Mongolia Population: 3,226,516
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| Background | |
| The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAAN 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 ethnic Mongolians 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 that lasted until January 2012. In 2009, current President ELBEGDORJ of the Democratic Party was elected to office. In 2010, the MPRP voted to retake the name of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), a name it used in the early 1920s. Shortly thereafter, a new party was formed by former president ENKHBAYAR, which adopted the MPRP name. In the 2012 Parliamentary elections, a coalition of four political parties led by the Democratic Party, gained control of the Parliament. |
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| Geography | |
| Landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia | |
| Location: | Northern Asia, between China and Russia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 46 00 N, 105 00 E |
| Area: | total: 1,564,116 sq km land: 1,553,556 sq km water: 10,560 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than Alaska |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 8,220 km border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (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 560 m 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% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.24% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 840 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | dust storms; grassland and forest fires; drought; "zud," which is harsh winter conditions |
| Current Environment Issues: | limited natural freshwater 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 3,226,516 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 442,850/female 425,017) 15-24 years: 19% (male 311,460/female 302,286) 25-54 years: 44.5% (male 716,893/female 719,508) 55-64 years: 5.5% (male 85,545/female 93,234) 65 years and over: 4% (male 56,241/female 73,482) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 26.6 years male: 26.2 years female: 27 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.469% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 20.7 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.01 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 38.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 32.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 68.63 years male: 66.16 years female: 71.23 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.18 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | fewer than 500 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 100 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Mongolian(s) adjective: Mongolian |
| Ethnic groups: | Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000) |
| Religions: | Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4%, none 40% (2004) |
| Languages: | Khalkha Mongol 90% (official), Turkic, Russian (1999) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.4% male: 96.9% female: 97.9% (2010 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia |
| Government type: | parliamentary |
| Capital: | name: Ulaanbaatar geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 55 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan (Zavkhan), Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs |
| Independence: | 11 July 1921 (from China) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921) |
| Constitution: | 13 January 1992 |
| Legal system: | civil law system influenced by Soviet and Romano-Germanic legal systems; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Tsakhia ELBEGDORJ (since 18 June 2009) head of government: Prime Minister Norov ALTANKHUYAG (since 9 August 2012); Deputy Prime Minister Dendev TERBISHDAGVA (since 20 August 2012) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural (parliament) (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 24 May 2009 (next to be held by June 2013); following legislative elections, leaders of the majority party or a majority coalition usually elect the prime minister of the State Great Hural election results: in elections in May 2009, Tsakhia ELBEGDORJ elected president; percent of vote - Tsakhia ELBEGDORJ 51.2%, Nambar ENKHBAYAR 47.4%, others 1.3% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral State Great Hural (76 seats; of which 48 members are directly elected from 26 electoral districts, while 28 members are proportionally elected based on a party's share of the total votes; all serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 28 June 2012 (next to be held in June 2016) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DP 33, MPP 25, Justice Coalition 11, others 5, vacant 2 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the president); Constitutional Court (this independent court resolves disputes about potentially unconstitutional laws and acts of the president, members of parliament, and the cabinet) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Civil Will-Green Party or CWGP [Dangaasuren EHKHBAT]; Democratic Party or DP [Norov ALTANHUYAG]; Mongolian Natinal Democratic party or MNDP [ENKHSAIKHAN Mendsaikhan]; Mongolian People's Party or MPP [O. ENKHTUVSHIN]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Nambar ENKHBAYAR] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | other: human rights groups; women's groups |
| International organization participation: | ADB, ARF, CD, CICA, CP, EBRD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Altangerel BULGAA chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117 FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Piper Anne Wind CAMPBELL embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro Region, Ulaanbaatar, 14171 Mongolia mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002; P.O. Box 341, Ulaanbaatar-14192 telephone: [976] 7007-6001 FAX: [976] 7007-6016 |
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| Economy | |
| Mongolia's extensive mineral deposits and attendant growth in mining-sector activities have transformed Mongolia's economy, which traditionally has been dependent on herding and agriculture. Mongolia's copper, gold, coal, molybdenum, fluorspar, uranium, tin, and tungsten deposits, among others, have attracted foreign direct investment. 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, because of 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. The country opened a fledgling stock exchange in 1991. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization in 1997 and seeks to expand its participation in regional economic and trade regimes. Growth averaged nearly 9% per year in 2004-08 largely because of high copper prices globally and new gold production. By late 2008, Mongolia was hit hard by the global financial crisis. Slower global economic growth hurt the country's exports, notably copper, and slashed government revenues. As a result, Mongolia's real economy contracted 1.3% in 2009. In early 2009, the International Monetary Fund reached a $236 million Stand-by Arrangement with Mongolia and the country has largely emerged from the crisis with better regulations and closer supervision. The banking sector strengthened but weaknesses remain. In October 2009, Mongolia passed long-awaited legislation on an investment agreement to develop the Oyu Tolgoi mine, considered to be among the world's largest untapped copper deposits. Recent calls by nationalist politicians to renegotiate the investment agreement, however, have called into question the attractiveness of Mongolia as a destination for foreign direct investment. Negotiations to develop the massive Tavan Tolgoi coal field face similar obstacles. The economy grew by 6.4% in 2010, 17.5% in 2011, and by more than 12.3% in 2012, largely on the strength of commodity exports to nearby countries and high government spending domestically. Mongolia's economy, however, faces near-term economic risks from the government's loose fiscal policies, which are contributing to high inflation, and uncertainties in foreign demand for Mongolian exports. Trade with China represents more than half of Mongolia's total external trade - China receives more than 90% of Mongolia's exports. Mongolia purchases 95% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. Due to severe winter weather in 2009-10, Mongolia lost 22% of its total livestock, and meat prices doubled. Inflation remained higher than 10% for much of 2010-12, due in part to higher food and fuel prices. The economic slowdown in China during 2011-2012 resulted in fewer Mongolian exports, a widened trade gap, and decreased government revenues, putting pressure on Mongolian fiscal policy. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad, particularly in South Korea, are significant. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $15.17 billion (2012 est.) $13.51 billion (2011 est.) $11.5 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $9.988 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 12.3% (2012 est.) 17.5% (2011 est.) 6.4% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,400 (2012 est.) $4,800 (2011 est.) $4,200 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 14.6% industry: 42.7% services: 42.7% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 1.037 million (2011 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 33.5% industry: 11.5% services: 55% (2011) |
| Unemployment rate: | 9% (2011 est.) 13% (2010) |
| Population below poverty line: | 29.8% (2011 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 28.4% (2008) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 36.5 (2008) 32.8 (2002) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (2012 est.) 10.2% (2011 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $4.409 billion expenditures: $5.238 billion (2012 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses |
| 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: | 7.2% (2012 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 4.48 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 122 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 4.217 billion kWh (2010) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2012 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 262.9 million kWh (2010) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 11,790 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$2.354 billion (2012 est.) -$1.781 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $4.385 billion (2011 est.) $4.818 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals, coal, crude oil |
| Exports - partners: | China 85.7%, Canada 6.3% (2011) |
| Imports: | $6.739 billion (2012 est.) $6.598 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, cigarettes and tobacco, appliances, soap and detergent |
| Imports - partners: | China 43.4%, Russia 23.3%, South Korea 5.6%, Japan 5.1%, US 5% (2011) |
| Debt - external: | $2.564 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $2.505 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $4.62 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $1.691 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $95 million (31 December 2011 est.) $62 million (31 December 2010 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $1.29 billion (31 December 2012) $1.579 billion (31 December 2011) $1.093 billion (31 December 2010) |
| Exchange rates: | togrog/tugriks (MNT) per US dollar - 1,299.5 (2012 est.) 1,265.5 (2011 est.) 1,357.1 (2010 est.) 1,442.8 (2009) 1,170 (2007) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 187,600 (2011) country comparison to the world: 128 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 2.942 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas; a fiber-optic network has been installed that is improving broadband and communication services between major urban centers with multiple companies providing inter-city fiber-optic cable services domestic: very low fixed-line teledensity; there are multiple mobile-cellular providers and subscribership is increasing international: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7 (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .mn |
| Internet hosts: | 20,084 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 330,000 (2008) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 44 (2012) country comparison to the world: 98 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 29 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 under 914 m: 1 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2012) |
| Railways: | total: 1,908 km broad gauge: 1,908 km 1.520-m gauge note: the railway is 50 percent owned by the Russian State Railway (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 49,249 km paved: 3,015 km unpaved: 46,234 km (2010) |
| Waterways: | 580 km (the 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, they are open from May to September) (2010) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 57 by type: bulk carrier 21, cargo 25, chemical tanker 1, container 2, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 2, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 44 (Indonesia 2, Japan 2, North Korea 1, Russia 2, Singapore 3, Ukraine 1, Vietnam 33) (2010) |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Mongolian Armed Forces: Mongolian Army, Mongolian Air Force; there is no navy (2010) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers; women cannot be deployed overseas for military operations (2006) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 898,546 females age 16-49: 891,192 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 726,199 females age 16-49: 756,628 (2010 est.) |
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