Mongolia Geography - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

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; more than twice the size of Texas

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 8,082 km

border countries (2): China 4630 km, Russia 3452 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

highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Khuiten Peak) 4,374 m

lowest point: Hoh Nuur 560 m

mean elevation: 1,528 m

Natural resources

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

Land use

agricultural land: 73% (2018 est.)

arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 72.6% (2018 est.)

forest: 7% (2018 est.)

other: 20% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

840 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

34.8 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

sparsely distributed population throughout the country; the capital of Ulaanbaatar and the northern city of Darhan support the highest population densities

Natural hazards

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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, 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

NOTE: The information regarding Mongolia on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mongolia 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Mongolia 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.