Geography & environment — Mongolia
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Mongolia: Asia
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Asia
- Geographic Coordinates
46 00 N, 105 00 E
- Total Area
603,905 Square Miles 1,564,116 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
599,828 Square Miles 1,553,556 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
4,077 Square Miles 10,560 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
5,108 Miles 8,220 Kilometers
- Border Countries
China 4,677 km, Russia 3,485 km
Physical geography
- Terrain
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
- Highest Point
4,374 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m
- Lowest Point
518 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Hoh Nuur 518 m
- Natural Resources
oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron, phosphate
- Irrigated Land
325 Square Miles 843 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Mongolia has two time zones - Ulaanbaatar Time (8 hours in advance of UTC) and Hovd Time (7 hours in advance of UTC)
- Daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September
Climate
- Climate
Because of the elevation and distance from any ocean or sea, Mongolia has a harsh continental climate. Marked seasonal, even daily, changes in temperature, numerous high-pressure systems, and severe cold occur most of the year. A remarkably sunny country, Mongolia enjoys 250 sunny days a year, often with clear cloudless skies, making even the coldest temperatures more tolerable.
- Terrain
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
- Location
Northern Asia, between China and Russia
- Total Area
603,905 Square Miles 1,564,116 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
China 4,677 km, Russia 3,485 km
Environment
- 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