Thanks, Wikipedia. Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 38 kilometres from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest city, is home to about 38pc of the population. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. After the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols returned to their earlier patterns. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Mongolia came under the influence of Tibetan Buddhism. At the end of the 17th century, most of Mongolia had been incorporated into the area ruled by the Qing Dynasty (who were Manchurians, a Mongolian people). During the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, but had to struggle until 1945 to gain international recognition. As a consequence, it came under strong Russian Soviet influence. In 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was declared. After the breakdown of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in late 1989, Mongolia saw its own Democratic Revolution in early 1990, which led to a multi-party system, a new constitution in 1992 and a rather rough transition to a market economy. At 1,564,116 square kilometres, Mongolia has a population of around 2.9 million. It is also the world's second largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan. The country contains very little arable land, as much of its area is covered by steppes, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately 30pc of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. The predominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism and the majority of the state's citizens are of the Mongol ethnicity, though Kazakhs also live in the country, especially in the west. Important prehistoric sites are the Paleolithic cave drawings of the Khoid Tsenkheriin Agui (Northern Cave of Blue) in Khovd Province and the Tsagaan Agui (White Cave) in Bayankhongor Province. Mongolia, since prehistoric times, has been inhabited by nomads who, from time to time, formed great confederations that rose to prominence. The first of these, the Xiongnu (precursors to the Kazakhs and Uzbeks, collectively called the Turks), were brought together by Modu Shanyu in 209 BC. They emerged as the greatest threat to the Qin Dynasty, forcing the latter to construct the Great Wall of China, guarded by up to 300,000 soldiers. The Donghu, precursors of the Mongols of Mongolia, subsequently ousted them, but as the Uzbeks, the Xiongnu came back and ruled Mongolia for centuries. In the seventh century, the Tungus people (from whom came the Manchurians) dominated Mongolia. In the late 12th century, a chieftain named Temujin united the Donghu tribes. In 1206, he took the title Genghis Khan and waged a series of military campaigns - renowned for their brutality and ferocity - through much of Asia and formed the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous land empire in history. Under his successors it stretched from present-day Poland in the west to Korea in the east and from Russia in the north to the Gulf of Oman and Vietnam in the south, covering some 33,000,000 square kilometres, 22pc of Earth's total land area and having a population of over 100 million people. After Genghis Khan's death, the empire was subdivided into four kingdoms or Khanates. One of the khanates, the Great Khaanate, consisting of the Mongol homeland and China, became the Yuan Dynasty under Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan. He set up his capital in present day Beijing but after more than a century of power, the Yuan was replaced by the Ming Dynasty in 1368, with the Mongol court fleeing to the north. As the Ming armies pursued the Mongols into their homeland, they successfully sacked and destroyed the Mongol capital Karakorum, wiping out the cultural progress that was achieved during the imperial period and throwing Mongolia back to anarchy. The next centuries were marked by violent power struggles between various factions. In the early 15th century, the Oirads under Esen Tayisi gained the upper hand and even raided China in 1449. Batumongke Dayan Khan reunited the Mongols in the early 16th century. Altan Khan, a grandson of Batumongke founded Hohhot in 1557 and met the Dalai Lama of Tibet in 1578. Abtai Khan converted to Buddhism and founded the Erdene Zuu monastery in 1585. The last Mongol Khan was Ligden Khan in the early 17th century. He got into conflicts with the Manchus and managed to alienate most Mongol tribes. He died in 1634 on his way to Tibet. By 1636, most Mongolian tribes had submitted to the Manchus thus bringing all of Mongolia under Beijing's rule. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Mongolia under the Bogd Khaan declared independence in 1911. The area controlled by the Bogd Khaan was approximately that of modern-day Mongolia. Inner Mongolia remained under Chinese rule. In 1919, Chinese troops from the Yuan Shikai warlord government occupied Mongolia. In October 1920, the royalists of Russia occupied Mongolia. Soviet president Lenin established a communist government in Mongolia in 1921 with help from his Red Army. During the Soviet-Japanese Border War of 1939, the Soviet Union successfully defended Mongolia against Japanese expansionism. Mongolia is a republic. The parliament is elected by the people and it elects the government. The president is elected directly. Mongolia's constitution guarantees full freedom of expression and religion. Mongolia has a number of political parties, the biggest being the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) who were the Communists and the pro-US Democratic Party (DP). The MPRP formed the government from 1921 to 1996 (until 1990 in a one-party system) and from 2000 onwards. The DP was the dominant force between 1996 and 2000. Mongolia maintains positive relations and has diplomatic missions with many countries such as the United States, Russia, North and South Korea, Japan and the People's Republic of China. The government has focused a great deal on encouraging foreign investment and trade. The geography of Mongolia is varied with the Gobi Desert to the south and cold and mountainous regions to the north and west. Much of Mongolia consists of steppes. The highest point in Mongolia is the Khuiten Peak in the far west at 4,374m. The basin of the lake Uvs Nuur, shared with Tuva Republic in Russia is a natural World Heritage Site. Most of the country is hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter, with January averages dropping as low as -30C. The country is also subject to occasional harsh climatic conditions known as zud. Ulan Bator has the lowest average temperature of any national capital in the world. Mongolia is high, cold and windy. It has an extreme continental climate with long, cold winters and short summers. The name Gobi is a Mongol term for a desert steppe. Mongolia is divided into 21 aimags (provinces), which are in turn divided into 315 sums (districts). The capital Ulan Bator is administrated separately as a khot (municipality) with provincial status. Mongolia's economy is centered on agriculture and mining. Mongolia has rich mineral resources and copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold account for a large part of industrial production. There are over 30,000 independent businesses in Mongolia, chiefly centered around the capital city. The majority of the population outside urban areas participates in subsistence herding. Livestock typically consists of sheep, goats, cattle, horses and Bactrian camels. Agricultural crops include wheat, barley, vegetables and watermelon. Industries include construction materials, mining, oil, food and animal products. Some technology companies from South Korea and the People's Republic of China have started to open offices in Mongolia. These companies focus on software development rather than hardware production. A number of telecommunication companies and internet service providers have been established and they include Mobicom Corporation. The Trans-Mongolian Railway is the main rail link between Mongolia and its neighbours. It begins at the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia at Ulan Ude, crosses into Mongolia and passes into China at Erenhot. Mongolia has a number of domestic airports. The only international airport is the Chinggis Khaan International Airport in the capital. It is named after Genghis Khan. Besides the ethnic Mongols who form the bulk of the population, there are Kazakhs (7pc), Tungus (Manchus) and a tiny number of Chinese and Russians. The official language of Mongolia is Khalkha Mongolian. Most Mongolians are Buddhists. 6pc are Christian and 4pc are Muslim. During Communist rule, education was one of the areas of significant achievement in Mongolia. Illiteracy was virtually eliminated. Mongolian national universities are all spin-offs from the National University of Mongolia and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. The main festival is Naadam, which has been organised for centuries and consists of three Mongolian traditional sports, archery, horse-racing and wrestling. Nowadays it is held from July 11 to 13 in honour of the anniversaries of the National Democratic Revolution and foundation of the Mongol State. Another popular activity Shagaa is the "flicking" of sheep bones at a target, using a flicking motion of the finger. Other sports include table tennis, basketball and soccer. Several Mongolian women have excelled in pistol shooting: Otryadyn Gundegmaa is a silver medalist of the 2008 Olympic Games, Munkhbayar Dorjsuren is a double world champion and Olympic bronze medal winner, while Tsogbadrakhyn Monkhzul is third in the world in the 25m pistol event. The music of Mongolia is strongly influenced by nature, nomadism, shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism. The first rock band of Mongolia was Soyol Erdene, founded in the 1960s. It was followed by Mungunhurhree, Ineemseglel and Urgoo. Mungunhurhree and Haranga became the pioneers of Mongolia's heavy rock music. The leader of Haranga, guitarist Enh Manlai helped the growth of the following generations of rockers. Among the followers of Haranga was the band Hurd.
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