The Mongols gained fame in the
13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian
empire. 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. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. 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. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP
overwhelmingly to power in 2000, but 2004 elections reduced MPRP
representation and, therefore, its authority.
Geography
Mongolia
Location:
Northern Asia, between China
and Russia
Geographic coordinates:
46 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 1,564,116 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 8,220 km
border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
desert; continental (large
daily and seasonal temperature ranges)
Terrain:
vast semidesert and desert
plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in
south-central
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Hoh Nuur
518 m highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m
total: 0.44 cu km/yr
(20%/27%/52%) per capita: 166 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
dust storms, grassland and
forest fires, drought, and 'zud,' which is harsh winter conditions
Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water
resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted
rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the
environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of
enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in
Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land
to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain;
desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the
environment
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed,
but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location
between China and Russia
total: 24.9 years
male: 24.6 years female: 25.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.493% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
21.09 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.16 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77
male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 41.24
deaths/1,000 live births male: 44.41 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 37.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.32
years male: 64.92 years female: 69.84 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.24 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 500 (2003 est)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian
Ethnic groups:
Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%,
Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1%
(2000)
Religions:
Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist
and Christian 6%, Muslim 4%, none 40% (2004)
Languages:
Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic,
Russian (1999)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 97.8%
male: 98% female: 97.5% (2000 census)
Government
Mongolia
Country name:
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Mongolia local long
form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former:
Outer Mongolia
Government type:
mixed
parliamentary/presidential
Capital:
name: Ulaanbaatar
geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 55 E time
difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
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:
President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 24 June 2005) head of
government: Prime Minister Sanjaa BAYAR (since 22 November 2007);
Deputy Prime Minister Miegombyn ENKHBOLD (since 6 December 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in
consultation with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural
(parliament) elections: presidential candidates nominated by
political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular
vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held
22 May 2005 (next to be held in May 2009); following legislative
elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually
elected prime minister by State Great Hural election results:
Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected president; percent of vote - Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR
53.44%, Mendsaikhanin ENKHSAIKHAN 20.05%, Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN 13.92%,
Badarchyn ERDENEBAT 12.59%; Miegombyn ENKHBOLD elected prime minister by
the State Great Hural 56 to 10
Legislative branch:
unicameral State Great Hural 76
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms
elections: last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held on 29 June
2008) election results: percent of vote by party - MPRP 48.8%,
MDC 44.8%, independents 3.5%, Republican Party 1.5%, others 1.4%; seats by
party - MPRP 36, MDC 34, others 4; note - 2 seats disputed and unfilled;
following June 2004 election MDC collapsed
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)
Political parties and leaders:
Citizens Will Party
[Sanjaasurengiin OYUN] (also called Civil Will); Democratic Party or DP
[Tsakhiagiyn ELBEGDORJ]; Motherland-Mongolian New Socialist Democratic
Party or M-MNSDP [Badarchyn ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary
Party or MPRP [Sanji BAYAR]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [Bazarsadyn
JARGALSAIKHAN]; People's Party or PP [Lamjav GUNDALAI] note: DP
and Motherland Party formed Motherland-Democracy Coalition (MDC) in 2003
and with cooperation from Civil Will and Republican parties contested June
2004 elections as single party; coalition was dissolved in December 2004
chief of mission:
Ambassador Khasbazaryn BEKHBAT chancery: 2833 M Street NW,
Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117
FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Mark C. MINTON embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro
Region, Ulaanbaatar mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP
96521-0002; P.O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar-13 telephone: [976] (11)
329-095 FAX: [976] (11) 320-776
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
Mongolia
Economy - overview:
Economic activity in Mongolia
has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has
extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, gold, molybdenum, fluorspar,
uranium, tin, and tungsten account for a large part of industrial
production and foreign direct investment. 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 was 10.6% in 2004, 5.5% in
2005, 7.5% in 2006, and 9.9% in 2007 largely because of high copper prices
and new gold production. Mongolia is experiencing its highest inflation
rate in over a decade as consumer prices in 2007 rose 15%, largely because
of increased fuel and food costs. Mongolia's economy continues to be
heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, 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 70% of Mongolia's exports. Remittances from Mongolians
working abroad both legally and illegally are sizable, and money
laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt
with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined
the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation
and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes.
construction and construction
materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and
gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere
and natural fiber manufacturing
machinery and equipment, fuel,
cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building
materials, sugar, tea
Imports - partners:
Russia 29.7%, China 29.4%,
Japan 11.9% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$159.5 million (2006)
Debt - external:
$1.438 billion (2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$613.3 million (2007)
Currency (code):
togrog/tugrik (MNT)
Currency code:
MNT
Exchange rates:
togrogs/tugriks per US dollar -
1,170 (2007), 1,179.6 (2006), 1,205 (2005), 1,185.3 (2004), 1,146.5 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Mongolia
Telephones - main lines in use:
158,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
775,300 (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
network is improving with international direct dialing available in many
areas domestic: very low fixed-line density; there are multiple
mobile cellular service providers and subscribership is increasing
rapidly; a fiber-optic network is also being installed that will improve
broadband and communication services between major urban centers
international: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 115 (includes 20
National radio broadcaster repeaters), shortwave 4 (2006)
Radios:
155,900 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
456 (including provincial and
low-power repeaters) (2006)
Televisions:
168,800 (1999)
Internet country code:
.mn
Internet hosts:
298 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2001)
Internet users:
268,300 (2005)
Transportation
Mongolia
Airports:
44 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 13 over
3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437
m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 31 over
3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m:
23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Railways:
total: 1,810 km
broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 49,250 km
paved: 1,724 km unpaved: 47,526 km (2002)
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 (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 73 ships (1000
GRT or over) 448,252 GRT/668,689 DWT by type: bulk carrier 12,
cargo 52, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 1, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 62 (Bulgaria 2,
China 3, Hong Kong 1, Japan 1, Lebanon 1, Malaysia 1, Russia 17, Singapore
12, Syria 1, Thailand 1, Ukraine 3, UAE 5, Vietnam 14) (2007)
Military
Mongolia
Military branches:
Mongolian Armed Forces:
Mongolian Army, Mongolian Air Force; there is no navy (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
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)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 865,425
females age 16-49: 860,669 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 696,652
females age 16-49: 731,480 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 29,990
females age 16-49: 29,256 (2008 est.)
