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Situation |
Geography |
Language |
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Political-Administrative Div |
Climate |
Time |
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Economy |
Government and Relations |
Transport |
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Public Holidays |
Religious |
Flag |
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SITUATION:
Mongolia opened its door to tourism in 1991. Mongolia
is situated in the centre of the continent of Asia Central
(between Russia and China) and covers an area of 603, 899
sq. miles (1.566.5100km², about three times the size
of France), making it the 18th largest country in the World.
Mongolia lies between 87°44'E and 119°56'E Longitude
and between 41° 35'-44'N and 52°09'N Latitude in
the North of Central Asia.
Latitude: 47° 55' North
Longitude: 106° 53' East .
The average altitude is 1580m (5180ft) above sea level.
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POLITICAL
ADMIN. DIV.:
The territory of Mongolia is divided into 21 aimags (or
provinces)-with four independent municipalities: Ulaan Bataar
(the Mongolia capital city is a
very dark at night!), Darkhan-Uul (included Darkhan
city), Orkhon (included Erdenet city), Gov-Sumber (included
the free trade zone town of Choir).The aimags are further
divided into a total of 310 sums, or districts. The territory
of Ulan Bator capital is 1,815 sq. miles (4,700km²)
with 9 districts. Ulan Bator was founded in 1639. Population
of Ulan Bator: 812, 500. Mongolian Population:
2,675,000 (July 2000 est.).
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GEOGRAPHY:
Mongolia's geography is very diverse, including high mountains.The
Mongol Altai Nuruu are permanently snowcapped, and their
highest peak, Tavanbogd Uul
(4370m/14,350ft), has a magnificent glacier
that towers over Mongolia, Russia and China. Others peaks
are Otgon Tenger: 4021m and Mukh Saridag: 3461m. Mongolia's
geography is including boundless steppes, vast valleys,
rivers (4000, rich in fish), lakes (16 large lakes) and
the Gobi desert. The southern third of Mongolia is dominated
by the Gobi Desert. Most of the rest of Mongolia is grassland,
home to Mongolia's famed takhi horses, which Genghis Khan
used so successfully in his wars of conquest.
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 CLIMATE:
Temperatures  vary from
30°C in summer to -50°C in the winter. The Mongolian
Climate is one of extremes - hot summers and freezing cold
winters. Known as the 'Land of Blue Skies', it has over
260 sunny days each year. The winter is long and cold with
temperatures often well below -30° Centigrade. Despite
these temperatures, the blue winter sky makes it often feel
warmer. There is very little snowfall but it and ice can
remain for several weeks at a time. The rainy season is
from July to September, but the showers are often brief.
The summer is a very pleasant time because, although temperatures
can reach +40° Centigrade, the air is very dry. The
Gobi usually has the hottest temperatures. Summer evenings
can be cool because of Mongolia's high altitude. The Spring
is a time of strong winds, especially difficult in the sandy
areas of the Gobi.
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LANGUAGE:
Khalkh Mongol is the official Mongolia language
(is a member of the Ural-Altaic family of languages, which
includes Finnish, Turkish, Kazak, Uzbek and Korean). Since
1944, the Russian Cyrillic alphabet has been used to write Mongolian. People:
Khalkh Mongols (86%), Kazaks (2%), Chinese (2%), Russian
(2%), about a dozen other ethnic groups. Kazak is spoken
by 5% of the population. There are also many Mongolian dialects.
The most spoken foreign languages are English, Russian,
Chinese, Japanese and Germany.
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TIME:
Time Difference: Mongolia is GMT + 8 hours
ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in winter and 9
hours ahead in summer. Mongolia still puts forward
its clocks by 1 hour in the summer months. The three western
aimags of Mongolia , Uvs, Bayan Ulgii and Khovd are one
hour behind Ulaanbaatar and the rest of Mongolia,
GMT+7. UTC is Coordinated Universal Time, GMT is Greenwich
Mean Time.
 World
Clock:http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=720
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ECONOMY:
Mongolia's economy is centered on agriculture and mining.
Mongolia has rich mineral resources, and copper, coal, molybdenum,
tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial
production. There are currently over 30,000 independent
businesses in Mongolia, chiefly centered around the capital
city [citation needed]. The majority of the population outside
urban areas participate in subsistence herding; livestock
typically consists of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and
Bactrian camels.
Agricultural crops include wheat, barley, vegetables, and
other forage crops. GDP per capita in 2005 was
$1,900 . Although GDP has risen steadily since 2002 at the
rate of 6.2% in an official 2005 estimate, the state is
still working to overcome a sizable trade deficit. A massive
($11 billion) foreign debt to Russia was settled by the
Mongolian government in 2004 with a $250 million payment;
this reduced value was accepted due to Despite growth, the
proportion of the population below the poverty line is estimated
to be 36.1% in 2004, and both the unemployment rate and
inflation rate are high at 6.7% and 10.9%, respectively.
Traditional based on livestock breeding (camels, bovine,
goats, horses and sheep), mining (coal, copper, gold, uranium).
Total livestock population: 26.1 million (sheep:11.9 million,
goats: 9.6 million, horses: 2.2 million, cattle: 2.1 million,
camels: 285.200).
Major industries: Copper, livestock, cashmere,
wool, meat. Major trading partners: Russia (35%), China
(21%), South Korea (12%), Japan (7%), Germany(5%), Hong
Kong (4%), and others (16%).
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FOREING
RELATIONS:
Mongolia is a stable parliamentary democracy.
Parliamentary with a president elected every 4 years. Mongolia's
president has a symbolic role.
Mongolia's Constitution provides three requirements for
taking office as President: the individual must be a native-born
Mongolian, who is at least 45 years of age, and who has
resided in Mongolia for five years prior to taking office.
The current President is Mr. Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
(assumed office: 18 June 2009) from Democratic Party.
The State Great Hural Mongolia uses a unicameral parliamentary
system in which the president has a symbolic role and the
government chosen by the legislature exercises executive
power. The legislative arm, the State Great Hural, has one
chamber with 76 seats and is chaired by the speaker of the
house.
On 1 July 2008, after the announcement of the results of
the previous weekend's parliamentary elections, there was
a demonstration in the centre of Ulaanbaatar which turned
violent. At least five people were killed. The President
introduced a four-day state of emergency. The city quickly
reverted to its habitual calm, and there were no further
disturbances after the state of emergency was lifted. But
at times of heightened political tension you should monitor
local media and avoid large crowds and demonstrations.
Declared independence from China: in July 11, 1921
Foreign relations and military: Mongolia maintains
friendly relations with the Russia, China, United States,
Japan, North Korea, South Korea, European Union, Cuba, and
virtually all countries in the world. It has initiated large
foreign investment initiatives and encouraged foreign investment.
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GETTING
TO MONGOLIA:
Transport to or from Mongolia is usually by air or train.
MIAT Mongolian Airlines (OM) is Mongolia's
national airline, based in the capital, Ulan Bator. It operates
a domestic route network and international scheduled services
from its main base at "Chinggis" Khaan International Airport.
Flights are run by MIAT (Mongolian International
Air Transport) to:
Japan: Nagoya (Chubu Central International
Airport) [summer only].
Osaka (Kansai International Airport) [summer
only].
Tokyo (Narita International Airport).
South Korea: Seoul (Incheon International
Airport).
Russia: Moscow (Sheremetyevo International
Airport).
China: Beijing (Beijing Capital International
Airport).
Germany: Berlin (Tegel International Airport).
By 1992, MIAT had acquired a Boeing 727-200 jet from Korean
Air with one more following in 1994. The Boeing 727 jets
were later discharged. An Airbus A310 and Boeing 737 were
later acquired by MIAT. Later on in 2003 through 2005 MIAT's
Antonov fleet was discharged because they were over their
warranty, which led to the creation of Aero Mongolia. On
8 January, an Aero Mongolia aircraft had to make an emergency
landing at Murun airport, because of a technical problem.
On 31 October 2007, Mongolian aviation authorities suspended
Aero Mongolia flights (the domestic routes and even to Irkutsk,
Russia) after the airline failed safety checks.
In April 2008, Miat received its second Boeing 737-800 aircraft
on lease from CIT Aerospace.
For more information about Mongolian Airlines (MIAT),
please visit a website at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIAT_Mongolian_Airlines
Aeroflot, Korean Air and Air China are
also operating flights.
-Korean Air flies from LAX-Seoul to Ulaanbaatar
($1,740; www.koreanair.com).
-Mongolian Airlines: Purchasing domestic
flight tickets through Miat Mongolian Airlines (www.miat.com/)
can be tricky; your best bet is to book through an outfitter.
-Air China (China): http://www.airchina.com.cn/-In
Chinese language
(http://www.fly-airchina.com)-In
English language (Air China flies from LAX to Beijing to
Ulaanbaatar).
-Aeroflot (Russian Airlines): (www.aeroflot.com)
Global
Voices about our valued clients who traveled Mongolia with us!
International
airport: Ulan Bator (ULN) airport is 15km (9 miles)
from the city. Taxis are also available (travel time - 35
minutes). Airport facilities include a bank, duty-free shops
and a restaurant.
Rail:
Ulaanbaatar is linked to the Russian Federation and China
by the Trans-Mongolian Railway. An express train runs once a
week between Moscow, Ulan Bator and Beijing. Trains on international
routes have sleeping and restaurant cars. There are also
other weekly trains from Ulan Bator to Beijing and Ulan
Bator to Moscow.
Border
crossings are at Erlian-Zamyn-Uud on the Chinese-Mongolian
border, and Naushki-Sukhbaatar on the Russian-Mongolian
border. Some travellers have reported crossing into Mongolia
from Russia and China by jeep or bus, but technically this
is still illegal. At present, there are problems reported
on buying train tickets in and to Ulan Bator for the Chinese
Train. Although, the trains certainly stop in Ulan Bator,
tickets are only being sold to Chinese or Russian destinations.
The Mongolian
Road Conditions/Maintenance: Poor. The standard of driving in Mongolia
is poor. There are many fatal accidents. You should wear
a seatbelt whenever possible. There are few tarmac roads,
especially outside Ulaanbaatar.
-The maintenance of vehicles is also poor and breakdowns
are frequent, which can lead to long delays. You need an
International Driving Permit to drive in Mongolia.
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HOLIDAYS:
New Year's Day - 1st January,
Tsagaan Tsar (Lunar New Year) - 13-14 February,
Mothers' and Children's Day - 1st June,
National Holiday-Naadam - 11th to 13th July:
Click here for more details
Independence Day - 26th November.
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RELIGIOUS:
Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim, Shamanism and Christianism.
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FLAG:
 The
National Flag of Mongolia is red with a vertical blue stripe
down the middle. On the left hand red stripe of the flag
is a yellow Soyombo . The colors are symbolic. Red is the
color of fire symbolizing progress and prosperity while
the blue represents; the color of the sky, meaning peace
and eternity.
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