Physical setting
Landlocked
geographic context
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Geography & Environment
Geography & Environment in Mongolia
UlaanbaatarLocal time
Geography & Environment
Mongolia’s vast interior landscape alternates between mountains, open steppe, closed basins and the Gobi, under one of Asia’s most strongly continental climates.
Relief anchor
Mountain ranges, steppe plateaus and Gobi basins
regional relief reference
Mongolia at a Glance
Mongolia’s vast interior landscape alternates between mountains, open steppe, closed basins and the Gobi, under one of Asia’s most strongly continental climates.
Physical geography
terrain · drainage · setting
Mongolia is a high inland country of mountain ranges, broad steppe plateaus, intermontane basins and the increasingly arid Gobi landscapes of the south. The relief focus used here is Mountain ranges, steppe plateaus and Gobi basins, presented as a regional physical reference.
Regional frameEastern Asia
SettingLandlocked
Relief focusMountain ranges, steppe plateaus and Gobi basins
Climate pattern
The climate is strongly continental and generally dry, with long cold winters, short warm summers and very large seasonal and daily temperature ranges.
Water and landform context
Northern and western mountains feed rivers and lakes, while extensive central and southern areas drain internally into closed basins or have only intermittent surface flow.
Terrain, Climate and Environment
Three connected views of Mongolia's physical setting.
Relief and terrain
PhysicalMongolia is a high inland country of mountain ranges, broad steppe plateaus, intermontane basins and the increasingly arid Gobi landscapes of the south. The relief reference on this page is Mountain ranges, steppe plateaus and Gobi basins.
Climate pattern
ClimateThe climate is strongly continental and generally dry, with long cold winters, short warm summers and very large seasonal and daily temperature ranges.
Environmental setting
EnvironmentNorthern and western mountains feed rivers and lakes, while extensive central and southern areas drain internally into closed basins or have only intermittent surface flow.
Understand the landscape
What Mongolia's geographic profile is telling you
Distance from the ocean, high elevation and basin-and-range relief combine to give Mongolia extreme temperatures and a mixture of externally drained northern rivers and closed interior basins.
Detailed Geography & Environment Data
| Measure | Reference | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Physical setting | Landlocked | Geographic classification |
| Relief anchor | Mountain ranges, steppe plateaus and Gobi basins | Regional physical feature |
| Climate | The climate is strongly continental and generally dry, with long cold winters, short warm summers and very large seasonal and daily temperature ranges. | |
| Terrain | Mongolia is a high inland country of mountain ranges, broad steppe plateaus, intermontane basins and the increasingly arid Gobi landscapes of the south. | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of terrain does Mongolia have?
At country scale, the main terrain pattern is: mongolia is a high inland country of mountain ranges, broad steppe plateaus, intermontane basins and the increasingly arid Gobi landscapes of the south.
What is Mongolia's climate like?
The climate is strongly continental and generally dry, with long cold winters, short warm summers and very large seasonal and daily temperature ranges.
What physical feature helps explain the landscape?
A useful way to read the landscape is through the relationship between relief and drainage. Northern and western mountains feed rivers and lakes, while extensive central and southern areas drain internally into closed basins or have only intermittent surface flow.
Sources & methodology
This physical-geography profile uses Mongolia Fourth National Communication to the UNFCCC (2024) to support the terrain, climate, drainage and regional relief descriptions shown on this page. The summary focuses on broad, stable physical features.
View sources used for this page
Mongolia Fourth National Communication to the UNFCCC (2024)
Country-authored institutional source used for the physical-geography claims on this page.