Mongolia is situated in the central part of the Asian continent, spanning from 41°35′ to 52°09′ north latitude and from 87°44′ to 119°56′ east longitude. It covers an area of 1,564,116 square kilometers, accounting for approximately 1 percent of the Earth's total land surface. In terms of land area, Mongolia ranks 19th in the world, 7th in Asia, and 2nd among landlocked countries. Surface water covers approximately 0.43% of its territory. The total length of Mongolia’s borders is 8,252.6 kilometers, including 4,709.6 kilometers shared with the People's Republic of China and 3,543 kilometers with the Russian Federation.

The highest point in Mongolia is Khuiten Peak at 4,374 meters above sea level (a.s.l.), located in the Mongol Altai Mountains, while the lowest point is the Khukh Nuur Depression at 562 meters (a.s.l.), situated in the Dornod Mongol Plain. The distance between Mongolia’s easternmost and westernmost points is 2,392 kilometers, while the distance between its northernmost and southernmost points is 1,259 kilometers. The westernmost point is Maanit Mountain in the Altai Range; the easternmost is Modot Khamar in the Soyolz Mountains; the northernmost is Mongol Sharyn Davaa in the Sayan Range; and the southernmost is Bor Tolgoi, located in Orvog Gashuun in Nomgon Soum, Umnugovi Province.

The territory of Mongolia lies within a transitional zone between the Siberian taiga and the Central Asian Gobi Desert, spanning from cold and humid climates in the north to arid conditions in the south. Over 80% of the country lies at elevations above 1,000 meters, and surface elevation decreases from west to east. In the west, the Mongol Altai Mountain Range and its extension, the Gobi-Altai Mountains, rise to elevations of 2,500 to 3,500 meters. In contrast, the Khangai Mountains in the central region, the Khuvsgul Mountains in the north, and the Khentii Mountains in the northeast reach elevations of 2,000 to 2,500 meters. The eastern and southern regions consist of the Gobi, which consists of the Eastern Mongolian steppes, low mountains, and rolling hills with an altitude of 1,000-1,500 meters. Remarkable mountain peaks in Mongolia include Otgontenger (4,008 meters) in the Khangai Mountains, Munkh Saridag (3,491 meters) in the Sayan Mountains, Asralt Khairkhan (2,799 meters) in the Khentii Mountains, and Shiliin Bogd (1,778 meters) in the Dariganga region of southeastern Mongolia. One of the distinctive characteristics of our country's location is that its land surface, featuring diverse landscapes such as high and low mountains, rolling hills, buttes, vast plains, valleys, and depressions, along with forests, taiga, steppe, and the Gobi Desert, has an average elevation of 1,580 meters above sea level.

Population distribution in Mongolia has been influenced by various factors, including geographic location, environmental conditions, characteristics of the climate, historical traditions, infrastructure development, and socio-economic circumstances. Due to its location in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, its far distance from the ocean, and its high altitude, the country experiences distinct four seasons. This is one of the main factors influencing the settlement patterns and lifestyle of the population.

This chapter includes six maps depicting Mongolia’s geographical location and its provinces, along with a space image map created using multispectral data from the Landsat Earth observation satellite. These maps can be used by scientists, researchers, academics, university lecturers, students, and general readers interested in the geography of our country to gain and reinforce basic knowledge about the geographical features of Mongolia.