Mongolia Geography:
Location:
Northern Asia, between China and Russia
Geographic coordinates:
46 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
1,564,116 sq km
land:
NA
water:
NA
Area - comparative:
Slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 8,220 km
border countries: China 4677 km, Russia 3543 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 4,374 m (Huyten Orgil)
Natural resources:
Oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron
Land use:
arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.23%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
840 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "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, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia |
