Mongolia

A large number of ethnicities have inhabited Mongolia since prehistoric times. Most of these people were nomads who, from time to time, formed confederations that rose to prominence. The first of these, the Xiongnu, were brought together to form a confederation by Modun Shanyu in 209 BC.
In 1206, Chinggis Khan (also known as Genghis Khan) founded the Mongol Empire, the largest empire in history. The Mongol Empire’s territory extended from present-day Poland in the west to the Korean peninsula in the east, from Siberia in the north to the Arab peninsula and Vietnam in the south, covering approximately 33 million square kilometers. In 1227, after Chinggis Khan’s death, the Mongol Empire was subdivided into four kingdoms. In 1260, Chinggis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan, ascended the throne of one of the four kingdoms that encompassed present-day Mongolia and China. In 1271, Kublai Khan formally established the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty was the first foreign dynasty to rule all of China until it was overthrown by the Chinese Ming Dynasty in 1368.

The Mongol court returned to its native land, however, centuries of internal conflict, expansion and contraction brought them fall into Manchu Qing dynasty. They conquered Inner Mongolia in 1636. Outer Mongolia was submitted in 1691. For the next two hundred years Mongolia was ruled by the Qing Dynasty until 1911. Mongolia declared its independence in 1911 under the Bogd Khan, the spiritual leader of Mongolia’s Tibetan Buddhism. However, the Chinese government still considered “Outer Mongolia” as part of it and invaded the country in 1919.

In 1921, People’s Revolution won in Mongolia with the help of the Russian Red Army and thus Mongolia became the second socialist country in the world. After Bogd Khan’s death in 1924, the Mongolian People’s Republic was proclaimed and the first Constitution was adopted.

Mongolia was under a Soviet-dominated Communist regime for almost 70 years, from 1921 to 1990. In the fall of 1989 and the spring of 1990, new currents of political thought began to emerge in Mongolia, inspired by the glasnost and perestroika in the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. In March 1990, a democratic revolution that started with hunger strikes to overthrow the Government led to the peaceful renouncement of communism. Mongolia’s renouncement of communism led to a multi-party system, a new constitution and a transition to a market economy.

Over the past two decades, Mongolia has transformed itself from a socialist country with a planned economy into a vibrant multi-party democracy with one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Mongolia is the world’s second largest landlocked country and occupies a territory of 1.56 million square kilometers. Mongolia is located in Northern Asia, bordered by Russia in the north and China in the south, east and west. Mongolia is the world’s least densely populated country, with a population of more than 3.1 million people living in a vast area of 1.56 million square kilometers. Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia’s capital and largest city and home to approximately 45% of the country’s population.

Ethnic Mongols comprise approximately 94.9% of the population, Kazakh 5% and Turkic, Chinese and Russians make up the remaining population.

Buddhism is major religion in Mongolia with a small number of Muslims, Christians, and Shamans reside in Mongolia.

The official language is Mongolian and is spoken by 90% of the population. English is quickly replacing Russian as the most popular language following Mongolian. Many Mongolians also speak Korean, Japanese, Chinese, German and other western European languages.

• Source: History of Mongolia
• Category: History

Ornament

Ornaments are an important part of Mongolian Art. Mongolian artists and creators used patterns to show thier skill and wit, and the meaning and symbolizm of those patterns are passed down generation to generation over centuries till today. There are about 7000 different kinds of Mongolian patterns.

“Tumen nast hee”, roughly translates to Eternal Pattern, symbolizes longevity, so it is often seen on clothes wishing long life for the wearer.

“Alhan hee”, roughly translates to Hammer Pattern. symbolizes sturdiness, and firmness, so it is often seen on frames of formal documents, doors and walls.

“Ulzii hee”, roughly translates to Good Omen Pattern, symbolizes happiness and wellness, so it is seen everywhere. It could be on clothes, household items, award pins, jewelries, etc.

“Usan hee”, roughly translates to Water Pattern, symbolizes purity and motion, so it is seen on traditional doors, where people come and go. Traditionally mongolians believed that motion and purity are closely related.

“Uulan hee”, roughly translates to Mountain Pattern, symbolizes nature, so it is seen on books, or as artworks.

• Source: Ornament
• Category: Art

Religion

Image source: https://500px.com/photo/64059699

Shamanism
Shamanism goes back in Mongolian history long before Chinggis Khan’s time, but it was Chinggis Khan that made it into such a fundamental part of the Mongolian tradition. At that time the Mongolians were worshipped “Hoh Tenger” (blue skies). According to this belief the skies are the father, and the earth is the mother of all beings in the universe. As a civilization totally dependent on the forces of nature, the Mongolians worshipped the various elements of nature, praying to their ancestors who have transformed into mythical spiritual animals to provide them with good weather, health and success. Though oppressed during communist time, Shamanism is still practiced in Mongolia, and people who seek help will approach a Shaman for a blessing or cure and even to get hints about their future.

Buddhism
Mongolians have followed Buddhism since the 16th century, when the Mongolian king, Altan Khan, was converted by Tibetan lamas. Mongolians follow Tibetan Buddhist teachings, (also called Lamaism), the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and the Himalayan region. Today, Mongolia still embraces its Buddhist heritage. Monasteries are being restored, and are once again crowded with worshippers. The Dalai Lama is an enormously popular figure and has visited the country several times. For many Mongolians, the practice of Buddhism is flavored with traces of Shamanism, an even more ancient spirituality.

Other Religions
Mongolia also has a small Muslim community — about 6 per cent of the population. These are mostly ethnic Kazakhs living in the far west of the country.

• Source: Religion
• Category: Culture

Music

Mongolian traditional music composes a wide range of instruments and uses for the human voice found almost nowhere else. For instance, the Mongol Khoomii may be fascinating for foreigners. It is a musical, which can be delivered with a help of a guttural voice and specific way of breathing. One tone comes out as a whistle-like sound, the result of the locked breath in the chest being forced out through the throat in a specific way, while a lower tone sounds as a base.



The unique traditional singing style is known as Urtiin duu or long songs. It is one of the most ancient genres of Mongolian musical art, a professional classical art of the 13th entury.Urtiin duu involves extraordinarily complicated, drawn-out vocal sounds. It has philosophical style, evocative of vast, wide spaces and it demands great skill and talent from the singers in their breathing abilities and guttural singing techniques.



Another popular form of art in Mongolia is the playing of the Morin Khuur, the Horse Headed Fiddle. It is used in Khoomii singing and in other forms of traditional music. The origins of the Morin Khuur lie with the Chinese two-stringed fiddle. With its typical horse-head carving crowning the instrument, it plays a major part in all classic Mongolian forms of music. To this day people of all ages play it.

• Source: Art
• Category: Art

Demographic

Mongolia, a nation bordered by China and Russia, is known for vast, rugged expanses and nomadic culture. Its capital, Ulaanbaatar, centers around Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) Square, named for the notorious founder of the 13th- and 14th-century Mongol Empire. Also in Ulaanbaatar are the National Museum of Mongolia, displaying historic and ethnographic artifacts, and the restored 1830 Gandantegchinlen Monastery.

Population: 3.027 million (2016) World Bank

Life expectancy: 69.82 years (2015) World Bank

Spoken: Mongolian, Kazakh

Total: 1 male(s)/female (2012 est.)

0–14 years: 27.1% (2012 est.)

Under 15: 1.04 male(s)/female (2012 est.)

Official language: Mongolian

• Source: Mongolia
• Category: Demographic

Language

The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia. It belongs to the Ural-Altaic language family, which includes Kazakh, Turkish, Korean and Finnish. Today more than 10 million people speak Mongolian. They live in Mongolia, Buriat republic of Russian federation, Inner Mongolia in China, Shingjan and Gansu regions of China, Tibet and even a few number of people living in the State of New Jersey in the USA . In Mongolia, the Khalkha dialect, written in Cyrillic, is predominant. The classical Mongolian script, also known as Uyghurjin, was the first writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most successful until the introduction of Cyrillic in 1946.

• Source: Culture
• Category: History

Sports

National sports include wrestling, archery and horseracing and they are known as the Three Games of Men, rooted in the mists of antiquity and continue to be very popular among the Mongolians today. Every year in mid-July, communities across Mongolia celebrate these sports. This celebration is the Naadam Festival. Wrestling is the most popular of all Mongolian sports and is the highlight of the Naadam. Historians claim that Mongol-style wrestling originated some seven thousand years ago. Hundreds of wrestlers from different cities and aimags take part in the national wrestling competition. There are no weight categories or age limits. Each wrestler has his own attendant herald. The aim of the sport is to knock one’s opponent off balance and throw him down, making him touch the ground with his elbow and knee.


Horseracing is an important part of the Naadam Festival. The riders are aged from five to 12. Mongolian kids are excellent riders, for both girls and boys have been riding since infancy. As a popular saying goes, “The nomad is born in the saddle”. Competitions are not held on special racetracks, but right across the steppe, where riders are confronted with various obstacles like rivers, ravines and hills. The distance varies according to the ages of horses, between 15 and 35 km.

Information about archery can be found in literary and historical documents of the 13th century Mongolia and even before. According to historians, archery contests began in the 11th century. The Mongols use a compound bow, built up of layers of horn, sinew, bark and wood.

Beginning the 20th century modem types of sport started to develop in Mongolia. After the Mongolian Sports Committee was founded in 1947 voluntary sports clubs and associations were formed. These organizations played a tangible role in promoting sport as a mass movement. Nowadays, track and field sports, football, basketball, volleyball, skating, skiing, motorcycle racing, mountain climbing, chess and other sports are widely played in Mongolia.

• Source: Sports
• Category: Culture

Lifestyle

Mongol Ger
With a history of over a thousand years, this portable dwelling made of wood lashed together with leather thongs and covered with felt is the home of the Mongolian nomads. Easy to erect and dismantle, the ger, its furnishings, and the stove inside can be carried by just three camels, or wagons pulled by yaks making it ideal for the nomadic way of life. The average ger is small but spacious enough to provide adequate living space for a family, is wind resistant, and has good ventilation. Gers are constructed of a latticed wood structure covered with layers of felt and canvas. The felt helps the ger retain heat and the canvas over it sheds rain.


Livestock
On average a nomadic family will have few hundred sheeps and goats and a few horses and cows. The livestock provides meat, dairy products, transportation and wool for the families and in return the herders protect the livestock from wolves and other predators. All of the nomadic mongolian families move from pasture to pasture seasonally so they live far away from electricity, wifi and working water. So the nearest settlement or shops are at least few days away from where they live so vegetables are scarce in their diets.

• Source: Culture
• Category: Culture

Geography

Mongolia is the world’s second largest landlocked country and occupies a territory of 1.56 million square kilometers: It extends 2,392 kilometers from west to east and 1,259 kilometers from north to south. Mongolia is located in Northern Asia, bordered by Russia in the north and China in the south, east and west.

Mongolia has approximately 3,000 rivers with a combined length of approximately 67,000 kilometers, over 3,000 lakes, 6,900 springs, 190 glaciers and 250 mineral water springs.

Ulaanbaatar has the lowest average temperature of any national capital city in the world. Mongolia’s average annual rainfall, measures between 200 to 220 millimeters and it has approximately 250 cloudless days each year, earning it the nickname “country of blue sky.”

Location: Northern Asia, landlocked between China and Russia

Area: 1,565 thousand square kilometers (19th largest in the world)

Boundaries: Total: 8,253 kilometers, with China (4,710 kilometers in the south), and with Russia (3,543 kilometers in the north)

Climate: Dry continental climate with desert, steppe and mountain zones with large daily and seasonal temperature ranges

Major natural resources: Copper, coal, iron ore, gold, silver, fluorspar, uranium, tin, tungsten, oil and rare earth elements

• Source: Geography
• Category: Geology