Description
Mongolia (Mongolian: Монгол Улс/Monggol ulus.svg, Russian: Монго́лия) is a country in Central and East Asia. The country is bordered to the north by the autonomous republics of Altai, Tuva, and Buryatia, all members of the Russian Federation. It also borders Transbaikal Krai (Zabaykalsky Krai) to the north, and Inner Mongolia, a part of China, to the south. Mongolia has been a democracy since 1990. Situated on the Mongolian Plateau, the country has a continental climate with tundra and steppe regions in the north, mountainous regions (Altai) in the center, and desert (Gobi) in the south. Approximately a third of the population, who are predominantly Buddhist, lives in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. The rural population lives predominantly nomadically in traditional felt tents, also called ger or yurt, and provides for their subsistence through livestock farming. Sheep, horses, and camels are kept in free-roaming herds. In the north of the country, there is some industry in the form of timber processing and mining. Over 80% of the population belongs to the Khalkha Mongol ethnic group. Since 1991, the practice of religions such as Tibetan Buddhism and traditional shamanism has been permitted again, and several monasteries have been re-established. Reverence for the Dalai Lama is particularly strong among the population, as evidenced by the frequent use of his portrait in the furnishings of the yurts. Traditional Mongolian culture includes the preparation of a slightly alcoholic drink from the mare's milk of the Mongolian horse. This sparkling drink, with one and a half to two percent alcohol, is called kumys (the distilled version is called airag) and is consumed in large quantities by the men during the Naadam festival in the summer. The Mongolian language's writing system, derived from Uyghur, is vertical; it is written from top to bottom. A special feature of the vocal style is overtone singing (khuumi). This is often accompanied by a musician playing a horse-neck fiddle.
