| Location: |
Northern Asia, between China and Russia
|
| Geographic coordinates: |
46 00 N, 105 00 E
|
| Area: |
total:
1.565 million sq km
land:
1.565 million sq km
water:
0 sq km
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Alaska
|
| Land boundaries: |
total:
8,161.9 km
border countries:
China 4,676.9 km, Russia 3,485 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, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron, phosphate
|
| Land use: |
arable land:
5.7%
permanent crops:
0%
permanent pastures:
81%
forests and woodland:
11.4%
other:
1.9% (2000 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
800 sq km (1993 est.)
|
| Natural hazards: |
dust and snow storms, grassland and forest fires, drought and "zud", which is a combination of drought followed by harsh winter conditions
|
| Environment - current issues: |
limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; policies of the former communist regime promoting rapid urbanization and industrial growth have raised concerns about their negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws have severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, the converting of virgin land to agricultural production have increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities have also 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
|
| Geography - note: |
landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia
|
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