International disputes: none
Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature
ranges)
Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains; mountains in west and
southwest; Gobi Desert in southeast
Natural resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten,
phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold
Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 79% forest and woodland: 10% other: 10%
Irrigated land: 770 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; policies of the
former communist regime promoting rapid urbanization and industrial
growth have raised concerns about their negative effects on the
environment; the burning of soft coal and the concentration of
factories in Ulaanbaatar have severely polluted the air;
deforestation, overgrazing, the converting of virgin land to
agricultural production have increased soil erosion from wind and
rain; desertification
natural hazards: duststorms can occur in the spring
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified
- Desertification, Law of the Sea
Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia
@Mongolia:People
Population: 2,493,615 (July 1995 est.)