Mongolia: Difference between revisions

'''[https://www.mongolia.travel/ Mongolia]''' ([[Mongolian phrasebook|Mongolian]]: Монгол улс, Traditional Mongolian: [[File:Monggol_ulus.svg|40px]]) ishas onewide ofopen thespaces world'sfor largestexperiencing landlockedthe countries,outdoors secondfor onlythose towho [[Kazakhstan]]want andadventure. isIts surroundedvast byand twomajestic ofemptiness is the worldcountry's largestenduring countriesappeal: [[China]]it brings the traveller into a close communion with nature and [[Russia]]its nomadic inhabitants. It is one of the last places on earth where nomadic life lives on,. andThe itmost was thememorable centerpart of thea [[Mongoltrip Empire]],to theMongolia largestwill contiguousbe empireits hospitable people. Mongolian culture has much in worldcommon historywith the cultures of [[Central Asia]].

The country can be categorised into five distinct regions based on culture and geography. These regions are further divided into 21 provinces (aimags) and one provincial municipality.

| region1description=includesIncludes [[Ulaanbaatar]] and the popular tourist region of [[Arkhangai]].

| region2description=The birthplace of Genghis Khan and heart of the Mongolian steppe.

| region3description=asAs the name implies, home to the immense Gobi Desert.

| region4description=hasContains many of Mongolia's forests and the massive Hövsgöl [[Lake Khövsgöl]].

| region5description=homeHome of Lake Uvs Nuur and Tavan Bogd Mountains, is also the most diverse region with a dozen different tribes including the Kazakhs.

*{{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Khogno Khan National Park]]|wikidata=Q93828284}} — a beautiful, and calm area boasting cultural sites such as [[Kharkhorin]], the capital of the Mongolian Empire after Genghis Khan

Mongolia is more than twice as big as Texas and nearly the same size as Alaska. Its area is 1.6 million km² (603,000 square miles), four times the size of Japan and larger than Spain, France and Germany combined. This makes Mongolia the sixth-largest country in Asia and 19th in the world, but the population is only 3.4 million (as of 2020), which makes Mongolia one of the least densely populated areas in Asia. Considering that half of the population lives in the capital city of Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar ("UB") that leaves lots of room for you to travel in the outback. Of course, the Gobi is even less dense.

More than 50% will say they are Buddhists, which is very much mixed with Shamanism, close to 10% will claim to be Christians of all forms and 4% follow Islam, the remainder will say that they are atheists. Mongolian Buddhism is part of the Vajrayana school, which is also dominant in [[Tibet]] and [[Bhutan]]. Almost all the Kazakhs and Muslims live in [[Bayan-Ölgii| Bayan-Ölgii province]].

Mongolia is wealthy in natural resources, possessing large andpossesses abundant deposits of copper, coal, tin, tungsten, molybdenum, and gold. The cashmere industry is also an important industry; Mongolia and its neighbour, China, are responsible for 85% of the world's cashmere supply.

When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, the Mongolian economy lost a third of its GDP overnight, plunging the country into a state of disarray and discontent.

[[Image:Naadamceremony2006Naadam Festival 2024 Opening Ceremony.jpg|thumb|Naadam festival celebrations]]

* New Years- – January 1

* Tsagaan Sar- – January/February (3 days, depends on Lunar New Year)

* International Women's Day- – March 8

* Soldiers' Day- – March 18 (not a day off, just lots of parades)

* Mothers' and Children's' Day- – June 1

* Naadam Festival- – July 11–13

* Genghis Khan's Birthday- – November 14

* Independence Day- – November 26 (no longer a day off, replaced by Genghis Khan's Birthday)

The official language of Mongolia is '''[[Mongolian phrasebook|Mongolian]]'''. Mongolian in Mongolia is written using the '''Cyrillic alphabet''', which was introduced around the 1940s. Mongolian Cyrillic uses all the letters used in the [[Russian]] alphabet and has two extra letters: '''Ө''' and '''Ү'''. Very few people know how to read and write Mongolian using the '''traditional Mongolian script''' (written from top to bottom, and still widely used by ethnic Mongols in China), although since the 1990s, it has been gradually regaining popularity. Mongolian belongs to the Mongolic family of languages, which also includes some minority languages of Russia such as Buryat and Kalmyk, and is not known to be related to any other language family. That being said, Mongolian shares a decent amount of words and grammar structures with the Turkic languages (Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh, etc.) due to historical proximity, so speakers of a Turkic language will have a somewhat easier time navigating Mongolian. Loanwords from languages such as Sanskrit, [[Russian]], English, and [[Persian]] are common and are used in everyday conversations.

'''[[Kazakh phrasebook|Kazakh]]''' is spoken in the westernmost province of the country and by the small but growing population of ethnic Kazakhs living in Ulaanbaatar.

'''English''' is gradually becoming the most popular foreign language inamong Mongoliayounger Mongolians, and it is widely taught in Mongolian schools. Outside the capital, little of it is spoken.

Lately, the visa rules have been relaxed and most people can enter the country without a visa. The Mongolian government declared the 2023-2024 tourist season the "Year of Mongolia", relaxing visa requirements for many countries, including all major Western nations. Whether this will become a permanent change is yet to be seen.

Citizens of [https://en.consul.mn/visa/c/83 the following countries/territories]{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} can enter Mongolia '''visa-free''':

The local trains stop at many small stations in the countryside. For example, there is the small town of Batsumber, located about 34 km north of Ulaanbaatar (as the crow flies), longer on the train. Take your camping gear and hike to the mountains about 10 km east of the town. There are two streams flowing west out of the mountains, hike and camp along the streams. There is a small restaurant, and food shops in the town.

It's possible to pay for train tickets by credit card. For online booking of train tickets, go to the [https://eticket.ubtz.mn/ official website]{{Dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} (an English version is available, but not all the information is translated). The website is not the most user-friendly, but fortunately [http://wandersimply.com/how-to-buy-mongolian-train-tickets-online/ Wander Simply] has a good write-up on how to navigate the site and buy tickets. Alternatively, contact the company [http://www.traintomongolia.com Train to Mongolia]{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} to buy tickets at a commission. You pay an extra fee if you book in advance, and also an extra fee if you buy it in the train, which is the only possibility left if there are less than 10 minutes left before the train departure. Your passport is required to buy a ticket, but you can buy several people's tickets with one passport.

Travelling by local bus is also an option, though these buses tend to only connect the provincial capital with UB, and it is quite difficult to find any public transportation linking one provincial capital with another. Lately the bus situation has improved. Most cities and towns are referred to in two ways, their name or the name of the Aimag (province) or Soum (county), e.g. Dornod or Dornod Aimag or ChoybalsanChoibalsan (the actual city name). Most buses have their destination on a card in the front window. If you have either name written down in Mongolian Cyrillic, show it to the drivers or helpers and they will get you on the right bus.

Mongolia is a big country that has been beyond the reach of travellers and the normal trappings of civilization until the 21st century. Even today it can be difficult to travel between the few places that 'exist'. There is little noteworthy architecture in the country. Except for the short-lived capital of the Mongol Empire at '''[[Karakorum]] (Kharkhorin)''', the descendants of Genghis Khan left little evidence of their power inside their native homeland. Genghis Khan, who leveled cities from the Yellow Sea to the Caspian, was said to have only built one permanent building during his life, a warehouse to store his stupendous amount of loot.

Though this structure no longer exists, the capital built by his son, OgedeiÖgedei, does, as do countless artifacts in the National Museum in [[Ulaanbaatar]], and thousands of stone monuments and drawings spread throughout the country, some dating back thousands of years. After the gradual disintegration of the Mongol Empire, many Tibetan Buddhist monasteries were built, providing the most visible signs of Mongolia's history. Today only a few still stand after Stalinist religious purges. Of particular note is the '''[[Northern Mongolia|Amarbaysgalant Monastery]]''' in Selenge, the '''Erdene Zuu Monastery''' in KarakorumKharkhorin, and '''Gandan Monastery''' in Ulaanbaatar, all active religious sites with large numbers of resident lamas. During the communist era, the Soviets helped establish large modern cities and modern industries, which aren't very pretty, but are of some interest, particularly the biggest open-pit copper mine in Asia at [[Erdenet]].

Besides the monastery museums, Ulaanbaatar hosts several interesting and noteworthy museums to see before going off to the countryside. The best one by far is the '''National Museum of Mongolia''' with large collections of artifacts from the Mongol Empire through the Democratic Revolution of 1990. The '''Chinggis Khaan Museum''' in Ulaanbaatar offers an even larger collection, although it only spans prehistory to the Qing Empire. Several other good art museums and lesser history and nature museums also exist in the city if you will be there for an extended time. Outside of the capital, every provincial center also has a small museum usually built by the communists and mostly not updated since they left. These museums are cheap and do have useful displays on local cultures and history. There are also some '''communist-era sites'''.

| date=January 20232025

| USD=3,400435

| EUR=3,600550

| GBP=4,100300

| CNYKRW=5002,320

| JPY=2,600180

| CAD=2,500380

| AUD=2,300170

It is virtually impossible to exchange tögrög outside the country, so don't exchange too much. US dollars are widely accepted in the tourist industry, especially for larger payments (hotels, guides, etc.), but are not usable in the countryside.

*Mongolian cashmere is known as the best in the world, so consider buying garments and blankets from one of the many stores selling cashmere products.

For special occasions, ''boodog'' (боодог) or goat/marmot barbecue, is particularly worth experiencing. For about 15,000-20,000 ₮, a nomad will head out with his gun, shoot a marmot or a goat, and then cook it for you without a pot: the meat, vegetables, water and stones are cooked inside the skin of the animal. They skin it very carefully, and then tie off the holes at the legs and back side, put the food and hot stones inside, tie off the throat, and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Though rare, with only 692 cases of marmot plague recorded between 1928 to 2018, the Tarbagan marmot is known to carry the bubonic plague, but fatal cases tend to be those that partake in the consumption of raw marmot organs that are sometimes eatern separately from the ''boodog.''

In the countryside, the only dining option is often the ''guanz'' (гуанз), a roadside ''ger'' tent offering a simple menu, often only ''tsuivan'' noodles and salted milk tea.

The most common drink in Mongolia is '''salted milk tea''' (сүүтэй цай ''süütei tsai''), which is essentially a cup of boiled milk and water, sometimes with a couple pieces of tea leaf and/or a pinch of salt thrown in for good measure. A cup of this and a bowl of dried snacks is the first thing served when you visit a ''ger'', and it accompanies food at restaurants as well. The tea can be bulked up into a meal by adding in some toasted millet, rice, meat or ricebansh. You might want to build up your tolerance by drinking lots of milk in preparation for your stay because they don't drink much else, except perhaps boiled water if you specially request it during a longer stay. Also, most traditional nomadic foods such as dried yogurt and the like require acclimatization to milk as well. Cold drinks don't actually exist in the countryside (unless you intend to drink straight out of a river, generally not recommended).

There are some '''language schools''' in the capital. The two most known to foreigners are Bridge School and Friends School. Both offer group study classes and individual tutors. Also, the [http://www.num.edu.mn/en/ National University of Mongolia]{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} offers courses.

Refrain from wearing anything associated with China, and refrain from talking about China. Mongolians are quite open people and tend to be curious and ask many questions just to be friendly. Try to answer diplomatically, and vaguely, especially relating to any perceived negative aspect of Mongolia.

Violent crime is also common outside the capital city, (Darkhan especially), so caution is required at night. In particular, dark or deserted alleys and streets should be avoided. Generally, if walking past 22:00, avoid people if at all possible. Mongolians can be very friendly, but their emotions and motives can change quite quickly. Someone who may genuinely just want to have a couple drinks with you may suddenly become aggressive regardless of your respect and polite actions.

When visiting Mongolia in the winter, layer every article of clothing you own and '''do not''' walk around too much in the open. Frostbite is a real risk, and freezing to death is entirelya possible if you get lost in the countryside or pass out drunk in winterpossibility. If you are unprepared to deal with such weather conditions, then visit Mongolia during the summer.

[[Ulaanbaatar]] has polluted air, largely due to pervasive coal-burning for domestic heating.

[[File:Jurte in der Mongolei.JPG|thumb|A ger,common alsosight knownin asthe aMongolian yurtcountryside. AIf commonyou sighthave inbeen theinvited Mongolianto countrysidego inside one, accept it.]]

Compared to other countries in Asia, Mongolians are generally straightforward. Expect a Mongolian individualsomeone to tell you exactly what they think and feel.

Mongols traditionally live on the steppes, breeding horses, just like their ancestor Genghis Khan. Not surprisingly, following Western pleasantries will mostly not have the intended effect in Mongolia. Instead, try to follow local good manners. Always receive items with the '''right hand''', palm facing up. Drink from the right hand with the palm up as well. It is very rude to refuse a gift. If offered a plate of hospitality munchies, take at least a small nibble from something. Never point at anyone with your index finger since it implies disrespect.

Anti-China sentiment is high in Mongolia due to historiographical and cultural disputes, and because China is seen by Mongolians as a colonial oppressor. As such, refrain from wearing anything associated with China, and refrain from talking about China. The Chinese province of Inner Mongolia is referred to as "southern Mongolia" by most Mongolians. Many Mongolians consider it to be Mongolian territory under Chinese occupation.

* HaveDo not have a long conversation in your own language in front of your hosts; make an effort to include your hosts.

* RejectDo not reject an invitation to visit a ger; hospitality is a cornerstone in the nomadic parts of Mongolia and outright rejecting an invitation will seriously offend the nomads.