Mongolia — map and facts

About Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east, and west. Its capital and largest city is Ulaanbaatar, home to roughly half of the country's total population of approximately 3.4 million people. Mongolia is governed as a semi-presidential republic, with an elected president and a unicameral parliament called the State Great Khural. The country covers an area of over 1.5 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest landlocked nation. Mongolia's economy relies heavily on mining, particularly coal, copper, and gold, with the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine among the largest operations of its kind globally. Animal husbandry remains culturally significant, and the traditional nomadic lifestyle persists for a substantial portion of the rural population. The Mongolian tugrik is the national currency. Mongolia maintains strong diplomatic relationships with both Russia and China while also pursuing a so-called "third neighbour" policy with Western nations.

Geography and Landscape

Mongolia's terrain is extraordinarily diverse, ranging from the cold deserts of the Gobi in the south to the vast steppe grasslands that dominate the centre and east of the country. The Gobi Desert, shared with northern China, is one of the world's largest desert regions and is notable for its extreme temperature fluctuations. The western and northern regions are mountainous; the Altai Mountains stretch across the west into neighbouring China and Russia, with Khüiten Peak reaching 4,374 metres as Mongolia's highest point. The Khangai and Khentii mountain ranges define the central and northeastern highlands. Mongolia's major rivers include the Selenge, which drains northward into Russia's Lake Baikal, and the Orkhon, one of the longest rivers entirely within the country. Many high-altitude lakes dot the western region, including Uvs Nuur and Khovsgol Nuur. The climate is sharply continental, with long, bitterly cold winters and short, warm summers. Mongolia experiences a meteorological phenomenon known as dzud, a severe winter following summer drought that devastates livestock.

History

Human habitation in present-day Mongolia dates back tens of thousands of years. The region was home to various nomadic confederacies including the Xiongnu, whose confrontations with Han China from around the third century BCE shaped both civilisations. The Göktürks and Uyghur Khaganate also ruled the steppes before the rise of Genghis Khan. In 1206, Temüjin unified the Mongol tribes and was proclaimed Genghis Khan, founding the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous land empire in history, stretching from the Pacific to Eastern Europe by the late thirteenth century. After the empire fragmented, Mongolia fell under Manchu Qing dynasty control in the seventeenth century. Following the 1911 Chinese Revolution, Mongolia declared independence, and in 1924 the Mongolian People's Republic was established as a Soviet satellite state. Democratic reforms in 1990 ended communist rule, and a new constitution in 1992 established the current democratic system. Since then, Mongolia has developed its mining sector and engaged increasingly with international markets.