Tajikistan is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. With an area of 142,500 km2, the country is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It is located between Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan to the north and west, Afghanistan to the south, and China to the east. Tajikistan is home to some of the highest mountains in the world including parts of the Kunlun, Himalayan, Tien-shan and Pamir Ranges. Mountains cover 93% of Tajikistan's surface area. More than half of the country lies above an elevation of 3,000 meters (9,800 ft). The massive mountain ranges are cut by hundreds of canyons and gorges at the bottom of which run streams. In general, Tajikistan's climate is continental, subtropical, and semiarid, with some desert areas. The climate changes drastically according to elevation, however. At Tajikistan's lower elevations, the average temperature range is 23 to 30 °C (73.4 to 86 °F) in July and -1 to 3 °C (30.2 to 37.4 °F) in January. In the eastern Pamirs, the average July temperature is 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F), and the average January temperature is -15 to -20 °C (5 to -4 °F). Tajikistan is the wettest of the Central Asian republics. Most precipitation occurs in the winter and spring.