Background: The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they established a huge Eurasian empire through conquest. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing and a Communist regime was installed in 1924. The modern country of Mongolia, however, represents only part of the Mongols' historical homeland; more Mongols live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China than in Mongolia. Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. The MPRP won an overwhelming majority in the 2000 parliamentary election, but the party lost seats in the 2004 election and shared power with democratic coalition parties from 2004-08. The MPRP regained a solid majority in the 2008 parliamentary elections but nevertheless formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party. The prime minister and most cabinet members are MPRP members.
Geography Location: Completely landlocked between two large neighbors - Russian Federation and China. It was immeasurably bigger during the period of Mongol conquest under Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan. Until the 20th century Mongolia was twice its present size and included a large chunk of Siberia and Inner Mongolia (now controlled by China).
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 105 00 E
Area: Total: 1,564,116 sq km
Land boundaries: Total: 8,220 km (5,072 miles) bordered with Russian Federation to the North, China to the East, South and West. 3,485 km (2,166 miles.) of which is with Russian Federation and 4, 677 km (2,906 miles) is with China.
Climate: Mongolia's climate is extremely continental, with long cold, dry winters and short warm summers. For two or three months in summer, the weather is warm and pleasant and relatively hot in the southern Gobi region. Winter usually lasts from mid-October until April, with the coldest period being between mid-December and the end of February or mid-March when the temperature drops to -20 or -30c and occasionally even lower. Snow usually falls between mid-October and mid-April.
Humidity is generally low (47-73%), especially in winter, and because of the dryness the cold is less noticeable. Moreover, the cold weather is relieved by the almost continuous blue sky and sunshine. The number of sunny days ranges between 220 and 260 a year.
Terrain: Vast semi desert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m , Dornod province
Highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m , Bayan-Olgii province
Natural resources: Oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron
Natural hazards: Dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions
People
Population: 2,791,272 (July 2005 est.) The present urban population is above one million, Ulaanbaatar having 700,000 inhabitants - one third of the total population of Mongolia. However, a significant part of the urban populations still live in ger /national dwelling/ habitations on the town peripheries.
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.7% (male 407,547/female 392,440), 5-64 years: 67.7% (male 943,418/female 945,063), 5 years and over: 3.7% (male 44,413/female 58,391) (2005 est.)
Median age: Total: 24.28 years, Male: 23.93 years, Female: 24.64 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.45% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 21.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.), 7.03 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Nationality: Noun: Mongolian(s), Gdjective: Mongolian
Ethnic groups: Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000)
Religions: Buddhist Lamaist 50%, none 40%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4% (2005)
Languages: Though Mongols developed own script way back in 13th century, some 50 years ago it was banned and the Russian Cyrillic alphabet imposed as the official script. After the Democratic Revolution of 1990, the Parliament decided to return the old script back into use as a main precondition for preserving the traditional culture and national identity.
The old script, written vertically from up to down, is being taught currently in all secondary schools since 1994, but now only 30 percent of Mongols can write, while another 50 percent can read it.
Second language: Russian is spoken by many graduates, with many Mongolians formerly educated in Russia. English is replacing Russian as the second language. German is spoken by many graduates, and a little Spanish, France and Japanese is spoken. Chinese not widely understood except in border areas.
Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write, Total population: 97.8%, male: 98%, female: 97.5% (2005)
Country name: conventional long form: none, conventional short form: Mongolia, local long form: none, local short form: Mongol Uls, former: Outer Mongolia
Government type: Parliamentary type of Government, with President second in authority to State Great Hural (Parliament).
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (aimguud, singular - aimag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govi-Sumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs
Independence:
- January 1 - New YearMid-February
- Mongolian New Year (Tsagaan Sar)
- June 1 - Mother and Children's Day
- July 11, 12, 13 - National Day and Naadam Festival
- November 26 - Independence Day
Legal system: Blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine "continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: Chief of state: PresidentTsakhi Elbegdorj (since June 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Bayar (since 2008);
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the State Great Hural (parliament) in consultation with the president
elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term; presidential tenure limited to two four-year terms; election last held 22 May 2009 (next to be held in May 2013); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by State Great Hural.
Legislative branch: Unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms
elections: last held 27 June 2008 (next to be held in June 2012)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the president)
International organization participation: ARF, AsDB, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Flag description: Three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("Soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol)
Economy
Economy - overview:Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture - Mongolia's extensive mineral deposits, however, have attracted foreign investors. The country holds copper, gold, coal, molybdenum, fluorspar, uranium, tin, and tungsten deposits, which account for a large part of foreign direct investment and government revenues. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession, because of political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth, because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000-02 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth averaged nearly 9% per year in 2004-08 largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. In 2008 Mongolia experienced a soaring inflation rate with year-to-year inflation reaching nearly 30% - the highest inflation rate in over a decade. By late 2008, as the country began to feel the effects of the global financial crisis, falling commodity prices helped lower inflation, but also reduced government revenues and forced cuts in spending. In early 2009, the International Monetary Fund reached a $236 million Stand-by Arrangement with Mongolia, and the country has started to move out of the crisis, although the banking sector remains unstable. In October 2009, the government passed long-awaited legislation on an investment agreement to develop Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi mine, considered to be one of the world's largest untapped copper deposits. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily influenced by its neighbors. Mongolia purchases 95% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. Trade with China represents more than half of Mongolia's total external trade - China receives about three-fourths of Mongolia's exports. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad are sizable, but have fallen due to the economic crisis; money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization in 1997 and seeks to expand its participation in regional economic and trade regimes.
Agriculture - products: Wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops, sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses
Industries: Construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing
Exports - commodities: copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals, coal
Imports - commodities: Machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea
Imports - partners: China 64.5%, Canada 6.9%, UK 6.5%, Luxembourg 6.4%, US 4.5% (2008)
Currency (code): Tugrug /tugrik (MNT), At the present, 10,000, 5,000, 1,000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, and 1 tugrug notes are in circulation.
Fiscal year: Calendar year
Communications
Telephone system: International Direct Dial (IDD) phone calls are available from hotels in main cities and post offices in country-side. Country code for Mongolia is 976 and the area code for Ulaanbaatar is 11.
The mobile phone network is GSM. If you bring a GSM you can get a new SIM card installed in Mongolia.
Internet country code: .mn
Transportation Railways: Total: 1,810 km
Broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2009)
Highways: Total: 49,256 km
Paved: 2,824 km
Unpaved: 46,426 km (includes 1,994 km with gravel surface and 1,874 km with improved surface) (2009)
Waterways: 580 km
Note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2007)
Airports: 45 (2009)
Military
18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers; women cannot be deployed overseas for military operations (2006)
Military branches: Mongolian Armed Forces: Mongolian Army, Mongolian Air Force; there is no navy (2010)