region of eastern Asia east of the Altai Mountains including independent Mongolia, the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, and Russia's Tyva Republic; includes the Gobi Desert
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or formerly (to distinguish it from the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia) Outer Mongolialandlocked country in eastern Asia between China and Russia comprising the major portion of the region of Mongolia; a republic; capital Ulaanbaatar area 603,909 square miles (1,564,116 square kilometers), population 3,103,000