Mongolia 🇲🇳
Mongolia is a country in Asia with a population of 3,398,366. Its capital is Ulaanbaatar. The official currency is MNT, and the main languages are Mongolian.
Quick facts
- Capital: Ulaanbaatar
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 3,398,366
- Area: 1,564,110 km²
- Density: 2.2 people per km²
- Currency: MNT
- Languages: Mongolian
- ISO code: MN
Where Mongolia sits
Mongolia 🇲🇳 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Ulaanbaatar. It covers 1,564,110 square kilometres — 18th in the world — and is home to about 3,398,366 people, 133rd globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Mongolia compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Mongolia sits closest to Uruguay and Moldova. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Iran and Libya.
At 2.2 people per square kilometre it is far below the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Mongolian is listed as official in Mongolia alone. The MNT is used by Mongolia and no one else.
To see Mongolia next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Mongolia
Mongolia has only two neighbours, Russia and China, so the map is easy. Ulaanbaatar means 'Red Hero', which links to the red on the flag. It is also written Ulan Bator.
The flag of Mongolia: red, blue and gold
🇲🇳 The flag is three vertical stripes, red, blue and red, with a gold Soyombo symbol on the left red stripe. The blue stands for the 'eternal blue sky' of Mongolian tradition, the red for progress, and the Soyombo is a national symbol of fire, sun, moon and earth.
Region and neighbours
Mongolia is a large landlocked country in East Asia, between Russia to the north and China to the south. It shares land borders with 2 countries: Russia and China. Mongolia is landlocked, with no coast on the open ocean.
- Russia 🇷🇺 — capital Moscow
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
Three facts about Mongolia
- Mongolia is the least densely populated sovereign country in the world.
- It is the second-largest landlocked country, after Kazakhstan.
- In 1206 Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire, which became the largest connected land empire in history.
Sources: Wikipedia: Mongolia, Wikipedia: Flag of Mongolia, Wikipedia: Ulaanbaatar, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Mongolia
- Asian capitals quiz — match Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Mongolia flag among its neighbours
- Landlocked countries quiz — Mongolia has no sea coast
Quizzes that include Mongolia
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Mongolia those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Ulaanbaatar
- Mongolia capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Mongolia, plus the answer quizzes most often try to trick you with
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Mongolia
- Capital of Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Mongolia flag?
The flag of Mongolia is three vertical stripes, red, blue and red, with a gold Soyombo symbol on the left red stripe. The blue stands for the 'eternal blue sky' of Mongolian tradition, the red for progress, and the Soyombo is a national symbol of fire, sun, moon and earth.
Which countries border Mongolia?
Mongolia shares land borders with Russia and China.
How can I remember the capital of Mongolia?
Mongolia has only two neighbours, Russia and China, so the map is easy. Ulaanbaatar means 'Red Hero', which links to the red on the flag. It is also written Ulan Bator.