Mongolia

Country or Region Description

Mongolia is the world's largest landlocked country. It spans 1,490 miles from west to east and 783 miles from north to south. The nation was bigger still during the 12th and 13th centuries when warrior Genghis Khan united warring tribes and launched his powerful cavalry against his neighbours. Genghis' grandson Kublai Khan continued his grandfather's plans for world domination, only ceasing when he had created the largest empire the world has ever known, stretching from Korea to Hungary and as far south as Vietnam. Though the western image of Genghis Khan is that of a merciless warmonger, modern Mongolians revere their legendary ancestor as a strong and unifying leader.

Mongolia is a mountainous country with an average altitude of 1,580 meters (5,184 feet) above sea level. In the west and north towering mountains, wild forests, vast lakes and tempestuous rivers dominate the landscape. These give way in the east to grasslands of the Asian steppe and in the south to the Mongolian Gobi Desert. This huge area of desert and semi-desert encompasses sand dunes, streams and forests, which are home to snow leopard, ibex, bear, steppe fox and wolf.

Country Facts

Location: Mongolia is sandwiched between Russia to the north and China to the south.

Area: 1, 564,116 km².

Population: 2, 500,000

Capital: Ulaan Baatar

Time: 13 hours ahead of Toronto/New York and 16 hours ahead of Vancouver/Los Angeles.

Religion: Buddhist Lamaism.

Language: Khalkh Mongolian is the official language. Kazakh is spoken by 5 % of the population. There are also many Mongolian dialects.

Currency: CAD$1 = 900 Mongolian Tugriks (MNT) and US$1 = 1135 Mongolian Tugriks approximately.

Climate: The travel season is typically from may to early October though Ulaan Baatar can be visited any time of the year if you can tolerate bitter cold. June and September are pleasant months. The best time to visit the Gobi Desert is September and October.

Visas: All Canadian passport holders require an entry visa, which can be obtained on arrival in Ulaan Baatar. All US passport holders do not require a visa if staying less than 90 days.

Electricity: 230 volts Ac, 50Hz.

Things to know about Mongolia before you go

History:

Archaeological digs have uncovered human remains in the Gobi and other regions of Mongolia dating back nearly 500,000 years. Despite Mongolia's short summers, wheat growing has co-existed for thousands of years with nomadic herding, which the Mongols took up after they tamed horses, yaks and camels. The name 'Mongol' was first recorded by the Chinese during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD). At that time Mongolia was dominated by a Turkic people called the Uighurs. The Uighurs were influenced by Christianity and, after taking control of Mongolia, went on to save the ailing Tang rulers of China from an internal revolt. The Uighurs controlled most of Mongolia until 840 AD, when they were defeated by the Kyrgyz, who now live in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.

The Mongols had little inclination to ally with other nomadic peoples of northern Asia. They remained little more than a loose confederation of rival clans until the late 12th century, when a 20-year-old Mongol named Temujin emerged and managed to unite most of the Mongol tribes. In 1189 he was given the honorary name of Genghis Khan, meaning 'universal king'.

The Genghis Khan imprinted in the memory of the west bears little relation to the Chinggis Khaan revered by Mongolians. Not only the spelling is different: to Europeans, the name epitomises merciless warmongering; to the Mongolians, it embodies strength, unity, law and order. Genghis set up his capital in present-day Kharkhorin, and launched his vital cavalry - built on Mongolia's prized takhi horses - against China and Russia. By the time of his death in 1227, the Mongol empire extended from Beijing to the Caspian Sea.

Genghis' grandson, Kublai Khan (circa 1216-94), completed the subjugation of China, ending the Song dynasty (960-1279) and becoming emperor of China's Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Kublai soon realised, though, that the Mongol empire had reached the limits of its expansion. Instead of looking for more wars to fight, he concentrated on keeping the vast empire together. This was the height of the Mongols' glory: the empire stretched from Korea to Hungary and as far south as Vietnam, making it the largest empire the world has ever known.

After Kublai Khan's death in 1294, the Mongols became increasingly dependent on The People they ruled. They were deeply resented as an elite, privileged class exempt from taxation, and the empire became ridden with factions vying for power.

The Mongols were expelled from Beijing by the first emperor of the Ming dynasty in the mid 14th century. The collapse of the Yuan dynasty caused over 60,000 Mongols to return to Mongolia. Their unity dissolved and frequent clan warfare and a long period of decline followed. Manchu rule over China was reasonably benign until around 1800; thereafter the Qing emperors became increasingly corrupt and despotic.

In 1911 China's Qing dynasty crumbled. The Mongols quickly saw their opportunity and independence from China was declared on 1 December 1911, with a theocratic government under the leadership of the 8th Jebtzun Damba (Living Buddha). On 25 May 1915, the Treaty of Kyakhta, which granted Mongolia limited autonomy, was signed by Mongolia, China and Russia.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 shocked Mongolia's aristocracy. Taking advantage of Russia's weakness, a Chinese warlord sent his troops into Mongolia in 1919 and occupied the capital. In early 1921, retreating White Russian anticommunist troops entered Mongolia and expelled the Chinese. The brutality of both the Chinese and Russian forces inflamed the Mongolians' desire for independence. As the Russian Bolsheviks were steadily advancing against the White Russian forces in Siberia, Mongolian nationalists asked the Bolsheviks for help. Together they recaptured Ulaan Baatar in July 1921. The Country's Buddhist leader was retained as a figurehead and the newly formed Mongolian People's Party (the first political party in The Country's History, and the only one for the next 69 years) took over the government. On 26 November 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) was declared and Mongolia became the world's second communist country.

Mongolian communism remained fairly independent of Moscow until Stalin gained absolute power in the late 1920s. The Stalinist purges that followed swept Mongolia into a totalitarian nightmare, with the government's campaign against religion being particularly ruthless. In 1937 a reign of terror was launched against the monasteries, and thousands of monks were executed. It's believed that by 1939 some 27,000 people had been executed, three per cent of Mongolia's population at the time.

As the Soviet regime faltered in the early 1980s, Mongolia came under the leadership of Jambyn Batmonkh, a decentraliser heartened by the Soviet reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev. Batmonkh instigated a cautious attempt at perestroika and glasnost in 1986. By 1989 full diplomatic relations were established with China. The unravelling of the Soviet Union resulted in decolonisation by default. Few in Mongolia were ready for the speed of the collapse or prepared to seize the moment.

In March 1990, large pro-democracy protests erupted in the square in front of the parliament building in Ulaan Baatar and hunger strikes were held. Things then happened quickly: Batmonkh lost power; new political parties sprang up; and hunger strikes and protests continued. In May the government amended the constitution to permit multiparty elections but, ironically, rural areas voted overwhelmingly to stay under the protective shelter of the communist party. The communist party were forced into making concessions that snowballed into the election of the Mongolian Democratic Coalition on 30 June 1996, ending 75 years of unbroken communist rule.

Culture:

The Mongolian way of life is nomadic and intimately connected with the ways of animals. Despite urbanisation, the traditions of the steppes live on. Even in the cities, most Mongolians continue to live in a ger , a large, white felt tent that can be moved easily and has a universal layout: the door always faces south; towards the back and a little to the west is the place of honour set aside for guests; the back of the ger, the khoimor , is the place for elders and most treasured possessions; and on the back wall is the family altar, with Buddhist images, family photos and suitcases. Get a local to explain the dozens of traditional, religious and superstitious rules and customs associated with gers.

Mongolians have always taken wholeheartedly to Tibetan Buddhism and the links between Mongolia and Tibet are old and deep. Once in a lifetime, every devout Buddhist Mongolian tries to reach the holy city of Lhasa; the Tibetans in turn have relied on various Mongolian tribes to sustain their power. In Mongolia at the time of the communist takeover in 1921, there were 110,000 lamas (monks) living in about 700 monasteries.

Beginning in the 1930s, thousands of monks were arrested, sent to Siberian labour camps and never heard from again. Monasteries were closed and ransacked and all religious worship and ceremonies outlawed. Not until 1990 was freedom of religion restored. Since then, there's been a phenomenal revival of Buddhism (and other religions). Monasteries have reopened, and even some ex-Communist Party officials have become lamas. Monasteries and temples ( süm ) always have Tibetan names. There's a significant minority of Sunni Muslims in the far western regions of Mongolia, most of whom are ethnic Kazaks.

Mongolia's paintings, music and literature are dominated by Tibetan Buddhism and nomadism. Tsam dances are performed to exorcise evil spirits and are influenced by nomadism and Shamanism. Outlawed during communism, they're beginning to be performed again.

Traditional music involves a wide range of instruments and singing styles. In Mongolian khoomi singing, carefully trained male voices produce harmonic overtones from deep in the throat, releasing several notes at once. Traditional music and dance performances aren't complete without a touch of contortionism, an ancient Mongolian tradition.

Arrival Guide

Ulaan Baatar:

Often called UB, Mongolia's sleepy capital has the look and feel of a neglected 1950s European city. The old Soviet cars are slowly being replaced by newer Japanese versions but cows still wander the roads and the traditionally dressed mingle on the streets with Mongolia's nouveaux riche. Built along the Tuul river and surrounded by lovely mountains, Ulaan Baatar is dominated by communist style high rise apartment buildings, but many locals also live in the extended outer suburbs. The centre of the city is Sükhbaatar Square.

Considered holy, the four peaks surrounding Ulaan Bataar are the Tsetseegum, Chingeltei, Songino Khairkhan and Bayansurkh mountains and they correspond roughly to the 4 points on the compass. These peaks are popular for their hiking, forests, grasslands and stunning bird and animal life.

Tsetseegum Uul is easily the most magnificent. At 2260m (7400ft), it's the highest point in the Bogd Khan Uul range. The trip is only sensible from the beginning of June to the end of September.

Kharkhorum (Karakorum):

In 1220 Genghis Khan decided to build the capital city of his vast Mongolian empire at Karakorum. Building was completed by his son, Ogedai Khan, after Genghis' death, but Karakorum served as the capital for only 40 years before Kublai Khan moved it to what is now Beijing.

Following the move, and the subsequent collapse of the Mongolian empire, Karakorum was abandoned and later destroyed by hordes of Manchurian soldiers. Whatever was left was used to help build the Erdene Zuu monastery in the 16th century, which itself was badly destroyed during the Stalinist purges.

Khustain Nuruu Nature Reserve:

The Khustain Nuruu Nature Reserve was established in 1993 to preserve Mongolia's wild takhi horses and the steppe environment in which they live. The takhi is probably the most recognized and successful symbol of Mongolia's diverse and unique wildlife.

Also known as Przewalski's horse (named after the Pole who first took an interest in them), the takhi used to roam The Countryside in great herds. In the 1960s they almost became extinct because poachers killed them for meat, and because development and livestock overgrazing reduced their fodder.

Gobi Desert:

Since ancient times the word 'Gobi' meaning 'desert' in all Ural-Altaic languages was referred to in literature as shamo. It is on account of the fact that the word 'Gobi' is translated into many foreign languages as a desert. That foreigners often imagine the Gobi to a desert. However visitors to the Gobi are quickly persuaded that the word desert is a misnomer.

The Mongolian Gobi, a vast zone of desert and semi-desert occupying almost 30% of our country's vast territory, is a well-renowned place. The Gobi is often imagined to be place of unbearable heat and lifeless sand dunes, similar to the inhospitable and uninhabitable Sahara desert.

Whereas the reality is quite the reverse. It has high mountains, springs, forests, sands, steppe lands and a rich animal kingdom and has been inhabited since ancient times. To put it another way, the Mongolian Gobi has the vast plains of Europe, the majestic peaks and mountain ranges of Asia, the sand dunes and sandy valleys of Africa, and thus could be called the land of the three continents. You will see there an eternally clear sky, blue mirages, golden sands and boundlessly expansive steppe lands.