Mongolia is spindle-shaped, though with irregularities, with its long dimension west to east. While the entire nation is high ground, three mountain ranges stand out, and a third is a continental divide boundary. The Altay(2), running northwest to southeast in the west, exceed 4,000 meters in two peaks. Parallel to them, still in the western half of the country, are the Dzavhan Hangayn(3) Mountains (Nuruu), which reach similar heights at Otgon Tengler Mountain (Uul). After a break these heights resume in a third range, which tops 4,000 meters at Turgen Mountain. The fourth range, the Hentiy(4) Mountains, is northeast of the capital, and is a low southern extension of the Yablonovyy(5) Range of Russia(6); it divides the Arctic bound rivers from the Pacific headed ones.
In northeast Mongolia are the headwaters of the Amur River. Much of north central Mongolia is part of the Yenisey(7) basin. The rest of Mongolia is either without permanent water--like the Gobi Desert that covers most of the south--or consists of exitless basins. One of these is a star of rivers surrounding salty Uvs Lake (Nuur) in the northwest. The Dzhavhan River (Gol) drains the southwest side of the range with its name, and flows northwest to another salt lake: Hyargas, not far from Uvs. On the northeast side of the Altay, the Hovd River flows southeast into a series of lakes, including some fresh ones. The other side of those heights drain in part into a marshy sink in the nation's southwest.
There are two other large fresh lakes, Hovsgol Lake, a source for the Selenge and in turn for the Yenisey, and Buyr(8), on the Kerulen River--known as the Herlen in China(9), part of the Amur system.
In all but the west Mongolian, in one dialect or another, is the only language of consequence. In western Mongolia, it is a plurality, and the majority belong to the Altaic language family which includes Mongolian.
Throughout the country Buddhism is the majority religion. In all but western Mongolia, the Lamist form is virtually the only religion, and in the west it is the single most important one.
The capital, Ulaanbaatar(10), is the only city with more than a half million people. It is the traditional center for Lamist religion in Mongolia.
Bayan-Olgiy, Uvs and Hovd Counties
Gobi-Altay, Dzavhan, Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Omnogobi, Ovorhangay, Dundgobi, Suhbaatar, Hentiy, Dornod, Hovsgol, Bulgan, Selenge, Tov, Orhon, Ulaanbaatar and Dorngobi Counties
(1) Officially Mongol Ard Uls
(2) Also spelled Altaj or Altai.
(3) Also spelled Zavhan Hangajn.
(4) Also spelled Hentij.
(5) Also transliterated from Russian as Jablonovyj.
(6) More formerly transliterated from Russian as Rossija or Rossiya.
(7) Also transliterated from Russian as Jenisey.
(8) Also spelled Bujr.
(9) Transliterated from Chinese as Zhongguo or Chung-hua.
(10) Translates as Red Valiant Warrior; formerly known as Urga.