Mongolia is a land-locked country in Central Asia, situated between Russia and China. It has an area of 604.250 sq. ml (1.565.000 sq. km), i.e. nearly France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium combined. The average altitude of the country is l.580 m above sea level. Almost 90% of Mongolia is pasture, desert and mountains. 10% f the land is covered by forests. About 1% of the land is sustainable for agriculture.