Natural resources:
oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel,
zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron, phosphate
Land use: arable land: 0.84% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.16% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
840 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud", which
is harsh winter conditions
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, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia
People Mongolia
Population:
2,712,315 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.7% (male 423,081; female 408,119)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 890,482; female 892,140)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 42,292; female 56,201) (2003 est.)