Mongolia is a country in Asia, with about 3.57 million people (2025) and an area of 1,564,116 square kilometres. Its capital is Ulaanbaatar, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of MongoliaMongolia in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Mongolia's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
The most sparsely populated country on Earth
Mongolia is landlocked between Russia and China, covering 1.6 million square kilometers with a population of only 3.4 million. That ratio makes it the least densely populated sovereign state in the world. The Gobi Desert spreads across the south, the Altai Mountains rise in the west, and vast grassland steppe fills the center, leaving most of the country without roads, fences, or permanent structures.
More on Gobi Desert
The Gobi is not all sand dunes; much of it is bare rock, gravel plains, and sparse scrub. It stretches across southern Mongolia and northern China, forming a natural barrier that historically separated nomadic steppe cultures from sedentary Chinese civilization.
4 more lenses on Mongolia in the app
STORY Nomadic heritage in a modernizing state
NOW A mining boom caught between two giants
THREAD Squeezed between Russia and China, Mongolia looks for a third neighbor
STORY Genghis Khan is not just history; he is national infrastructure
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Mongolia with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Mongolia?
The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar. Ulaanbaatar lies at about 47.9 degrees north and 106.9 degrees east. Mongolia is in Asia. It is home to about 3.57 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Mongolia?
About 3.57 million people live in Mongolia, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 131st most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 1,564,116 square kilometres, that is about 2.3 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Mongolia?
Mongolia shares land borders with 2 countries: China and Russia. The map on this page outlines each of them around Mongolia. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Mongolia?
Mongolia covers 1,564,116 square kilometres, or about 603,908 square miles. That makes it the 18th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 3.57 million gives a density of 2.3 people per square kilometre.
Mongolia is a country in Asia, with about 3.57 million people (2025) and an area of 1,564,116 square kilometres. Its capital is Ulaanbaatar, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
Capital
Ulaanbaatar
Continent
Asia
Population
3,568,978 2025, World Bank. 131st of 195.
Area
1,564,116 km² (603,908 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 18th largest of 195.
Population density
2.3 people per km²
Land neighbours
2: China, Russia
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
The most sparsely populated country on Earth
Mongolia is landlocked between Russia and China, covering 1.6 million square kilometers with a population of only 3.4 million. That ratio makes it the least densely populated sovereign state in the world. The Gobi Desert spreads across the south, the Altai Mountains rise in the west, and vast grassland steppe fills the center, leaving most of the country without roads, fences, or permanent structures.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/mongolia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Mongolia
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Mongolia on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
?
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/mongolia/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
