Asia.

• Position: Population, head of governmnet and political system followed - Geographic overview - Table

U.S. and NATO forces are helping President Hamid Karzai of AFGHANISTAN battle a growing challenge from Taliban rebels. The Taliban, hard-line Islamists who let Afghanistan become a training ground for Al Qaeda, were overthrown in December 2001 by a U.S.-led invasion.

The economists of CHINA and INDIA continue to boom. While Americans love buying inexpensive goods that are imported from China, many are concerned about job losses to countries like China and India, where wages are much lower than in the U.S.

Kim Jong Il, the leader of NORTH KOREA, is refusing to negotiate his country's development of nuclear weapons. Also of concern to North Korea's neighbors: the prospect of millions of impoverished refugees fleeing if the repressive Communist regime collapse.

Shinzo Abe, JAPAN'S new Prime Minister, would like his nation to play a greater role in international affairs. Abe has said he wants to amend Japan's post-World War II constitution to let the military function in more than the purely defensive role allowed now.

ASIA URBAN AREA (SQ MI) POP. % POP. RISE COUNTRY POPULATION %/YEAR CAPITAL AFGHANISTAN 251,772 22 KABUL 31,100,000 2.6 ARMENIA 11,506 64 YEREVAN 3,000,000 0.4 AZERBAIJAN 33,436 52 BAKU 8,500,000 1.1 BANGLADESH 55,598 23 DHAKA 146,600,000 1.9 BHUTAN 18,147 31 THIMPHU 900,000 1.3 BRUNEI 2,228 72 BANDAR 400,000 1.7 SERI BEGAWAN CAMBODIA 69,900 15 PHNOM 14,100,000 2.1 PENH CHINA 3,696,100 37 BEIJING 1,311,400,000 0.6 EAST TIMOR 5,741 22 DILI 1,000,000 2.7 GEORGIA 26,911 52 TBILISI 4,400,000 0.1 INDIA 1,269,340 29 NEW 1,121,800,000 1.7 DELHI INDONESIA 735,355 42 JAKARTA 225,500,000 1.4 JAPAN 145,869 79 TOKYO 127,800,000 0 KAZAKHSTAN 1,049,151 57 ASTANA 15,300,000 0.8 KOREA, NORTH 46,541 60 PYONGYANG 23,100,000 0.9 KOREA, SOUTH 38,324 80 SEOUL 48,500,000 0.4 KYRGYZSTAN 76,641 35 BISHKEK 5,200,000 1.4 LAOS 91,429 19 VIENTIANE 6,100,000 2.3 MALAYSIA 127,317 62 KUALA 26,900,000 1.6 LUMPUR MALDIVES 116 27 MALE 300,000 1.5 MONGOLIA 604,826 57 ULAAN-BAATAR 2,600,000 1.2 MYANMAH 261,228 29 YANGON (Burma) 51,000,000 1.1 (RANGDON) NEPAL 56,826 14 KATHMANDU 26,000,000 2.2 PAKISTAN 307,375 34 ISLAMABAD 165,800,000 2.4 PHILIPPINES 115,830 48 MANILA 86,300,000 2.1 SINGAPORE 239 100 SINGAPORE 4,500,000 0.6 SRI LANKA 25,332 20 COLOMBO 19,900,000 1.3 TAIWAN 13,969 78 TAIPEI 22,800,000 0.3 TAJIKISTAN 55,251 26 DUSHANBE 7,000,000 2.2 THAILAND 198,116 33 BANGKOK 65,200,000 0.7 TURKMENISTAN 188,456 47 ASHGABAT 5,300,000 1.6 UZBEKISTAN 172,741 36 TASHKENT...