Country Information on Mongolia 

Terrain

Mongolia is a mountainous country. The Altai Mountains in western Mongolia are permanently snow-capped and their highest peak is Nayramadlin, at just over 4,370 metres. The Gobi Desert, in the south east, covers around 33% of Mongolia and supports almost no natural vegetation. The high plains of the Kerulen are also desert-like. The north has more rivers, which is why there are woods and large pasturelands. The country's largest rivers are the Kerulen, the Selenga and the Ider.

Climate

Mongolia's extreme climate is characterized by long winters with subarctic temperatures. It is not uncommon for there to be snow in the Gobi Desert as late as April or for some lakes to remain frozen until June. There is a short rainy season from mid-July to September, when there is light rain. In summer, the temperature can reach up to 40°C, but because Mongolia is located at a high altitude, evenings can be cool in the summer. Temperatures drop to around -50°C between January and February (the coldest winter months).

Fauna/Flora

Mongolia has numerous saltwater and freshwater lakes, the largest of which is the Hövsgöl Nuur, which contains 2% of the world's freshwater and is home to various species of fish. Despite the dry conditions of the Gobi Desert, there are scattered bushes and other plants that are adapted to its climate. Although the desert has very little vegetation, is has enough to support herds of sheep, goats and camels. The pasturelands in the south west used to be home to the Przewalski horse, which is now no longer found in the wild.

History/Politics

First settlement of the area of present-day Mongolia dates back around 100,000 years. However, tribal alliances did not form until the 3rd century BC to attack China. This led to the construction of the Great Wall of China around 200 BC.

The term "Mongol" comes from the name of a clan whose leader, Genghis Khan, began a conquest that would make him the ruler of a vast empire stretching from Asia to Europe in the 8th century AD. It reached its zenith under Genghis Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan. However, the empire began to decline in the 14th century and increasingly strong attacks from China finally led to the downfall of Mongolia in 1689.

After the 1911 Republican Revolution in China, Mongolian nationalists declared their independence. The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) formed independent transitional government in 1921. The Mongolian People's Republic was founded in 1924, following the death of the Living Buddha (who had been Head of State until then).

China did not recognize Mongolia's independence until 1946. Over the years, Mongolia and Russia began to have closer relations and in 1966, a treaty of friendship and cooperation was signed that entitled Mongolia to call upon the USSR for military aid in the event of invasion over a period of 20 years.

As a result of perestroika in Russia, a period of political and economic liberalisation began in 1989. The constitution was rewritten and a pluralist democratic system was introduced in 1992. The MPRP won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections that same year as a result of economic problems in the country.

The Mongolian National Democratic Party won the parliamentary elections of 1996, which marked the end of 75 years of Communist rule in Mongolia. The MPRP leader Natsagiin Bagabandi, was elected president and was re-elected in May 2001. The winter that year was particularly harsh and led to the death of six million cattle. It was therefore necessary to implement programmes to support livestock farming families in the countryside. Nambaryn Enkhbayar won the presidential elections in May 2005.

Economy

Mongolia is rich in natural resources; however, the economy is still largely based on agriculture and the breeding of livestock (and the processing of their products in a specialised industrial sector).

Since 1990, the Mongolian government has been taking measures to improve conditions and therefore promote foreign investment. It has implemented a series of political and economic reforms, such as the privatisation of state-owned companies, such as the Gobi Corporation, which produces cashmere. In 2003, the inflation rate was 4.7% and the unemployment rate was 3.8%.

Culture

Tibetan Buddhism and Nomadism dominate Mongolia's paintings, music and literature. Tsam dances, which are inspired by Nomadism and Shamanism, represent the impermanence of life and are performed to exorcise evil spirits and purify souls. In Mongolian khoomi singing, male voices produce harmonic overtones from deep in the throat, releasing several notes at once.

A modified version of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet has been used to write Mongolian since 1944. A revised transcription of the epic chronicle "The Secret History of the Mongols", which was completed around the middle of the 13th century, has recently been completed.