From Hokkaido to Kyushu: Japan’s four main islands, measured
Japan counts more than 14,000 islands. Four of them hold almost all of its 124 million people.
By Clara Weiss
The desks
Graphics Desk
Maps, charts and timelines: the explainers that start with a picture.
The Yangtze River Delta: China’s richest region, explained in five graphics
Shanghai and three provinces produce about a quarter of China’s economic output and run the world’s busiest container port.
The Korean Peninsula at a glance: two states, one border
The Demilitarized Zone runs about 250 km across the peninsula and is about 4 km wide.
By Clara Weiss
The Taiwan Strait, measured: the distances that shape the region
About 130 km wide at its narrowest, and one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Victoria Harbour to the Greater Bay Area: Hong Kong’s place on the map
Eighteen districts, three regions, and a bay plan that joins the city to nine mainland cities.
The Nikkei, the CSI 300 and the rest: how Asia’s stock indices are built
An index is a basket. Some hold 30 companies, some hold 300 — and that changes what a day’s move means.
Southeast Asia’s capitals, mapped
Eleven countries, from Myanmar to Timor-Leste, across the mainland and the islands.
South Asia on one page: the capitals from Islamabad to Dhaka
India became the world’s most populous country in 2023, by the United Nations’ estimate.
One region, many clocks: the time zones from Islamabad to Tokyo
China spans five geographical time zones and keeps one clock.