Part 568

Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total : 1.565 million sq km land: 1.565 million sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska

Land boundaries: total: 8,114 km border countries: China 4,673 km, Russia 3,441 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)

Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains; mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in southeast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m highest point: Tavan Bogd Uul 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% permanent pastures: 80% forests and woodland: 9% other: 10% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 800 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms can occur in the spring; grassland fires

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

Environment - international agreements: party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia

@Mongolia:People

Population: 2,538,211 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 38% (male 485,760; female 471,005) 15-64 years: 58% (male 743,194; female 743,529) 65 years and over : 4% (male 40,621; female 54,102) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.62% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 24.57 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 8.41 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 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 total population: 1 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.1 years male: 59.1 years female : 63.2 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.89 children born/woman (1997 est.)