Mongolia is known as the ‘Blue Sky Country’ as it has more than 260 days of clear blue sky.Genghis Khan, the famous conqueror of Asia, was born here. He played a crucial role in uniting the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia and expanding the Mongol Empire.A reasonably remote nation, Mongolia is blessed with natural scenic beauty and festivals. Known for its horses and the Gobi Desert, Mongolia’s vast grasslands, scenic sand dunes, and dramatic mountains make this nation a popular tourist destination. This land’s many traditional festivals and events make it a unique, vibrant, and colorful destination.Mongolia has historically been known as ‘Outer Mongolia.’ Inner Mongolia, also known as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China. The government of Mongolia is a semi-presidential system. The people elect the President, who then appoints the Prime Minister. The nation is dependent on its neighbors, China and Russia, for trade and energy.The Location Of MongoliaHere are a few interesting facts about the location of this intriguing nation.Located in Asia, Mongolia shares its northern border with Russia and its southern border with China.Also, in the south stands the Gobi Desert, one of the coldest deserts on Earth.The land of Mongolia is surrounded by mountains and plateaus and is one of the countries with the highest elevation in the world.The major mountain ranges of this area are the Altai, Khentii, and Khangai.The Orkhon is a major river in Mongolia.Ulan Bator is particularly famous as it is the capital city of Mongolia. The name means red hero. It is located on the Tuul River in the north-central part of the nation.The capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator, is the coldest and most isolated capital city in the world.It is the world’s second-largest landlocked country.Erdenet is the third-largest city in Mongolia and has the fourth-largest copper mine in the world.The second-largest desert in Asia and the fifth-largest in the world, the Gobi Desert stretches across southern Mongolia and parts of China.Inner Mongolia is a province in China, whereas Outer-Mongolia is the country of Mongolia.Located at an average elevation of 1,750 yds (1,600 m) above sea level, Mongolia is one of the highest places in the world.About half of the population of this country lives in its capital city. Although, a quarter of the population lives a nomadic lifestyle.Mongolia is the most sparsely populated sovereign country in the world.The History Of MongoliaA large number of ethnicities have inhabited Mongolia since prehistoric times. Most of these communities were nomads. Here are some fascinating historical facts that you must know.In 1206, Chinggis Khan, who later rose to fame as Genghis Khan, laid the first foundation of the Mongol Empire, the largest empire in history.Under his leadership, the Mongol Empire spanned from Poland in the west to the Korean peninsula in the east.In the north, the empire marked its reign from Siberia and stretched all the way to the Arab peninsula and Vietnam in the south.The Mongol Empire controlled large parts of the Silk Road that were a key link for trade between Asia and Europe.When Genghis Khan died in 1227, the Mongol Empire covered the area from the Caspian Sea in the west to the China Sea in the east and from Siberia to Tibet.In 1921 with help from Russia, the northern part of Mongolia, which was known as Outer Mongolia, gained its independence from China.In 1924, it became a communist country. However, multiparty elections were held in 1990.Under Genghis Khan, the Mongol empire was the most extensive single empire the world had ever seen. Currently, it is the 18th biggest country in the world.Genghis Khan is a title, not a name, which means universal ruler. His real name was Temujin.The grave of Genghis Khan remains a mystery as the soldiers killed the enslaved people who built it and everyone who attended the funeral ceremony before killing themselves too.Mongolia was not recognized as a country till 1987.The 40 m (131 ft) statue of Genghis Khan on his horse located outside the capital Ulaanbaatar is the tallest statue of a horse in the world.The Mongolian flag consists of three stripes. The Blue stripe in the middle symbolizes the sky, and the red stripes on either side symbolize prosperity.The Sun, moon, water, Earth, yin, and yang are represented by the yellow symbol on the left red stripe. This yellow symbol is a Buddhist symbol and is called Soyombo.The first America President to visit Mongolia was George W Bush.The Major Landscape Of MongoliaMongolia is a land with varied geography, and although it is the second-largest landlocked country in the world, it doesn’t have much arable land. A few facts about the landscape and wildlife of Mongolia are stated below.It has the Gobi Desert in the south and mountainous regions in the north and west. Most of Mongolia is covered by grassland, known as the Mongolian Manchurian Grassland Steppe.Mongolia is primarily a plateau that features an average elevation of about 5,180 ft (1,580 m) above sea level.This landlocked nation is blessed with beauty and consists mainly of upland steppes, semideserts, and deserts.This country is enclosed with high mountain ranges alternate with lake-dotted basins to the west and north.It is known as the ’land of the blue sky,’ as the dry weather prevents cloud formation, and you can see clear blue skies.The Bogd Khan Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the highest point from which tourists can enjoy the stunning views of the vast blue sky. The oldest national park is also in Mongolia.The Gobi Desert is said to be home to the biggest reserve of dinosaur fossils in the world. Scientists have found perfectly preserved dinosaur eggs in this desert.Mongolia is home to many unique animal species; the two hump camel or the Bactrian camel is native to Mongolia along with the snow leopard.The annual camel festival held in Mongolia is to raise awareness for the Endangered camel species.In Mongolia, horses outnumber people 13 to one, whereas sheep outnumber people 35 to one.Male horses are used for transportation, racing, and sometimes the meat is consumed. Mares are primarily raised for their milk.The basin of the Uvs Lake, the largest saltwater lake in Mongolia, is a natural World Heritage Site.The Culture, Traditions, And Language Of MongoliaMongolia is steeped in culture and tradition that is influenced by the nomadic way of life. Here are some facts about Mongolian culture, traditions, people, and language.The people of Mongolia are known for their hospitality. Mongolians apologize by shaking hands.Music plays an important part in the life of the people, and the unique style of throat singing is very popular. Many instruments are also played in the nation, such as the morin khuur, which is a type of fiddle made from a horse head.The dance form that is unique to Mongolia is the Mongolian waltz. In this dance, a mounted horseman and a horsewoman circle each other to a traditional song. The speed of the dance increases with the tempo of the song.Traditional Mongolians believe in misfortunes and good and evil omens. They believe that talking about a negative thing might attract misfortune.The official language of Mongolia is Khalkha Mongol. Other languages spoken here are Turkic and Russian.The Order of Glorious Motherhood is a title that is awarded to women who have given birth to more than four children.A traditional Mongolian tent is called a ‘Ger,’ which means ‘home.’ These are usually put up facing south in order to keep out the cold winds from the north.Traditional Mongolian clothes are known as ‘Deel’ and have been worn for many years.In Mongolia, fermented horse milk, Airag, is considered rude to refuse when offered to someone. This is also the national drink of Mongolia.The country is known for the annual sporting event, Naadam Festival, that it hosts. This is a type of Mongolian Olympics Games and includes horse racing, archery, and Mongolian wrestling.Mongolia also has many other traditional festivals during the year, such as The Golden Eagle Festival, The Thousand Camel Festival, and The Ice Festival.Most Mongols are Buddhists. As the nomads of central Asia practiced shamanism, this still continues today.Islam is also practiced in this country by the Kazakhs in the region of western Mongolia.Erdene Zuu is known for being the oldest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. It was built in the 16th century and is a United Nations World Heritage Site.The only place in the world where you can find wild horses is Mongolia. The Takhi horse of this country has never been domesticated. These horses have large heads and short bodies.Domesticated horses usually have 64 chromosomes, but these wild horses have 66 chromosomes.Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in Mongolia.If you love ice cream, this is the place for you as you will find ice cream being sold in paper boxes even in the winter when temperatures touch -22 F (-30 C ).The first hotel in Mongolia opened in 1961. The Ulaanbaatar Hotel was the first public building to have hot and cold running water.The Mongolian National Wrestling Match held in 2011 set a Guinness World Record as the largest wrestling competition in the world.Although Genghis Khan was illiterate, he introduced the first system of writing in the 13th century in Mongolia.The currency used in Mongolia is known as the Togrog or Tugrik.Jugderdemidiin Gurragchaa was the first Mongolian in space.Naidangiin Tuvshinbayar won the first gold Medal for Mongolia at the Olympic Games in 2008. He won this medal for Judo.
Mongolia is known as the ‘Blue Sky Country’ as it has more than 260 days of clear blue sky.
