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Mongolia

Mongolia

Geography
Area: 1,566,500 sq. km. (604,103 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Alaska (land boundaries 8,114 km.).
Terrain: Almost 90% of land area is pasture or desert, of varying usefulness; 1% arable; 9% forested.
Climate: Continental, with little precipitation and sharp seasonal fluctuations.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Mongolian(s).
Population (2007 est.): 2.63 million.
Annual growth rate (2007): 1.5%.
Health (2007): Infant mortality rate--43/1000 (under five years). Life expectancy--65.85 yrs.
Ethnic groups (2004): 85% Mongol (predominantly Khalkha), 7% Turkic (largest group, Kazakh) 4.6% Tungusic, and 3.4% others, including Chinese and Russian.
Languages: Mongolian, Kazakh, Russian, and English.
Religions: Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism 94%, Muslim 6% (primarily in the southwest), and Shamanism.
Education: Years compulsory--9 (provided free by the government). Literacy--more than 90%.

Government
Type: Multiparty parliamentary form of government.
Independence: gained in 1921; in 1990, democratic reform begun and shift from dependence on the former Soviet Union declared.
Constitutions: 1960 and February 12, 1992.
Branches: Executive--power is divided between a president (elected by a popular election in May 2005) and prime minister (current cabinet nominated by the prime minister was approved in January 2006 by the State Great Hural, which was elected in June 2004). Legislative--State Great Hural (76 deputies). Judicial--Constitutional Court is empowered to supervise the implementation of the constitution, makes judgment on the violation of its provisions, and solves disputes. Legal code based on Continental and Russian law. Legal education at Mongolian State Univ. and private universities. Mongolia accepts ICJ jurisdiction.
Political parties: 15 announced political parties (15 listed under "Government" section).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Administrative subdivisions: 21 aimags (provinces) and one city (Ulaanbaatar).

Economy
GDP in PPP (2006 est.): $ 5.8 billion.
GDP growth (2007 est.): 9.9%.
Per capita GDP in PPP (2006 est.): $2,402.
Natural resources: Coal, copper, molybdenum, iron, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, uranium, and petroleum.
Agriculture (20.6% of 2007 GDP, livelihood for about 40% of population): Products--livestock and byproducts, hay fodder, vegetables.
Industry (35.7% of 2007 GDP, includes mining 27.4%, manufacturing 4.1%, and utilities (electricity, gas, and water) 2.3%): Types--Minerals (primarily copper and gold), animal-derived products, building materials, food/beverage.
Trade (2006): Total turnover of foreign trade for 2007 (est.) was $4.006 billion. Exports--$889 million: minerals, livestock, animal products, and textiles. Markets--Asian countries (78%), European countries (10%), and countries of American continent (18.8%). Imports--$2.117 billion: machinery and equipment, fuels, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building equipment, vehicles, textiles. Suppliers--91 countries account for 93.2% of total imports, of which European countries (47%) and Asian countries (49%).
Aid received: From 1990-2006, official development assistance to Mongolia from bilateral and multilateral donors totaled over $3 billion.
Fiscal year: Calendar year.

PEOPLE
Life in sparsely populated Mongolia has recently become more urbanized. Nearly half of the people live in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and in other provincial centers. Semi-nomadic life still predominates in the countryside, but settled agricultural communities are becoming more common. Mongolia's birth rate is estimated at 21.2 births/1000 people (2007 est.). About two-thirds of the total population is under age 30, 28.5% of whom are under 14.

Ethnic Mongols account for about 85% of Mongolia's population and consist of Khalkha and other groups, all distinguished primarily by dialects of the Mongol language. Mongol is an Altaic language--from the Altaic Mountains of Central Asia, a language family comprising the Turkic, Tungusic, and Mongolic subfamilies--and is related to Turkic (Uzbek, Turkish, and Kazakh), Korean, and, possibly, Japanese. Among ethnic Mongols, the Khalkha comprise 90% and the remaining 10% include Durbet Mongols in the north and Dariganga Mongols in the east. Turkic speakers (Kazakhs, Turvins, and Khotans) constitute 7% of Mongolia's population, and the rest are Tungusic-speakers, Chinese, and Russians. Most Russians left the country following the withdrawal of economic aid and collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Traditionally, Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism was the predominant religion. However, it was suppressed under the communist regime until 1990, with only one showcase monastery allowed to remain. Since 1990, as liberalization began, Buddhism has enjoyed a resurgence. About 4 million ethnic Mongols live outside Mongolia; about 3.4 million live in China, mainly in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and some 500,000 live in Russia, primarily in Buryatia and Kalmykia.

Mongolia