The beautiful country where it's freezing -55C in winter but red hot 40C in summer

Asia is a popular tourist destination for Britons who head there for long breaks or even for a gap year.

While Western tourists are a familiar sight in places like Thailand and Vietnam, not many tread further to the east to Mongolia.

Lying south of Russia, north of China, east of Kazakhstan and east of North Korea, Mongolia has a population of just 3.4million people - despite being 603,000 square miles in size.

It is for this reason that Mongolia is famous for being one of the most remote countries on Earth, as well as being the home of the brutal leader Genghis Khan.

Another lesser-known aspect of life in Mongolia is its extreme climates in both summer and winter.

In summer, temperatures in the country soar up to 40 degrees celsius, while in winter, it can drop to as low as -55.

As Mongolia Travel and Tours highlights, the summer temperatures in the country are tempered by altitude in the Altai mountains and in the Orkhon Valley, or by latitude for Lake Khövsgöl.

Temperatures are especially high in the Southern Gobi Desert.

While heat is a feature of a Mongolian summer, the country experiences a magnitude of weather conditions.

Winter in Mongolia lasts for four months from November to February. It brings with it dry, cold, blue skies and only a small amount of snow.

It is possible to travel in winter with the right equipment. However, Mongolia Travel and Tours says the best time to travel is from mid-May to late September.

Tourists who head to Mongolia usually head to nomad communities to experience the remote life they lead.

The country boasts a number of national parks, as well as the famous Genghis Khan Statue Complex.