For
the most part, Mongolia consists of a plateau that is broken up by
mountain ranges. The plateau ranges from 900 to 1,500 meters in
height (3,000 - 5,000 ft), while the Altay Mountains, found in southwest
Mongolia reach above 4,000 meters. In
central and southeast Mongolia, the Gobi Desert can be found.
Mongolia's
forests are filled with pine, larch and cedar trees, which can be found
in the mountains. Other natural resources to be found are minerals
such as copper, iron, fluorspar, gold, silver, uranium, coal and iron.
Mongolia
has an extreme climate with temperatures varying greatly with the
seasons. In the summer, the temperature ranges from 10 - 20
degrees C (50 - 80 degrees F); while in the winter the highs tend to be
about -21 degrees C, with lows of -30 degrees C (-5 to -22 degrees F).
The summers in Mongolia tend to have about 15 inches of rain (380 mm),
excluding the desert, while the winters are typically without
precipitation.
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
country
comparison to the world:19
land: 1,553,556
sq km
water: 10,560
sq km
Area -
comparative:
slightly
smaller than Alaska
Land
boundaries:
total: 8,220
km
border
countries: China
4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km
Coastline:
0 km
(landlocked)
Maritime
claims:
none
(landlocked)
Climate:
Current
Weather
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 560 m
highest point: Nayramadlin
Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m
dust storms;
grassland and forest fires; drought; "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, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not
ratified: none
of the selected agreements
Geography -
note:
landlocked;
strategic location between China and Russia
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