Mongolian Plateau | Map, Location, & Facts

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mongolian-Plateau/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref270063"></span>Mongolian Plateau</strong>, extensive northeastern highland region of the great <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/plateau-landform" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">plateau</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Central-Asia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Central Asia</a>, covering an area of approximately 1,000,000 square miles (2,600,000 square km) in east-central <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Asia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Asia</a>. It is divided politically and geographically by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Gobi" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Gobi</a> (desert) into the independent state of Mongolia (also called Outer Mongolia) in the north and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Inner-Mongolia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/China" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">China</a> in the south. Surrounding the plateau and bordering it are the Altai, Tannu-Ola (Tagn茂n Nuruu), and Sayan mountains to the northwest, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hentiyn-Mountains" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Hentiyn Mountains</a> to the north, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Da-Hinggan-Range" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Greater Khingan Range</a> to the east, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nan-Mountains-southern-China" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Nan Mountains</a> to the south, and the Tarim and Dzungarian basins of the Uighur <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Autonomous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Autonomous" data-type="MW">Autonomous</a> Region of Sinkiang, China, to the west. This high tableland, which is also regarded sometimes as a large interior <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/drainage-basin" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">drainage basin</a> between the bordering mountain ranges, is drained by the Dzavhan, Selenga (Selenge), and Kerulen rivers. The plateau, which includes the Gobi together with areas of dry short-grass steppe, ranges in elevation from 3,000 to 5,000 feet (915 to 1,525 meters) above <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sea-level" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sea level</a>. The highest point is <span id="ref270064"></span>M枚nh Hayrhan Peak (14,311 feet [4,362 meters]) in the Mongolian <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Altai-Mountains" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Altai Mountains</a>. The dry continental climate is characterized by an annual rainfall of about 8 inches (200 mm), and the mean temperatures of the warmest and coldest months vary over an enormous range. At Ulaanbaatar, for example, the average January temperature is -15 掳F (-26 掳C), whereas the average July temperature is 63 掳F (17 掳C).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The part of the plateau in independent (Outer) <span id="ref270065"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mongolia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mongolia</a> is inhabited mostly by <span id="ref270066"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mongol" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mongolians</a>; Kazaks <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constitute" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitute" data-type="MW">constitute</a> the largest <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/minority" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">minority group</a>. The Han (Chinese), who are mostly agriculturists, constitute about four-fifths of the population of Inner Mongolia. Traditionally the people have been nomadic and chiefly engaged in raising sheep and goats, but extensive livestock farms were developed in the 20th century. Although the harsh climate restricts agriculture, wheat, oats, and other grains and vegetables are grown on the plateau. In irrigated areas of Inner Mongolia, sugar beets and oilseeds are raised.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Coal is mined near Saynshand in Mongolia, and coal and iron ore are mined in the vicinity of Pao-t鈥檕u (Baotou) in Inner Mongolia. Copper, molybdenum, fluorite, uranium, gold, and silver are other important minerals. The <span id="ref270067"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Trans-Mongolian-Railway" class="md-crosslink ">Trans-Mongolian Railway</a> (completed 1955) links the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, near the northern edge of the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="plateau" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/plateau" data-type="EB">plateau</a>, with Ulan-Ude in the republic of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Buryatiya" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Buryatia</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Russia</a> and with Erh-lien-hao-t鈥檈 (Erenhot), northwest of Peking in China. Although roads cross the region, the plateau remains relatively isolated and economically underdeveloped.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":389408,"pageLength":415,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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