Mongolia

Mongolia, an independent country of less than 4,000,000 people, is located in central Asia between Russia to the north and China to the south.

Mongolia is the most sparsely populated independent country in the world. The southern part of the country is dominated by the cold Gobi Desert where there are areas so dry and lacking in vegetation that not even camels can survive. Mountains in the north and west are inhospitable to human existence. A cold, semi-arid steppe climate is found in most the remainder of Mongolia.

Camels graze at an oasis in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia.

The cold grasslands (in summer) of the Mongolian steppe are visible below. The white specks are sheep. Most Mongolians who do not live in the capital city are nomadic herders. Grasses in the steppe regions are sufficient for the survival of herds, but they are fragile. Overgrazing usually converts grassland to desert, so Mongolians are frequently on the move.

Notice the lack of trees in this picture—a natural result of not enough rain. You do not see signs of farming either. There is almost no arable land in Mongolia due largely to its harsh climate. For shelter, Mongolians build gurs, pictured below, which are primarily made from resources provided by their sheep, horses, and camels with wooden poles and strips for support.

Ulaanbaatar, one of the coldest capital cities in the world, is home to almost half of all Mongolian citizens. Most current residents are descended from generations of Mongolians who have seemingly always lived in this region. There are ethnic minority Muslims who live in the west, but most Mongolian citizens are Buddhists. Below is a Buddhist monastery, a sanctuary for Buddhist monks to study and practice their religion.

Mongolia was claimed by China until the Soviet Union (Russia) assisted the Mongolians in winning their independence. Shortly thereafter, however, Russian communists took control of the country. Mongolia would be part of the Soviet Block until a revolution in 1990 finally brought real independence.

Following the 1990 revolution, Mongolians rid themselves of the socialist economic practices of the Soviets in exchange for a FREE MARKET ECONOMY. In THE 21ST Century Mongolia has mined its mineral resources, especially copper, has become one of the most important Mongolian enterprises.

A new copper mine in Mongolia.

We cannot leave Mongolia without recognizing the importance of the horse, the national symbol. Genghis Khan, the most famous individual of Mongolian descent, took advantage of the availability of horses and the vast skills of Mongolian horsemen to forge the greatest empire in the history of the world.

In the world of Genghis Khan, his use of horses in battle were as devastating and intimidating to his enemies as tanks were in 20th Century warfare. His army arrived so quickly that those being attacked were terrified and usually totally unprepared to defend themselves. No army in history had ever moved so rapidly and with so much power as GK’s cavalry of ‘horse soldiers’.

Today, at least in Ulaanbaatar, cars have largely replaced horses, but not so in the vast rural area. The men pictured below, in traditional Mongolian attire, are on a hunting trip. Notice the eagle in the picture. Eagles have been used in hunting by certain Mongolian groups for generations.