Mongolia Geography - 2022

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 4,630 km; Russia 3,452 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

602 sq km (2020)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Hovsgol Nuur - 2,620 sq km; Har Us Nuur - 1,760 sq km; 

salt water lake(s): Uvs Nuur - 3,350 sq km; Hyargas Nuur - 1,360 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Amur (shared with China [s] and Russia [m]) - 4,444 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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

Geography - note

landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia

NOTE: The information regarding Mongolia on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mongolia 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Mongolia 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.