Located in the landlocked plateau of Central Asia between China and Russian Siberia, Mongolia covers an area of 1,566,500 sq. km, which is approximately the size of Western Europe . Mongolia stretches about 2,400 kilometers from west to east and about 1,260 kilometers from north to south. The total length of the country's borders is 8,158 kilometers.
The country is mountainous with an average altitude of 1,580 meters above sea level. The lowest point, Huh Nuur, is 560 meters above sea level and the highest point is Huiten Mountain in the Mongolian Altai Range (4,374 m). The capital Ulaanbaatar lies at 1380 meters.
The geography of the country is characterized by great diversity. From north to south it can be divided into four areas: mountain-forest steppe, mountain steppe and, in the extreme south, semi-desert and desert (the latter being about 30% of the entire territory). The principal mountains are primarily in the west, with much of this region having elevations above 2,000 meters and the country's highest peaks permanently snow-capped land covered with glaciers. Mountains and dense forests predominant central and northern Mongolia and grasslands cover large areas of this region. Across the eastern section of the country stretches the vast grasslands of the Asian steppe. The steppe grades into the Gobi desert, which extends throughout southern Mongolia from the east to the west of the country. The Gobi is mostly gravelly, but also contains large areas of sand dunes in the drier areas of the Gobi near the southern border (WTO, 1994).
The country is dotted with hundreds of lakes, the largest being Uvs-Nuur (covering an area of 3,350 sq.kilometers), Huvsgul (2,620 sq.kilometers), and Khara Us-Nuur (1,852 sq.kilometers). Lake Huvsgul is also the largest fresh-water lake in Central Asia . The Orkhon (1,124 kilometers), the Kherlen (1,090 kilometers) and the Selenge (539 kilometers) are the largest rivers.
One of the most striking features about Mongolia is how little the average person on the street knows about it. Remarkable for a country that created the largest land empire the world has known, is home to the Bactrian or two-humped camel, and holds the dubious honor as the only country to have moved from feudalism to communism without an intervening communist phase.
Hidden from the rest of the world for 70 years by the maternal Soviet blanket, Mongolia is now undergoing a renaissance of self-identity as its democratically elected government steers a fledgling market economy on the uncharted waters of capitalism. Tradition and contemporary mix on the streets of Ulaanbaatar and imported luxury goods abound, yet on the steppes one returns to a world where little has changed since the time of Chinggis Khan.
The following links and resources are intended to direct the interested reader on a path of discovering this diverse and fascinating country - enjoy!
Stats-in-brief
Land Area: 1.57million sq km: equivalent to two times size of Texas
Population: 2.4million
Density: 1.5 persons/sq km (3.9/sqm)
Ethnic Groups: Khalkh Mongol, Kazakh
Language: Mongolian, Kazakh
Religion: Predominantly Buddhist
Capital City: Ulaanbaatar , pop 650,000
Government: Democratically elected parliament
Economy: Copper, flourspar, gold, cashmere, leather products.
