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Territory Mongolia is the 18th largest in the world. Mongolia covers an area of 1,566,500 sq. km. Mongolia stretches about 2,400 kilometers from west to east and about 1,260 kilometers from north to south... It is located on average altitude is 1580 meters above the sea level. The largest Mongolian mountain range, the Altai Mountain, is located in the western part of the country. This range of mountains stretches for 1500 km. It is bordered to the north by Russia, while China forms the border to the east, south and west The country Is dotted with hundreds of lakes, the largest being Uvs-Nuur (covering an area of 3,350 sq. km.), Huvsgul (2,620 sq. km.) and Khar Us-Nuur (1,852 sq. km). The Orkhon (1,124 kilometers), the Kherlen (1090 kilometers) and the Selenge  (539 kilometers) are the largest rivers. Mountains and dense forests pre-dominate central and northern Mongolia and grasslands cover large areas of this region. Across the eastern part of the country stretches the vast grasslands of the Asian steppe. The steppe gradually fades into the Gobi desert, which extends throughout southern Mongolia from the east to west. The Gobi is mostly rocky dirt and silt dotted with gravel, but also contains sand dunes in the drier areas near the southern border.