The Gobi Desert stretches more than 500,000 square miles and is located in the northern part of China the southern part of Mongolia. There are only two major cities that surround this desert. Hohhot and Boatou, which are major cities of China, surround the Gobi desert. These cities are commercial centers for the Chinese city of Jining and the capitol of Mongolia, Ulan Baator. No major cities are located in the interior of the Gobi. From north to south, the Gobi Desert extends about 600 miles, and from east to west, extends 1,200 miles. This desert lies on a high plateau and has a elevation range of 3,000 to 5,000 feet.

The center of the Gobi has many areas that consist of dry, rock-like or sandy soil, steppes surround the center and 5% of the Gobi consists of sand dunes. In wetter parts of the Gobi, wheat, millet, oats, and a tall cereal grass called Gaoliang, grow and have people care for them. The climate in the Gobi is very dry and it reaches to about 70 degrees in the summer and 10 degrees in the winter.