| Mongolia |
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| Background: The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. 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 later came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. 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. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000 and produced a coalition government in 2004. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Ulaanbaatar
geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 53 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September |
| Area Total: 1,564,116 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska |
| Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) |
| Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) |
| Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Hoh Nuur 518 m |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m |
| Natural Resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron |
| Land Use Arable Land: 0.76% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 0% |
| Land Use Other: 99.24% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: 840 sq km (2003) |
| Natural Hazards: dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions |
| Environment Current Issues: limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment |
| Geography Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia |
| Population |
| Population: 2,951,786 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 28.7% (male 432,309/female 415,382) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 67.4% (male 994,186/female 995,986) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 3.9% (male 49,517/female 64,406) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 24.6 years |
| Median Age Male: 24.2 years |
| Median Age Female: 24.9 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 1.486% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 21.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.05 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.041 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 0.998 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.769 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 1 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 42.65 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 45.86 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 39.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 66.99 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 64.61 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 69.48 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 2.25 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) |
| Religions: Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4%, none 40% (2004) |
| Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999) |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 97.8% |
| Literacy Male: 98% |
| Literacy Female: 97.5% (2002) |
| Administrative Divisions: 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs |
| Legal System: blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine "continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Economy |
| Overview: Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession due to political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000-02 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth was 10.6% in 2004, 5.5% in 2005, and 7.5% in 2006, largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases 80% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. China is Mongolia's chief export partner and a main source of the "shadow" or "grey" economy. The World Bank and other international financial institutions estimate the grey economy to be at least equal to that of the official economy, but the former's actual size is difficult to calculate since the money does not pass through the hands of tax authorities or the banking sector. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally are sizable, and money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $5.781 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 7.5% according to official estimate (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 21.7% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 27.9% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 50.4% (2005) |
| Labor Force: 1.577 million (2005) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 39.9%
industry: 31.4%
services: 28.7% (2005) |
| Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (2005) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 37% (1995) |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 9.5% (2005 est.) |
| Industries: construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: 3% (2006 est.) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 3.43 billion kWh (2006) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 100% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 2.94 billion kWh (2006) |
| Electricity Exports: 15.95 million kWh (2006) |
| Electricity Imports: 125 million kWh (2006) |
| Oil Production: 821.9 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 11,220 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: NA cu m |
| Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m (2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas Imports: NA |
| Exports: $1.064 billion f.o.b. (2005) |
| Exports Commodities: copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals |
| Exports Partners: China 48.1%, US 14.2%, Canada 11.6%, UK 8.3%, South Korea 6.2% (2005) |
| Imports: $1.184 billion c.i.f. (2005) |
| Imports Commodities: machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea |
| Imports Partners: Russia 34.5%, China 27.4%, Japan 7.1%, South Korea 5.3% (2005) |
| Debt External: $1.38 billion (2005) |
| Economic Aid Recipient: $203.35 million (2005) |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 156,000 (2005) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 557,200 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas |
| Telephone System Domestic: very low density of about 6 main lines per 100 persons (roughly 25 per 100 persons including cellular mobile phones); there are 3 wireless providers |
| Telephone System International: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7 |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 7, FM 115 (includes 20 National radio broadcaster repeaters), shortwave 4 (2006) |
| Radios: 155,900 (1999) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 456 (including provincial and low-power repeaters) (2006) |
| Televisions: 168,800 (1999) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 5 (2001) |
| Internet Users: 268,300 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Railways Total: 1,810 km |
| Railways Broad Gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2005) |
Waterways: 580 km
note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2004) |
| Airports: 44 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 1.4% (2006) |
| Disputes International: none |