremely hot and dry in the deserts. Northern Asia has roughly the same climate as Central Asia, but with more rainfall. The winters are very cold, especially in Siberia with an arctic climate all year round. In Southern Asia, the temperatures are high throughout the year, except in the mountains. There is no summer or winter here, but only a dry and rainy season.

Mosquitoes

In the first place, a tiny creature: the mosquito. A mosquito can be deadly in Africa. They spread diseases, such as malaria, dengue and zika. Mosquitoes make around 3 million casualties each year. The malaria mosquito is only active in the evenings and at night, the dengue mosquito mostly during the day. Protect yourself by always sleeping under a mosquito net, using Anti-Insect DEET and wearing insect repellent socks. Have you been bitten? Use a venom extractor for removing the venom. This prevents the poison from spreading through the body. Consult a doctor immediately should you have any of the symptoms of the diseases.

Jellyfish

There are numerous jellyfish in the sea that do no harm, but don’t be mistaken: a few types of jellyfish are extremely dangerous. The box jellyfish is one of those and can be found in some parts of Asia. They inject deadly venom into your skin through the needles on their tentacles. Prevent a jellyfish sting by applying a good water-resistant sunscreen that also protects against most jellyfish stings, corals and anemones. Or you can wear a stinger suit, a thin wetsuit that protects your body against tentacles.

Snakes

Beware of snakes, because the venom of a number of snakes can be deadly. Keep your eyes open for the banded krait. The bite of a banded krait is fatal in 50% of cases – even after administering the antidote. This makes the krait one of the snakes that cause the most casualties in Asia. The king cobra can be found in Thailand and hides in tall grass and dark holes. Because it is difficult to tell the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes, it’s best to stay away from them.