When cartographers first attempted to divide the world into continents, the concept of Asia was applied to a vast land mass, about which early explorers from the West knew very little. And yet it was by far the largest continent, representing almost 30 per cent of the earth’s land mass, and stretching from what is now Turkey to the islands that comprise Indonesia.

The continent is home to about 60 per cent of the world’s people, in 44 countries that include the giant ‘superstates’ of India and China, as well as the oil rich countries of the Middle East, Japan (the East’s economic powerhouse) and 72 per cent of Russia’s territory.

In 2008, a very large proportion of the world’s economic growth is coming from Asia. Every economic statement seems to focus on the growing strength of India and China these days, but in this month’s feature, we take a wider look at the other major successes, from East Asia, South East Asia, the Indian Sub-continent, the Middle East and the former Soviet states of Central Asia.

Many of these countries are among the front runners in the world economy but bizarrely, only one appears in the list of Britain’s top 10 export markets, and that’s Dubai, which creeps in at the tenth spot.

Many exporting companies have shunned the markets of Asia, considering them to be too remote, culturally difficult to access, or unreliable. But as competition intensifies, as it will if the predictions of a slow down in world economies this year hold true, the vast and diverse markets in Asia will in all likelihood prove to be a crucial opportunity to spread the net wider and beat the down-turn.

The Near and Middle East is a region that many are tempted to dismiss because of the war in Iraq, ongoing hostilities between the West and Iran, and a highly fluid situation continuing between Israel, The Occupied Territories and Israel. But some of the greatest opportunities for British businesses are to be found in that area, many just a three-hour flight away. Historically high world prices for oil and gas are a burden for many, but they are the backbone of the success that major energy producers are enjoying right now. The United Arab Emirates is in the vanguard, with an annual economic growth rate of around nine per cent, which rivals China and India.

The phenomenal programme of construction and infrastructure developments over the past few years has been a tremendous opportunity for many British suppliers.

Linac, a learning and development consultancy in Gloucestershire, has recently won new orders in the UAE. Managing director Andrew Terry explained that the company had already established business in Western Europe, and targeting a high growth market such as UAE seemed like a natural progression.

Terry took advantage of the support services provided by UK Trade and Investment, which enabled the company to very quickly win a training contract with a major hotel chain.

‘The market visits brought us success in Dubai much earlier than expected and we are also in talks with a lot of other companies out there.’

Moving further east, one reaches the region traditionally known as the Indian sub-continent, but is frequently referred to nowadays as South Asia. This massive area is home to almost one-and-a-half billion people, largely dominated by the burgeoning economy of India. Just as in the Middle East, South Asia has its trouble hot spots. Violence continues to simmer in Sri Lanka, and The Economist recently declared Pakistan to be ‘the most dangerous place in the world’. But both countries are enjoying a sustained economic boom.

Jaimie Rogers, of Airbus UK, has recently returned to Britain from a secondment with UK Trade and Investment in India, researching opportunities in the aerospace sector. ‘I was based in Bangalore working out of the British Trade Office. Probably the most cosmopolitan of India's major cities, Bangalore is a melting pot of old India, high-tech India and the steady, growing influence of Western culture. Where multi-million dollar buildings sit next to slums and where cows still roam on the ring road.’ He feels there is a ‘wealth of opportunity’ there for UK exporters.

To the north lies the region of Central Asia, comprising the former Soviet states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. These are still not names that roll off the tongue for many British exporters, but the emerging opportunities are real enough in the development of the region’s valuable resources such as oil, gas and precious metals. British companies are among the leading investors in the region, and opportunities abound for those able to supply those firms involved in a myriad of development projects.

Kazakhstan’s economy is enjoying a rapid boom to rival those of India and China in its intensity. As 10.5 per cent, its growth rate is among the fastest in the world.

This is not only founded on oil and minerals. Kazakhstan has risen to become the world’s sixth largest exporter of grain, and a massive programme of diversification is leading to strong growth in such wide-ranging sectors as machinery manufacture and financial services.

Further east lies the dynamic region of East Asia, which includes the tiger economy of China, as well as the established markets of Japan and South Korea. All feature among the UK’s 25 top export markets, and are very receptive to British products. Japan and Korean consumers especially appreciate traditional British brands, which are equated with high quality.

Further south are the more diverse nations of South East Asia. A financial crisis in the late 1990s seemed to take the shine off these diamond economies for a while, but even a cursory glance shows that the region is back on track, with a vengeance.

The tiny island of Singapore, situated just one degree north of the Equator, is still the UK’s largest trading partner in the region.

Although Singapore is an important financial and services centre in its own right, it is its status as a regional trading hub, together with its excellent freight and visitor handling facilities, that make the country such an important trading post.

Ten South East Asian countries are joined in co-operation through ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), an initiative that celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Originally founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, the Association has since been joined by Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Cambodia. (Thailand and Vietnam were profiled in detail in the previous issue of International Trade Today).

The ASEAN initiative has proven remarkably resilient, succeeding in bringing together a surprisingly diverse range of countries that includes constitutional monarchies, a military ruled state, Western-style democracies and two of the world’s last surviving Communist one-party states. The member countries also comprise the world’s most populous Muslim majority state as well those that are predominantly Buddhist and one Christian majority country.

Economically, the region covers the spectrum, too. Singapore is listed among the world’s 30 most wealthy nations, while Burma is among the poorest 30.

Malaysia is often overlooked by British suppliers, which is a pity as it is a country with which the UK enjoys very strong relations. Also confident investments in infrastructure have made the country an assertive nation.

Not surprisingly perhaps, Malaysia is one of 17 world markets that are featured in UK Trade and Investment’s High Growth Market Programme, which provides specialist help for new exporters.

So while the diversity and sheer size of Asia can be daunting for the newcomer, the 44 constituent countries appear to offer excellent opportunities for international businesses that are prepared to go the extra mile.

For country guides to geography, people, economy, government, import, export and transport see our Singapore country profile