Mongolia, the ancient nomadic Mongols is located in the heart of Central Asia. It borders with the Russia in the north and the People's Republic of China in the south. Mongolia's total land area is 604,250 square miles (1,564,116 km²). Mongolia is the fifth largest country in Asia and the seventeenth largest in the world. It is more than two times larger than the U.S. state of Texas and slightly larger than Spain, France and Germany combined.This beautiful country of forever-blue sky is surrounded by High Altai Rocky Mountains in the west; dense forested areas in the north, vast plain in the east, and Gobi desert in the south. Much of Mongolia consists of steppes. The highest point in Mongolia is the Khuiten Peak in the Tavan Bogd massif in the far west at 4,374 m (14,350 ft). The basin of the lake Uvs Nuur, shared with Tuva Republic in Russia, is a natural World Heritage Site.