Mongolia 8th edition

The eastern half of the country is well-developed and its capital, Ulaan Baatar is a modern city emerging out of a collection of traditional villages. One can fly into the capital or take a train from Beijing, with a change of train at the border which can be amusingly complicated. Parts of the famous Gobi Desert have been incorporated into park-like protected areas, mostly along the border with China, and are difficult to enter, but the Gobi is huge, so ample opportunities to explore it exist. The western portion of Mongolia suffers from poor infrastructure development, mostly roads, so is less developed but more traditional as a result. The map includes a detailed inset map of Ulaan Baatar, the only city of any significance in the country.