Part 502

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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 lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil 4,374 m

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: dust storms 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

Geographic note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia

People ------

Population: 2,496,617 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 38% (male 486,321; female 471,931) 15-64 years: 58% (male 722,485; female 723,065) 65 years and over: 4% (male 39,704; female 53,111) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.69% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 25.55 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 8.65 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female all ages: 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 69.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.75 years male: 58.8 years female: 62.8 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.04 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Mongolian(s) adjective: Mongolian

Ethnic divisions: Mongol 90%, Kazak 4%, Chinese 2%, Russian 2%, other 2%

Religions: predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim 4% note: previously limited religious activity because of communist regime

Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian, Chinese

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1988 est.) total population: 82.9% male: 88.6% female: 77.2%

Government ----------

Name of country: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia

Data code: MG