|
|
|
       
| |
|
|
Mongolia:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other pages in this profile of Mongolia:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
| |
Background |
The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and later came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. The ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000 and produced a coalition government in 2004. |
| |
Location |
Northern Asia, between China and Russia |
Geographic coordinates |
46 00 N, 105 00 E |
Map references |
Asia |
Area |
total: 1,564,116 sq km |
Area - comparative |
slightly smaller than Alaska |
Land boundaries |
total: 8,220 km border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km |
Coastline |
0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims |
none (landlocked) |
Climate |
desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) |
Terrain |
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central |
Elevation extremes |
lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m |
Natural resources |
oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron |
Land use |
arable land: 0.76% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.24% (2005) |
Irrigated land |
840 sq km (2003) |
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, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note |
landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia |
|
Copyright 2008 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com) |