Mongolia Geography Profile 2009

Location

Northern Asia, between China and Russia

Geographic coordinates

46 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references

Asia

Area

total: 1,564,116 sq km
land: 1,553,556 sq km
water: 10,560 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Alaska

Land boundaries

total: 8,220 km
border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)

Terrain

vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m

Natural resources

oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron

Land use

arable land: 0.76%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.24% (2005)

Irrigated land

840 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

34.8 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.44 cu km/yr (20%/27%/52%)
per capita: 166 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

dust storms; grassland and forest fires; drought; "zud," which is harsh winter conditions

Environment - current issues

limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia