Small Gobi A

Small Gobi A is a strictly protected area in Ömnögovi Province in southern Mongolia, established in 1993. It protects desert and semi-desert ecosystems and covers a very large area of the Gobi, listed in the park record as about 11,500 km².

The area is important habitat for the khulan (Asiatic wild ass), which ranges across the Gobi, and for black-tailed (goitered) gazelle.

The area has dunes and saxaul shrub woodland alongside desert steppe and semi-desert vegetation typical of the Gobi.

The strictly protected area covers a flat to rolling Gobi desert landscape in southern Mongolia, with sandy and gravel plains and some dunes.

The Gobi has an extreme continental desert climate, with very cold winters, hot summers and little rain.

The Gobi has long been grazed by nomadic herders, but a strictly protected area is closed to settlement.

Small Gobi A was established in 1993 as one of two Small Gobi strictly protected areas.

There are no developed trails. The area's interest is its desert wilderness and its wildlife, particularly the khulan.

The nearest town is Dalanzadgad, about 100 km away. Strictly protected areas are not set up for general tourism, and entry usually requires a permit.

The area is a strictly protected area, the strictest protection category in Mongolia, and it is a proposed component of a World Heritage nomination covering the Great Gobi.