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COUNTRY HOPPING: Mongolia
Official name: Mongolia
Area: 1,565,000 sq km
Population: 2,579,000
Capital: Ulan Bator
Currency: Tugrik
Official Language: Khalkha Mongolian
Major Cities: Darhan, Erdenetsogt, Choybalsan
Independence Day: 13 March 1921
Mongolia is a land locked country located in east-Central Asia, bounded north by Russia and south by China.
Physical features
Mongolia mainly consists of a plateau of about 3,000 to 5,000 feet in elevation, broken by mountain ranges in the north and west. The highest peaks are in the Mongol Altai Mountains, of which Nayramadlin Peak (also called H|yten Peak;14,350 feet), at the western tip of the country, is Mongolia’s highest point. The Gobi Desert covers a wide arid tract in the central and southeast areas. River Selenge and River Orhon are the major rivers while Uvs, Har Us and Hyargas are the major lake found here.
Climate
Mongolia has a marked continental climate, with long, cold winters and short, cool to hot summers. Mongolias climate is harsh, with temperatures ranging from -30° to -15°C in winter and 100 to 27° C in summer. Winters are dry, and summer rainfall seldom exceeds 380 mms in the mountains and 125 mms in the desert.
People
Khalkha is the largest Mongol group, which makes up 79 per cent of the population and lives mainly in the central and eastern areas of the country. Other Mongol groups include the Buryadchuudid, Dvrwvdchuudid, Ooldchuud, Bayadchuud, Dzakhchid, Uriyankhaichuud, Uzemchid, and Bargachuud. Each group has its own dialect and traditions, but in general differences are small. The largest non-Mongol ethnic group, comprising about 6 per cent of the population, is the Kazakhchuud, Turkic-speaking Muslims.
Language
Mongol belongs to the Altaic language family. The Khalkha Mongol dialect is spoken by most of the people; it is also used in schools and for official business. The Mongol alphabet has 26 characters, which are written vertically but in different ways according to their position in a word. The Kazakhchuud use their own language (which uses a Cyrillic alphabet) in schools and local government. English and Russian are also commonly understood and spoken by many.
Religion
Traditionally, Mongols practised a combination of Tibetan Buddhism (also called Vajrayana Buddhism) and shamanism. Mongolia had hundreds of monasteries, and about half of all men were monks. By 1945, after the Communists government’s religious purge, all but one monastery had been closed, although shamanistic practices continued. Since 1990, when freedom of religion was restored, Buddhism has rapidly re-established itself, and more than 100 monasteries have reopened.
Government
The constitution provides for a 76-member parliament, the People’s Great Hural (assembly), elected by a simple majority voting system for a four-year term. Parliamentary deputies must obtain the support of at least 50 % of the electorate in their constituencies. The president is popularly elected for a four-year term. The country is divided into 18 provinces and 3 municipalities.
Major exports
Minerals and metals (primarily copper concentrate), foodstuffs, agricultural products, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar.
Wildlife
The animals found in Mongolia are brown bear, Bactrian camel, Asian black bear, Bobac marmot, moose, musk deer, red deer, Saiga, snow leopard, Eurasian badger, grey wolf, Wolverine, red fox, red squirrel, wild boar, Eurasian otter, wild horse, Asiatic wild ass and Siberian ibex.
Birds here include steppe eagle, whooper swan, great bustard, peregrine falcon, great spotted woodpecker, bearded vulture, Western Capercaillie, European nuthatch and golden oriole.
Diet
Mongolian diet consists largely of dairy products, meat, millet, barley, and wheat. Mutton or beef is usually eaten at least once a day. Common meals include guriltai shul (mutton and noodle soup), boiled mutton, and buuz (steamed dumplings stuffed with diced meat, onion, cabbage, garlic, salt, and pepper). A boiled version of the dumpling is called bansh. In summer, people eat milk products (dried milk curds, butter, airagfermented mares milkand yogurt).
History
AD 1206: Nomadic Mongol tribes united by Genghis Khan to form nucleus of vast Mongol Empire which, stretching across central Asia, reached its zenith under Kublai Khan.
Late 17th century: Conquered by China to become province of Outer Mongolia.
1911: Independence proclaimed by Mongolian nationalists after Chinese republican revolution; Tsarist Russia helped Mongolia to secure autonomy, under a traditionalist Buddhist monarchy in the form of a reincarnated lama.
1915: Chinese sovereignty reasserted.
1921: Chinese rule overthrown with Soviet help.
1924: People’s Republic proclaimed on death of king, when the monarchy was abolished; defeudalization program launched, entailing collectivization of agriculture and suppression of Lama Buddhism.
1932: Armed antigovernment uprising suppressed with Soviet assistance; 100,000 killed in political purges.
1946: China recognized Mongolia’s independence.
1952: Death of Marshal Horloogiyn Choybalsan, the dominant force in the ruling communist Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) since 1939.
1958: Yumjaagiyn Tsedenbal became dominant figure in MPRP and country.
1962: Joined Comecon.
1966: 20-year friendship, cooperation, and mutual-assistance pact signed with Soviet Union (USSR). Relations with China deteriorated.
1984: Tsedenbal, the effective leader, retired; replaced by Jambyn Batmunkh.
1987: Reduction in number of Soviet troops; Mongolia’s external contacts broadened. Tolerance of traditional social customs encouraged nationalist revival.
1989: Further Soviet troop reductions.
1990: Demonstrations and democratization campaign launched, influenced by events in Eastern Europe; Batmunkh resigned and charged with corruption. Ex-communist MPRP elected in first free multiparty elections; Punsalmaagiyn Ochirbat indirectly elected president. Mongolian script readopted.
1991: Massive privatization program launched. GDP declined by 10 %. Ochirbat resigned from MPRP in wake of anti-Gorbachev attempted coup in USSR.
1992: MPRP returned to power in assembly elections held under new, non-communist constitution. Economic situation worsened; GDP again declined by 10 %.
1993: Ochirbat won first direct presidential elections.
1996: Economy showed signs of revival. Union Coalition won assembly elections, defeating MPRP and ending 75 years of communist rule. Defence cooperation agreement signed with USA. Mendsayhany Enhsayhan became prime minister.
1997: Ex-communist Natsagiyn Bagabandi elected MPRP chairman. Economic shock therapy program, supervised by IMF and World Bank, created unemployment and made government unpopular. Bagabandi elected president. Mongolia became first country to abolish all taxes and tariffs on trade.
1998: National Democratic Party (DU) leader Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj became prime minister. His government toppled in July after losing a noconfidence vote. Attempts to form a new DU-led government, led by Rinchinnyamiin Amarjargal, failed in August. Janlaviyn Narantsatsralt, member of the MNDP, became prime minister in December.
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