GEOGRAPHY OF MONGOLIA: DATA, MAPS, LAND FEATURES, LAKES, RIVERS

GEOGRAPHY OF MONGOLIA

Mongolian life and society have traditionally revolved around dealing with animals and Mongolia’s often harsh environment. In many places in northern Mongolia forests cover only the northern sides of the mountains. The Soviet Union made extensive maps of Mongolia but never shared many of them with the Mongolians.

Mongolia is located in Northern Asia. Strategically situated between Siberian Russia and northern China, Mongolia is a bowl-shaped country that covers an area of 1,564,116 square kilometers (603,905 square miles), which is roughly the size of Alaska, twice the size of Texas, three times the size of France, four times the size of California or the size of Western Europe. Mongolia is comprised of a vast semi-desert and desert plains and grassy steppe. There are mountains in the west and southwest. The Gobi Desert is in south-central part of the country. [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Mongolia is one of the world's largest landlocked nations. The longest distances are 2,368 kilometers (1,471 miles) from east to west and 1,260 kilometers (783 miles) from north to south at its widest point. Mongolia is sometimes called Outer Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is a province of China. Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia together occupy more than 2,600,000 square kilometerss (a million square miles). In the old days Mongolia also embraced large chunks of what is now Siberia,

Inner and Outer Mongolia

Mongolia is a historical region of Inner Asia covering approximately 906,000 square miles (2,346,540 square kilometers). It is bordered roughly by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to the west, the former Manchurian provinces of northeastern China to the east, Siberia in Russia to the north, and the Great Wall region of China to the south. Historically, the region has been divided into Outer Mongolia, which today forms the independent nation of Mongolia, and Inner Mongolia, which is now the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. [Source: Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., Columbia University Press]

Much of Mongolia consists of high plateaus, steppe grasslands, and desert landscapes, with elevations generally ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 feet (910 to 1,520 meters) above sea level. The climate is strongly continental, characterized by long, cold, dry winters and short, warm summers.

The vast Gobi Desert occupies much of southern Mongolia and northern Inner Mongolia, while the Altai Mountains rise in the west, reaching elevations of about 15,266 feet (4,653 meters). Major rivers include the Yellow River (Huang He), which flows through parts of Inner Mongolia, and the Selenge, Orkhon, and Kherlen rivers of Outer Mongolia. Annual precipitation is generally low, averaging less than 15 inches (38 centimeters) per year across much of the region.

Geographical Data for Mongolia

location of Mongolia

Area: total: 1,564,116 square kilometers (603,911 square miles); land: 1,553,556 square kilometers (599,834 square miles); water: 10,560 square kilometers (4,077 square miles). Mongolia is the 19th largest country in the world. It is slightly smaller than Alaska; more than twice the size of Texas. Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 105 00 E. Elevation: highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Khuiten Peak, Orgil, Huyten Orgil or Mount Huyten) 4,374 meters (14,350 feet); lowest point: Hoh Nuur depression 560 meters (1,837 feet); mean elevation: 1,528 meters (5,013 feet). [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Land boundaries: total: 8,082 kilometers (5,022 miles); border countries (2): China 4,630 kilometers (2,878 miles); Russia 3,452 kilometers (2,145 miles). Coastline: 0 kilometers (0 miles) (landlocked). The closest ocean is the Yellow Sea, a branch of the Pacific Ocean, which is 700 kilometers (435 miles) to the east across northeast China.

Land use: agricultural land: 69 percent (2023 estimate); arable land: 0.7 percent (2023 estimate); permanent crops: 0 percent (2023 estimate); permanent pasture: 68.2 percent (2023 estimate); forest: 9.1 percent (2023 estimate); other: 21.9 percent (2023 estimate). Arable land is land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest. Permanent crops is land cultivated for crops like fruit trees oranges that are not replanted after each harvest. Irrigated land: 796 square kilometers (307 square miles) (2022). Total renewable water resources: 34.8 cubic kilometers (2011). Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 0.55 cubic kilometers a year (13 percent/43 percent/44 percent); per capita: 196.8 cubic meters a year. (2009).

Population distribution: Mongolia’s population is sparsely distributed throughout the country. The capital of Ulaanbaatar and the northern city of Darhan have the highest population densities. Darhan is 210 kilometers (130 miles) to the north of Ulaan Baatar), and Erdenet, another reality large city, is 210 kilometers (130 miles) to the northeast.

Administrative divisions: 21 provinces ( aymguud , singular - aymag ) and 1 municipality* ( hot ); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan (Zavkhan), Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs. [Source: CIA World Factbook]

Characteristics of Mongolian Geography

Mongolia sits on a large plateau. Its capital Ulaan Baatar is situated at an elevation of 1,350 meter.The average elevation of the entire country is 1,580 meters. Almost 80 percent of Mongolia is covered by grassland, an ideal environment for raising sheep, goats, cattle, Bactrian camels and horses. Most of these grasslands in turn sit on basin in the Siberian Steppe, a 1,600-meter-high, grassy plateau punctuated by rivers and salt lakes and rimmed by hills, snowcapped mountains and highlands.

Mongolia is located in the eastern section of the great Eurasian steppes, which stretch from Hungary to Mongolia. Steppes are arid grasslands spread over flat landscapes or rolling hills. Comprised of patches of rich grass interspersed with patches of poor grass and desert, they are brown and dusty most of the year and become increasingly arid as one travels south. After summer rains they can become richly green and sprout wild flowers. In the winter they are often covered by hard, icy, crusty snow.

Less than one percent of Mongolia can be farmed. Wheat and other grains are raised on steppes converted to agriculture areas. Other crops are raised in irrigated areas along rivers and in mountain valleys. Much of the land in Mongolia is empty grasslands, with no trees, nomadic families and the flocks of livestock here and there, and huge hawks and kites perched on the grass. Less than 70 per cent of Mongolia's land has a consistent water supply. Access to surface waters and wells is often cut off by winter freezes. Melted snow and ice then provide the water for residential and commercial use during the winter. The water situation is relatively better in the north because of its major rivers and heavier precipitation.

Main Regions of Mongolia

According to “Culture and Customs of Mongolia”:With its vast size, it is not surprising that Mongolia has a diverse geography. Although the steppes of Mongolia are known from their history, the mountains of Mongolia deﬁne much of the geography on the eastern and western sides of the country. River basins and the steppes dominate the central portions of the country, with the Gobi Desert comprising much of the southern region of Mongolia. Indeed, true steppe terrain comprises only 20 percent of Mongolia’s territory. The rest consists of 35 percent forest-steppe and 40 percent gobi, which is a gravelly, semidesert region with scarce vegetation. The remainder consists of scattered true forests and sandy desert. Most of the forests and forest-steppes are located in the northern parts of Mongolia. [Source: “Culture and Customs of Mongolia” by Timothy Michael May, Greenwood Press, 2009]

Eastern Mongolia consists of the region between the Khentiy Mountains and runs east to the border with China—more speciﬁcally, Manchuria. In general, the region is mountainous and then gradually transforms from hills into steppe and, ﬁnally, into the gravelly desert known as the Gobi in the south. The Khentiy Mountains serve as a watershed, with the Onon and Kherlen rivers ﬂowing north and, eventually, into the Paciﬁc. Both rivers ﬂow through mountainous and forested terrain. This region has traditionally been quite abundant in the “ﬁve snouts,” or major domesticated animals—horses, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats—although the zhuds in the late 1990s devastated many herds and, along with them, the livelihood of many people.

Central Mongolia consists of the territory between the Khangay and Khentiy Mountains. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city, is located in the northern section of central Mongolia. The Khangay and Khentiy mountains dominate much of central Mongolia, while also serving as watersheds. North of the Khangay are the Selenge and Orkhon Rivers, which ﬂow into Lake Baikal in Russia, whereas the Tuul River ﬂows from the Khentiy into Lake Baikal. The Zavhan River then ﬂows in a southerly and westerly direction into the salt lakes in western Mongolia from the Khangay Mountains. The Kherlen and Onon Rivers ﬂow east of the Khentiy Mountains and, ultimately, into the Paciﬁc Ocean. As with all of Mongolia, the northern section tends to have more forested land, which blends into true steppeland. This area also possesses soil that is viable for commercial agriculture. However, there is a reason that agriculture never became a major livelihood in Mongolia: Wind erosion, low precipitation, and a short growing season make sustainable farming diﬃcult. The southern portion consists of steppes that then turn into the Gobi Desert. The Khangay Mountains serve as the demarcation between the northern and southern terrain types.

Western Mongolia is situated between the Khangay and Altai Mountains. It , contains terrain ranging from ﬂat steppes to high mountains. The Altai Mountains in the west rise more than 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) and stretch for almost 400 miles. The highest peak in the Mongolian Altai Mountains is Altai Tavan Bogd Mountain, which reaches 14,350 feet and, like many of the other highest peaks, possesses glaciers. The Altai Mountains also form the barrier border between Mongolia and Kazakhstan, Russia, and part of China. To the northwest, there is the Tannu Ola, or Tannu Mountains, which border the Tannu Tuva Republic of Russia. The Sayan mountain range also borders Russia around Irkutsk and the Buryat Republic. The area wedged between these mountains is known as the Great Lakes Depression, consisting of the Uvs, Khar, Khar Us, and Khovsgol Lakes, with Khovsgol being the largest body of freshwater in Mongolia. It is also the world’s second deepest lake (238 meters, or 780 feet, deep), with only Lake Baikal to the north being deeper. Whereas the northern section is hilly and gradually becomes mountainous in the east and north, the southern part of western Mongolia is ﬂat, excluding the Altai Mountains.

Topography of Mongolia

Mongolia contains mountains and rolling plateaus but 90 percent of the landscape is vast semi-desert and desert plains and pastures. The mountains are in the north, west and southwest; the vast Gobi desert is in southeast; and the Selenge river system in north. There are five main topographic regions: 1) the Altai mountain rangel 2) the lakes and plains in the the Great Lakes Depression); 3) the medium-altitude Hangayn-Hentiyn range made up of older mountains with gentle slopes and valleys; 4) the uplifted eastern plains, characterized by smooth, rolling terrain, with pastures, forests, and rivers here and there; and 4) the Gobi Desert, which is hilly in the west with salt lakes and marshes in flat lowlands and sand desert. [Source: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography, Gale Group, Inc., 2003]

Topography of Mongolia

Mongolia's elevations gradually decrease from northwest to southeast. The terrain changes from alpine snow peaks to rolling hills, mesas, and low ridges, eventually becoming completely flat plains. The Altai Mountains' foothills stretch south and east into the Gobi Desert, creating a landscape of bare desert hills.

The terrain is one of mountains and rolling plateaus, with a high degree of relief. Overall, the land slopes from the high Altai Mountains of the west and the north to plains and depressions in the east and the south. Hutyen Orgil in extreme western Mongolia, where the Mongolian, Kazakhstan the Chinese borders meet, is the highest point (4,374 meters, 14,350). The lowest is 560 meters (1,837), an otherwise undistinguished spot in the eastern Mongolian plain. The landscape includes one of Asia's largest freshwater lakes (Hovsgol Nuur), many salt lakes, sand dunes, rolling hills and permanent montane glaciers. Northern and western Mongolia are seismically active zones, with frequent earthquakes and many hot springs and extinct volcanoes. *

The Dalanzadgad region in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park in the Gobi Desert contains winding canyons of colorfully streaked sandstone, including Yolym Am (Yol Canyon), which surrounds a permanently frozen stream. Also within the National Park are the Flaming Cliffs, overlooking the Nemegt, Khermiin Tsav, and Bayanzag Canyons.

Mountains of Mongolia

Mongolia has three major mountain ranges. The highest is the Altai Mountains, which stretch across the western and the southwestern regions of the country on a northwest-to-southeast axis. The Hangayn Nuruu, mountains also trending northwest to southeast, occupy much of central and north-central Mongolia. These are older, lower, and more eroded mountains, with many forests and alpine pastures. The Hentiyn Nuruu (Khentei), mountains near the Russian border to the northeast of Ulaanbaatar, are lower still and sprawl along and across the Russian border. Much of eastern Mongolia is occupied by a plain, and the lowest area is a southwest-to-northeast trending depression that reaches from the Gobi region in the south to the eastern frontier. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

Mongolia from space

The Altai region is a mountainous area in western Mongolia near where China, Russian Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia all come together. This region features deep valleys, forests and peaks over 2,757 meters (12,000 feet) high and vast wilderness areas with many wolves and other wild animals. The are forests here mainly on their northern and western slopes. The northeast is party covered by the Great Khingan Mountains. Other mountain ranges include the Tannu-Ola, Sayan, Khentei, Selenga, and Orkhan. The highest mountain is 4,653 meters (15,266 feet) above sea level.

Most of Mongolia's high mountains are located in the west. Some of these peaks are long-extinct volcanoes. The lofty Altai Range extends beyond Mongolia's borders into China, Russia, and Kazakhstan. In Mongolia, it runs from northwest to southeast. Some two hundred glaciers cascade through the Altai Range. Mongolia's highest mountain, Orgil rises 4,374 meters (14,350 feet) in the Tawan Bogdo group of the Altai Mountains at Mongolia's westernmost extension, where the country meets Russia, Kazakhstan, and China. The second highest mountain in Mongolia is Mount Chajrchan Uul, which rises 4,362 meters (14,311 feet) in the central Altai range. The Hangayn (Khangai) Range in central Mongolia has lower mountains. The highest peak in this range is Otgon Tenger, at 3,957 meters (12,982 feet). [Source: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography, Gale Group, Inc., 2003]

Rivers of Mongolia

The Mongolia plateau is the source of many great Asian and Russian rivers, including the Amur and the Ob. In Mongolia, rivers are most plentiful in the mountainous northwest. Major rivers include the Tuul, which flow through Ulaan Baatar, and Seleng River, the largest river in Mongolia, which flows through the Erdenet area and into Lake Baikal in Siberia. Other rivers are scattered across the country. Few are navigable sections except in whitewater rafts or canoes. For travelers crossing Mongolia, rivers are among the main obstacles that need to be passed. The longest River, the Orhon, is 1,124 kilometers (698 miles ( The Amur is shared with China (where the source is) and Russia (where the mouth is). It is 4,444 kilometers (2,761 miles) long.

Mongolia’s more than 1,200 rivers drain in three directions: north to the Arctic Ocean, east to the Pacific, or south to the deserts and the depressions of Inner Asia. Rivers are most extensively developed in the north, and the country's major river system is that of the Selenge-Moron, which drains into Lake Baykal. Some minor tributaries of Siberia's Yenisey River also rise in the mountains of northwestern Mongolia. Rivers in northeastern Mongolia drain into the Pacific through the Argun and Amur (Heilong Jiang) rivers, while the few streams of southern and southwestern Mongolia do not reach the sea but run into salt lakes or deserts. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989]

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Rivers that drain north into the Arctic Ocean include the Selenge River, as well as the Shishkhed and Bulgan rivers. The Selenge River begins in the Hangayn uplands in northern Mongolia and flows north into Lake Baikal in Russia. It is 992 kilometers (616 miles) long, 595 of which are in Mongolia. The Selenge's watershed area, approximately 28,231 square kilometers (109,000 square miles), is the greatest of the river basins inside Mongolia. The Selenge's numerous tributaries include the Orhon, which at 698 miles (1,126 kilometers) long, is the longest river entirely within Mongolia. Another tributary is the Tuul, which is 437 miles (703 kilometers) long and on whose banks the nation's capital, Ulaanbaatar, is located.

The Kerulen, Onon, Uldz, and Halhïn rivers in northeastern Mongolia flow into the Amur River in Russia. The Amur River continues east to the Pacific Ocean. The Kerulen is the longest of these rivers at 1,086 kilometers (675 miles). Mongolia's other river systems are found in the Great Lakes Depression and the Central Asian basin. These include the Dzavhan River (804 kilometers , 500 miles), the Tesiyn River (563 kilometers, 350 miles), and the Khobdo River (499 kilometers, 310 miles). The Gobi region has a negligible river system; the few small rivers in the northern part of the desert rise in the Hangayn Range but disappear into salt lakes.

Mongolia's rivers do not have a plentiful water supply. In a region with low precipitation, rain must account for 80 to 85 percent of river water. During the six-month winter season, the rivers are covered with thick ice, and smaller waterways freeze solid. Meltwater from the mountains provides 15 to 20 percent of the yearly runoff. The mountainous regions in the north have the greatest potential for hydroelectric power generation. Most waterways, with the exception of the Selenge, are not suitable for navigation. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, Gale Group Inc., 2003).

Lakes and Wetlands of Mongolia

Mongolia's dry landscape is dotted with more than 4,000 freshwater and saltwater lakes, most of which are of glacial or volcanic origin. Most of the lakes are located high above sea level, freezing over every winter. Those with outlets usually contain fresh water. Most of the sixteen largest lakes are in the northwest. The country has also developed more than two hundred sites with hot and cold natural mineral springs. The Mongolia word for river is “gul.” The word for lake is “nur.” [Source: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Physical Geography, Gale Group, Inc., 2003]

Major lakes (area square kilometers (square miles)): Fresh Water Lakes : Hovsgol Nuur — 2,620 square kilometers (1,012 square miles); Har Us Nuur — 1,760 square kilometers (680 square miles); Salt Water Lakes: Uvs Nuur — 3,350 square kilometers (1,293 square miles); Hyargas Nuur — 1,360 square kilometers (525 square miles). [Source: CIA World Factbook]

The Great Lakes Depression in northwestern Mongolia contains at least three hundred lakes, as well as high waterfalls and springs. Uvs Lake, a saltwater lake located in this region at an elevation of 759 meters (2,490 feet) above sea level, is Mongolia's largest lake, covering 3,366 square kilometers (1,300 square miles). In the Great Lakes area, Har Us, Hyargas, and Dörgön lakes form a trio of large, shallow, connected lakes within Har Us Nuur National Park. Mongolia has many salt marshes and diverse lake-centered wetland environments. The Uvs Lake basin experiences extremes in cold and warm weather. It is one of ten locations worldwide being studied by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program to research global climate change.

Uvs Lake, located at an elevation of 2,490 feet (759 meters) above sea level, is a saltwater lake with a surface area of 3,366 square kilometers (1,300 square miles), making it Mongolia's largest lake. Fed by over 200 rivers and streams, the lake is surrounded by a variety of ecosystems, ranging from snowy mountains to deserts. Due to its extreme weather conditions, the lake basin is one of ten locations worldwide being studied in the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program on global climate change. The Mongolian government has designated Uvs Lake and the surrounding area, including sand dunes, marshes, and mountains, as a "Strictly Protected Area." In the Great Lakes area are Har Us, Hyargas, and Dörgön Lakes, a trio of large, shallow, connected lakes within Har Us Nuur National Park. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, Gale Group Inc., 2003]

The 1,069-square-mile (2,770-square-kilometer) freshwater alpine Hövsgöl Lake in north-central Mongolia, near the Russian border, is connected by the Selenge River to Russia's immense Lake Baikal in Siberia. As many as 45 rivers and rivulets empty into Lake Hövsgöl. It is the deepest lake in Central Asia, reaching depths of up to 905 feet (276 meters). Coniferous taiga forest, a Siberian ecosystem, surrounds the lake. Measures have been taken to protect Hövsgöl Lake from the pollution that has affected Lake Baikal, including a ban on oil shipping by barge. In the Gobi foothills of eastern Mongolia, the Valley of the Lakes contains four saltwater lakes: Boon Tsagaan, Taatsiin Tsagaan, Adgiin Tsagaan, and Orog. At 235 square miles (668 square kilometers), the freshwater Buir Lake is the largest lake in eastern Mongolia. It connects to Hulun Lake in China.

Mongolia contains many salt marshes and a variety of wetland environments centered on lakes. Six of these sites are designated Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar International Convention on Wetlands, making them valuable examples of these environments. These sites are: Ayrag Nuur, a shallow lake that serves as a habitat for birds; Har Us Nuur National Park, a complex of three shallow lakes; Mongol Daguur, a nature reserve in a volcanic basin that includes marshes and lakes; Ogii Nuur, a freshwater lake surrounded by marshes; Terhiyn Tsagaan, a volcanic lake surrounded by marshes; and the Valley of Lakes, a chain of four salty lakes surrounded by extensive reed marshes that serve as habitats for important bird populations. There are also extensive marshes around Uvs Lake, where many bird species nest. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, Gale Group Inc., 2003]

Steppe in Mongolia

The famous Eurasian steppe is a 8,000-kilometers (5,000-mile) -long flat or gently rolling grassland, averaging 800 kilometers (500 miles) in width. It is mostly treeless except for areas along riverbanks. It's name is derived from “stepi”, a Russian word meaning plain. The vast sea of grass of the steppe is perfect riders on horseback. The Steppe gave birth the Scythians, Turks, Mongols, Tartars, and Huns. One of the richest grazing areas, the Altai Mountain region between Russia and western Mongolia, not coincidentally is where many of the great horseman cultures originally hail from. Beginning in the second century B.C., Silk Road trading caravans's started traversing the Steppe.

The Eurasian Steppe, also known as the Central Asian steppe, stretches from Mongolia and the Great Wall of China in the east to Hungary and the Danube River in the west. It is bounded by the taiga forest of Russia to the north and by desert and mountains to the south. It is located at about same latitude as the American plains and embraces a dozen countries, including Russia, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and several other former Soviet Republics.

Describing the steppes, Polish Nobel laureate Henry Sienkiewicz wrote in “With Fire and Sword”, "The steppes are wholly desolate and unpeopled yet filled living menace. Silent and still yet seething with hidden violence, peaceful in their immensity yet infinitely dangerous, these boundless spaces were a masterless, untamed country created foe ruthless men who acknowledge no one as their overlord."

Grassland soil and plants store large amounts of carbon dioxide. When they are burned they release large amounts of carbon dioxide onto the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, The poor yellow steppe soil is much less fertile than rich black earth found in southern Russia and Ukraine. When the topsoil is stripped of vegetation it becomes dusty and is easily blown away in the wind.

Altai Region

The Altai Region is a mountainous area in central Asia where Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and China all come together. Situated between the Gobi Desert and the Siberian Plain, it is regarded as the homeland of the of the Mongolians, Turks, Koreans, Hungarians and Parzyrks (famous well-preserved 4,000-year-old Parzyrk mummies have been found here). Ural-Altaic languages are named after the region. Ancient petroglyphs found in the area are believed to have been made the ancestors of the Altai.

The Altai Range runs northwest to southeast in Mongolia. Some 200 glaciers cascade through the mountains. Mongolia's highest mountain — Orgil at 14,350 feet (4,374 meters) — is in the Tawan Bogdo group of the Altai Range he four-corners meeting point with Russia, Kazakstan, and China. The second highest mountain in Mongolia, Mt. Chajrchan Uul, 14,311 feet (4,362 meters), is in the central Altai Range.

The Altai (also spelled Altay) region is one of the wildest and most interesting parts of Mongolia. It is varied region with forest, steppes, wild river, lakes, deserts, snow capped mountain and abundant wildlife. On windward sides of the mountains are some of the wettest places in Mongolia, with glaciers, streams and numerous lakes. On the leeward side are some the driest areas. The most important rivers are the Biya, Katun, Bukhtarma, Kondoma, Ursul, Charysh, Kan, Sema, and Mayma. In lowland areas where the soils are accommodating there is some farmland. Otherwise most of the landscape comprised of steppes and meadows, some of which are used for grazing animals.

Natural vegetation in the Altai region includes steppe grasses, shrubs and bushes and light forests of birch, fir, aspen, cherry, spruce, and pines, with many clearings in the forest. These forest merge with a modified taiga. Among the animals are hare, mountain sheep, several species of deer, “bobac”, East European woodchucks, lynx, polecat, snow leopard, wolves, bears, Argali sheep, Siberian ibex, mountains goats and deer. Bird species include pheasant, ptarmigan, goose, partridge, Altai snowcock, owls, snipe and jay, In the streams and rivers are trout, grayling and the herring-like sig.

Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert is not really a desert as much as it is a vast, changeless grassland with big thorny bushes, waist-high grasses, stretches of sand, gravel plains, sand dunes, red-rock cliffs, buttes, gullies, rocky canyons, and few trees and settlements. It has some 1000-foot dunes, but mostly it is a rocky, wind-scoured, gravel steppe. Occupying the southern third of Outer Mongolia and the northwestern third of Inner Mongolia, it covers roughly 1,300,000 square kilometers (500,000 square miles), twice the size of Texas, and extends 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) from east to west and 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from north to south.

Gobi is the least populated region outside the polar caps. It would be the world's second largest desert after the Sahara and the northernmost desert in the world, if it were a true desert. Even though its name means "the waterless place" in Mongolian it receives just enough rain to qualify as a semi-desert. Rainfall is often less than eight centimeters (three inches) a year. Sand dunes cover only about three percent of Gobi.

The Mongol word Gobi can mean desert, depression, salt marsh, or steppe, but which usually refers to a category of arid rangeland with insufficient vegetation to support marmots but with enough to support camels. Mongols distinguish gobi from desert proper, although the distinction is not always apparent to outsiders unfamiliar with the Mongolian landscape. Gobi rangelands are fragile and are easily destroyed by overgrazing, which results in expansion of the true desert, a stony waste where not even Bactrian camels can survive. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

Much of the Gobi is like what New Mexico or Arizona would be like if they were cold. Travel writer Paul Theroux, described it as "a bare dusty landscape, with low, stunted-looking trees, and square sided settlements made of smooth mud, and goats and mongrels, and people hacking at furrows and bashing weeds, and here and there the occasional horseman."

The Gobi is sometimes referred to as “Earth's Greatest Barrier." In the old days, caravans with 200 camels took as long as nine months to cross it. Marco Polo described the Gobi in his chronicles. In the 1920s, an Englishwoman named Mildred Cable traveled through it in a horse'drawn cart and wrote about her experiences.Today, the Gobi is known as one of world's premier dinosaur hunting sites.

Land Cover and Vegetation of Mongolia

Mongolia has a variety of distinctive ecosystems, including alpine and upland forests, steppe grasslands, desert grazing lands, and barren deserts. These different habitats are home to an extraordinary array of plant and animal life, including the rare snow leopard and Gobi brown bear. Despite the nation's increasing development and extraction of resources, efforts are being made to preserve Mongolia's wildlife habitats and natural terrain, with more than a dozen nature reserves established. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, Gale Group Inc., 2003]

Mongolia is famous for its beautiful grasslands. The southeast is an area of particularly extensive grasslands known as steppes in Central Asia. These hills and plains are covered with various types of grasses and grazed by domestic animals, such as sheep, goats, horses, cattle, yaks, and camels, as well as wild antelopes, including enormous migratory herds of gazelles. The landscape also includes marshes, sand dunes, rolling grasslands and alpine forests.

Steppes are covered mostly by sparse grass or grasses and shrubs such as saxual. Trees are often stunted. Large trunks, branches and leaves require a lot of water to maintain. When the steppes meet the foot foothills, you can find wild poppies, even wild opium poppies. The grass family is one of the largest in the plant kingdom, embracing some 10,000 different species worldwide. Contrary to what you might think, grasses are fairly complex plants. What you see are only their leaves.

Generally as one travels from south to north, Mongolia get greener and has more vegetation. The Gobi desert—a vast, arid grassland not a true desert—occupies the southern third of the country and measures 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) from east to west and 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) north to south. Only the southern part shared with China is dry enough qualify as a true desert. Most is of it is semi-desert. Trees and forest are found mostly in the mountains and along rivers and in the northern areas of Mongolia. A belt of birch and evergreen forests, known as the Taiga, occupies the region along the Siberian border.

About percent of Mongolia is covered by forests and woodlands.Most of Mongolia's forests are in the north and in the mountain regions, especially the Hentiyn and Hangayn ranges in the north. Tree species in these forests include deciduous birch and larch, as well as coniferous cedar, fir, and pine. The coniferous forests of the northern mountains are part of an ecosystem known as "taiga," similar to the vast forests of neighboring Siberia. In the scrublands of the Gobi Desert far to the south, forest-like groves of tall saxaul shrubs exist, but they are diminishing due to climate change and livestock grazing. Deforestation has occurred due to the cutting of trees and shrubs for fuelwood and timber, as well as the destruction caused by livestock grazing. Some areas are attempting reforestation. [Source: Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia, Gale Group Inc., 2003]

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Library of Congress, CIA World Factbook, Encyclopedia.com, National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, U.S. government Live Science, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated June 2026