MongoliaGeography
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Location: |
Northern Asia, between China and Russia
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Geographic coordinates: |
46 00 N, 105 00 E
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Map references: |
Asia
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Area: |
total: 1,564,116 sq km
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Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Alaska
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Land boundaries: |
total: 8,220 km
border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km
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Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked)
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Climate: |
desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)
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Terrain: |
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m
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Natural resources: |
oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron
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Land use: |
arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 99.23% (2001)
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Irrigated land: |
840 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards: |
dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions
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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
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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
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Geography - note: |
landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia
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More about Mongolia:
Introduction
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
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