Geography: Location: Northern Asia, between
China and Russia
Area:
total: 1.565 million sq km
land: 1.565 million sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 8,114 km
border countries: China 4,673 km, Russia 3,441 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)
Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains; mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert
in
southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Tavan Bogd Uul 4,374 m
Natural resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc,
wolfram, fluorspar, gold
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 80%
forests and woodland: 9%
other: 10% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 800 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms can occur in the spring; grassland fires
Environment—current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; policies of the
former
communist regime promoting rapid urbanization and industrial growth have raised concerns
about
their negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal and the concentration
of factories
in Ulaanbaatar have severely polluted the air; deforestation, overgrazing, the converting
of virgin
land to agricultural production have increased soil erosion from wind and rain;
desertification
Environment—international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia
People
Population: 2,578,530 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37% (male 483,795; female 468,700)
15-64 years: 59% (male 764,665; female 764,825)
65 years and over: 4% (male 41,488; female 55,057) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.54% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 23.56 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.19 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 66.34 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.46 years
male: 59.4 years
female: 63.61 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.75 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian
Ethnic groups: Mongol 90%, Kazakh 4%, Chinese 2%, Russian 2%, other 2%
Religions: predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim 4%
note: previously limited religious activity because of communist regime
Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian, Chinese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.9%
male: 88.6%
female: 77.2% (1988 est.)
Government
Country conventional name: Mongolia
Government type: republic
National capital: Ulaanbaatar
Economy
Economy—overview: The government has embraced free-market economics,
freezing spending,
easing price controls, liberalizing domestic and international trade. Mongolia's severe
climate,
scattered population, and wide expanses of unproductive land, however, have constrained
economic development. Economic activity traditionally has been based on agriculture and
the
breeding of livestock. In past years, extensive mineral resources had been developed with
Soviet
support; total Soviet assistance at its height amounted to 30% of GDP, but disappeared
almost
overnight in 1990-91. The mining and processing of coal, copper, molybdenum, tin,
tungsten, and
gold account for a large part of industrial production. The Mongolian leadership has been
soliciting
support from foreign donors, who pledged some $250 million in aid in October 1997.
Economic
growth picked up in 1997 after stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural disasters and
declines in
world prices of copper and cashmere.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$5.6 billion (1997 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3.3% (1997 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$2,200 (1997 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 34%
industry: 32%
services: 34% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate—consumer price index: 17.5% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 1.115 million (mid-1993 est.)
by occupation: primarily herding/agricultural
Unemployment rate: 15% (1997 est.)
Industries: copper, construction materials, mining (particularly coal); food and beverage,
processing of animal products
Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (1997 est.)
Agriculture—products: wheat, barley, potatoes, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle,
camels,
horses
Exports:
total value: $418 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
commodities: copper, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other
nonferrous metals
partners: Russia 21%, China 18% (1996)
Imports:
total value: $443.4 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, food products, industrial consumer goods,
chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea
partners: Russia 34%, China 15% (1996)
Debt—external: $500 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA $250 million (1998 est.)
Currency: 1 tughrik (Tug) = 100 mongos
More
Information about Mongolia
PEOPLE GROUPS IN MONGOLIA
Khalkha Mongol AD2000, Bethany,
Northern Mongolian AD2000, Bethany,
