Mongolia
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Where is Mongolia located?
Mongolia, historically known as Outer Mongolia, is a landlocked country in north-central Asia. It sits between Russia to the north and China to the south. Mongolia is located far from the moderating influence of any ocean. The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar, which lies in the north-central part of the country. Mongolia's land area is roughly equivalent to the size of western and central Europe, and it lies in a similar latitude range.
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What is the capital city of Mongolia?
The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar, situated on the Tuul River at an elevation of 4,430 feet (1,350 meters). Known to the Russians as Urga, Ulaanbaatar originated as a migratory settlement for Mongolian princes, becoming permanent in 1639 with the construction of Da Khure Monastery.
In 1911, it was renamed Niislel Khureheh, meaning "Capital of Mongolia." By 1924, it was called Ulaanbaatar, or "Red Hero". Today, Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia's main industrial center, known for its mix of traditional and modern elements.
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What kind of climate does Mongolia have?
Mongolia has a pronounced continental climate because of its high latitude and elevation and distance from oceans. This results in very cold winters and cool to hot summers. The difference between January and July temperatures can reach 80 °F (44 °C), and daily temperature variations can be as high as 55 °F (30 °C).
Precipitation varies based on elevation and latitude, ranging from under 4 inches (100 mm) in low-lying desert areas to about 14 inches (350 mm) in the northern mountains. Most precipitation occurs as summer thunderstorms and varies considerably from year to year. Mongolia averages 220 to 260 clear, sunny days annually, but the weather can be severe and unpredictable, with sandstorms, hailstorms, and blizzards.
Mongolia has four main vegetation zones that run from north to south and from mountains to basins: forest-steppe, steppe, semidesert, and desert.
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What is traditional Mongolian life like?
Traditional Mongolian life centers on nomadic pastoralism, with families migrating across the steppes alongside herds of sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. The ger (yurt), a portable, round dwelling, serves as the traditional home, designed for easy assembly and transport. Inside, the north is the place of honor, and the stove sits at the center.
Livestock provides the primary source of food, with meat and dairy products forming the basis of the Mongolian diet. A popular beverage is airag (koumiss), fermented mare's milk. Social life revolves around family, clan, and tribe, with a strong emphasis on kinship. The deel, a long, colorful gown, is the traditional clothing worn by both men and women. While modernization has brought changes, many old customs persist, blending traditional practices with contemporary life.
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Who was Genghis Khan and why is he important in Mongolian history?
Genghis Khan (born 1162, died 1227) was a Mongolian warrior and ruler who united the nomadic tribes of Mongolia into a disciplined military state.
He is important in Mongolian history because he consolidated the tribes into a unified Mongolia and then extended his empire across Asia to the Adriatic Sea, establishing the great Mongol Empire. Organization, discipline, mobility, and ruthlessness of purpose were fundamental factors in his military successes. With a numerically inferior army, he defeated great empires.
His achievements were grandiose. At the time of his death, Genghis Khan had conquered land from Beijing to the Caspian Sea.
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How have Mongolia’s traditions and history influenced its culture today?
Mongolia's culture today is a unique blend of nomadic traditions, shamanic practices, and Buddhist beliefs. These elements have shaped daily life, social customs, and artistic expression.
The traditions of the Mongols are deeply rooted in their history. Despite modernization, many old conventions persist, such as the arrangement of the ger (yurt) and customs of hospitality. The national costume, the deel, is still worn, and the Lunar New Year (Tsagaan Sar) is celebrated with ancient rituals.
Mongolian literature and arts also reflect their history, drawing from oral traditions, heroic epics, and folk tales. The legacy of Genghis Khan, a revered symbol of Mongol nationhood, is visible in arts and media. The revival of religious practices and the restoration of monasteries also demonstrate the enduring influence of the past on contemporary Mongolian culture.
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News •
Mongolia, historically Outer Mongolia, landlocked country located in north-central Asia. It is roughly oval in shape, measuring 1,486 miles (2,392 km) from west to east and, at its maximum, 782 miles (1,259 km) from north to south. Mongolia’s land area is roughly equivalent to that of the countries of western and central Europe, and it lies in a similar latitude range. The national capital, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolian: Ulan Bator), is in the north-central part of the country.
Landlocked Mongolia is located between Russia to the north and China to the south, deep within the interior of eastern Asia far from any ocean. The country has a marked continental climate, with long cold winters and short cool-to-hot summers. Its remarkable variety of scenery consists largely of upland steppes, semideserts, and deserts, although in the west and north forested high mountain ranges alternate with lake-dotted basins. Mongolia is largely a plateau, with an average elevation of about 5,180 feet (1,580 metres) above sea level. The highest peaks are in the Mongolian Altai Mountains (Mongol Altain Nuruu) in the southwest, a branch of the Altai Mountains system.
- Head Of Government:
- Prime Minister: Nyam-Osor Uchral
- Capital:
- Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator)
- Population:
- (2025 est.) 3,610,000
- Head Of State:
- President: Ukhnaa Khürelsükh
- Form Of Government:
- unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (State Great Hural [76])
- Official Language:
- Khalkha Mongolian
- Official Religion:
- none
- Official Name:
- Mongol Uls (Mongolia)
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 1,564,116
- Total Area (Sq Mi):
- 603,908
- Monetary Unit:
- tugrik (Tug)
- Population Rank:
- (2026) 133
- Population Projection 2030:
- 3,494,000
- Density: Persons Per Sq Mi:
- (2025) 6
- Density: Persons Per Sq Km:
- (2025) 2.3
- Urban-Rural Population:
- Urban: (2023) 69.9%
- Rural: (2023) 31.1%
- Life Expectancy At Birth:
- Male: (2024) 67.9 years
- Female: (2024) 77.1 years
- Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000):
- (2024) 18,976
- Gni Per Capita (U.S.$):
- (2024) 5,380
- Historically:
- Outer Mongolia
Some three-fourths of Mongolia’s area consists of pasturelands, which support the immense herds of grazing livestock for which the country is known. The remaining area is about equally divided between forests and barren deserts, with only a tiny fraction of the land under crops. With a total population of fewer than three million, Mongolia has one of the lowest average population densities of any country in the world.
The Mongols have a long prehistory and a most remarkable history. The Huns, a people who lived in Central Asia from the 3rd to the 1st century bce, may have been their ancestors. A united Mongolian state of nomadic tribes was formed in the early 13th century ce by Genghis Khan, and his successors controlled a vast empire that included much of China, Russia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. The Mongol empire eventually collapsed and split up, and from 1691 northern Mongolia was colonized by Qing (Manchu) China. With the collapse of Qing rule in Mongolia in 1911/12, the Bogd Gegeen (or Javzandamba), Mongolia’s religious leader, was proclaimed Bogd Khan, or head of state. He declared Mongolia’s independence, but only autonomy under China’s suzerainty was achieved. From 1919, nationalist revolutionaries, with Soviet assistance, drove out Chinese troops attempting to reoccupy Mongolia, and in 1921 they expelled the invading White Russian cavalry. July 11, 1921, then became celebrated as the anniversary of the revolution. The Mongolian People’s Republic was proclaimed in November 1924, and the Mongolian capital, centred on the main monastery of the Bogd Gegeen, was renamed Ulaanbaatar (“Red Hero”).
From 1921 until the end of the 1980s, Mongolia was a one-party state closely tied to the Soviet Union. It received technical, economic, and military assistance from the Soviet Union and generally followed Soviet guidance in political and economic matters and in the building of a socialist society. However, beginning in 1990, forces for change in Mongolia ended the monopoly of political power by the communists in favour of free multiparty elections, coalition government, a new constitution, greater cultural and religious freedom with more emphasis on Mongol national traditions, a neutral position in international relations, and a transition to a market economy.
Land
Relief
Mongolia can be divided into three major topographic zones: the mountain chains that dominate the northern and western areas, the basin areas situated between and around them, and the enormous upland plateau belt that lies across the southern and eastern sectors. The entire country is prone to seismic movements, and some earthquakes are extremely severe. Their effects, however, are limited by the low population density.
The mountains
There are three major mountain chains in Mongolia: the Mongolian Altai Mountains, the Khangai Mountains (Khangain [or Hangayn] Nuruu), and the Khentii Mountains (Khentiin [or Hentiyn] Nuruu). The Mongolian Altai in the west and southwest constitute the highest and the longest of these chains. Branching southeastward from the main Altai range at the northwestern border with Russia, the Mongolian Altai stretch southeastward for some 250 miles (400 km) along the Chinese border before turning slightly more eastward for another 450 miles (725 km) in southwestern Mongolia. The range—the only one in the country where contemporary glaciation has developed—reaches an elevation of 14,350 feet (4,374 metres) at Khüiten Peak (Nayramadlyn Orgil) at the western tip of the country, Mongolia’s highest point. Extending eastward from the Mongolian Altai are the Gobi Altai Mountains (Govi Altain Nuruu), a lesser range of denuded hills that lose themselves in the expanses of the Gobi.
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The Khangai Mountains, also lying from northwest to southeast, form a solid mountain mass near the centre of the country. The range’s peaks reach some 12,000 feet (3,700 metres), with Otgontenger, the highest, rising to some 13,200 feet (4,025 metres) in the northwest. Characteristic of the Khangai are gentle slopes covered with fine pastureland. To the north the Eastern Sayan Mountains of Siberia lie along the border with Russia.
The alignment of the third mountain chain, the Khentii range of northeastern Mongolia, is southwest to northeast, extending into Siberia. The highest peak is Asraltkhairkhan, which reaches about 9,200 feet (2,800 metres), but, in general, maximum elevations are about 7,000 feet (2,130 metres). Ulaanbaatar lies at the southwestern edge of the range. The Da Hinggan (Greater Khingan) Range rises along and beyond the eastern frontier with China.