Seeing as how Mongolia is more often cited as a barren wasteland at the edge of reality that one threatens to send unruly children to than as a country with a long and storied history, I understand that most people can barely point to Mongolia on a map, much less tell me anything about the country. In the interests of having a few of the more “core” facts about Mongolia in an easy to access place, as well as to let folks know a few of the country’s “stats”, I have put together this post, which should offer a small overview of the country I find so fascinating. Enjoy.

[Information courtesy of the CIA Factbook and Wikipedia]

History

The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis Khan they established a huge Eurasian empire through conquest. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing and a Communist regime was installed in 1924. The modern country of Mongolia, however, represents only part of the Mongols’ historical homeland; more Mongols live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the People’s Republic of China than in Mongolia. Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-Communist Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. The MPRP won an overwhelming majority in the 2000 parliamentary election, but the party lost seats in the 2004 election and shared power with democratic coalition parties from 2004-08. The MPRP regained a solid majority in the 2008 parliamentary elections but nevertheless formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party. The prime minister and most cabinet members are MPRP members.

Statistics

Official language: Mongolian
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
President: Natsagiyn Bagabandi
Area: 1,565,000 km
Population:
– Total: 2,712,315 (2003)
– Density: 1.73/km
Currency: Tugrug (MNT)
Formation
– Mongol Empire: 1206
– Independence: declared (from Qing Dynasty) December 29, 1911
GDP (2009 estimate)
– Total: $4.203 billion[5]
– Per capita: $1,560[5]