What is the terrain and geography like in Mongolia?
The country is divided into three basic zones: the Gobi, a vast, dry grassland in the east and south; the low Hangai mountains in the north and northwest; and the high Altai Mountains of the west and northwest. Mongolia’s most scenic lake is Lake Hovsgol located in the Altai, where elevations range up to 15,000 feet. There are three major river systems: the Tuul, which runs through Ulaanbaatar; the Orhon, which combines with the Tuul and flows into Lake Baikal in Russia; and the Selenge in the northeast.
Geographic Location | Asia |
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 |
Irrigated Land |
325 Square Miles 843 Square Kilometers |
Border Countries | China 4,677 km, Russia 3,485 km |
Geographic Coordinates | 46 00 N, 105 00 E |
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 |
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 |