Mongolia country information

Mongolia is a fascinating country in East and Central Asia with a deep and diverse culture and ancient history. It borders Russia (4,673 km) to the north and People's Republic of China (3,485) to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only a few miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city, is home to about 40% of the population. Mongolia's political system is a parliamentary republic.

At 1,564,116 square kilometres (603,910 square miles), Mongolia is the eighteenth largest country in the world and sixth largest in Asia. A vast country - nearly 3 times the size of France and more than 4 times the United Kingdom. The country consists of very little arable land, as much of its area is covered by arid and unproductive steppes, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately 30% of the country's 2.7 million people are nomadic or semi-nomadic. Average altitude: 1,580m (0.98 mile) above sea level. Ulaanbaatar: 1,350m (0.84 miles) above sea level. The highest point is the Huiten peak (4,653m or 2.89 miles) in the west and the lowest is the Khokh Nuur lake depression in the east - a mere 532m (0.33 miles) above sea-level