Quick Facts Of The Country

Location: in Central Asia, bordering China and Russia

Area: 1.564.116 km2 – the size of most of Western Europe

Territory: landlocked country with a total area of 1564.1 thousand sq/km, or equal to half of Europe. It extends 2392km from west to east and 1259 km from north to south.

Capital: Ulaanbaatar, abbreviated to UB

Relief: mountains to the west and north, centre and southwest comprise 40% of the land, the remainder a rolling plateau with great expanses of steppe, semi-desert, and desert plains

Altitude: Average is 1.580 meters above sea level. 80% of the total territory is situated about 1000 meters above sea level.

Highest point: Khuiten peak 4.374 m in the Tavan Bogd range in the Altai mountains

Climate: Continental, marked by four seasons, with sharp variations

The climate in Mongolia is full of extremes. Sudden changes from heat to cold, from summer to winter, are amazing and hard to bear.
Distance from the seas and considerable elevation above sea level make the climate very dry. Mongolia lies right between the southern edge of eternal glaciers and the northernmost boundaries of deserts.

Average temperature: + 20 °C in summer, and - 24°C in winter

Winter lasts from November to March, with temperatures dropping to – 40 Celsius. However, given the dry climate, – 20 in Mongolia would be equal to – 10 in London or New York. If there is no wind, which penetrates beneath any winter jacket, winter in Mongolia is rather mild. July is the warmest month with the average temperature between +18C and +30C. Mongolia is a sunny country with 260 days of sunlight.

Government: Parliamentary democracy with a president elected every four years

Politics: Situated between China and Russia, Mongolia's strategic location underscores the importance of a successful transition from communism to democracy.

Population: 3.1 million, of which 81.5% Khalkh Mongols, 12.5% Mongol minorities, and 4.3% Kazakhs
1.6 persons per square kilometer. Presently, children and youth under 35 make up 70 percent of the population, and the average age is 21 years. Out of the 3.1 million population, about half live in cities and towns, while the remaining 47 percent still live a nomadic lifestyle.

Language: Mongolian (an Altaic language); Russian and English are widely spoken

Religion: Predominately Tibetan Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam among the Muslim minorities in the west; traces of ancient Shamanism

Education: Mongolia boasts a 97 percent literacy rate. Presently, more than 500,000 pupils attend 660 secondary schools, and another 140,000 students attend 198 state and private Universities and colleges.

Mongolian Script: Though Mongols developed their own script, written vertically from up to down, way back in the 13th century, 50 years ago, the Russian Cyrillic alphabet was imposed as the official script. Now the old script is back into use as a main precondition for preserving the traditional culture and national identity.

Ethnic groups: There are 18 ethnic groups in Mongolia, and they all have their own tradition and cultures. They are Khalkh, Uriankhai, Barga, Bayad, Buryad, Dariganga, Darkhad, Durvud, Khazakh, Khotgoid, Torguud, Tuva,  Uzemchin, Zakhchin, Tsaatan, Khoton, Ould, and Myangad