Which of the following statements with regard to Mongolia and the Gobi Desert is/are correct? 1. Mongolia is a landlocked nation bordered exclusively by two sovereign states: Russia to its north and China to its south. 2. The Gobi Desert is a tropical sand-dune erg located entirely within western India and southern Pakistan. Select the answer using the code given below: |ForumIAS

[A] 1 only

[B] 2 only

[C] Both 1 and 2

[D] Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: A

Notes:

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Mongolia is squeezed entirely between the Russian Federation to the north and the People’s Republic of China to the south, making it a classic buffer state.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Gobi is a cold rain-shadow desert spanning northern/northeastern China and southern Mongolia, not a tropical desert in India or Pakistan (which describes the Thar Desert).