About Mongolia

About Mongolia

Click on each paragraph

General	Climate	Hotels	Restaurants	Museums
Embassies	How to get around	Festivals	Natural Zones and Belts

General

Mongolia is a country of growing interest with its unique cultural heritage, landscape, geographical situation and natural ecosystem. Being locked between China and Russia without an access to the sea in the Central Asia, climate of Mongolia could be quite sharp, changing rapidly from hot summer days to cold, snowing temperature. It is in a transition zone, where flora and fauna of Siberia meets with completely different species of the desert and steppes of Central Asia. Mongolia is rich with places of natural beauties, then a visit to nomadic people, exploring their lifestyle makes it even interesting, as they have kept their traditions and style of earliest days relatively unchanged.

Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia: In 1924, name of the capital changed as Ulaanbaatar, literally ‘‘the Red Hero’’, in honour of Sukhbaatar, the hero of the 1921 Revolution. Located on the Khan mountain (altitude 1.351m), on the river Tuul bank, the city is divided in 6 district: Sukhbaatar district is the central one with the Government House, the Central Post Office, museum and hotels.

Today Ulaanbaatar, a city of 900.000 ins, reflects both aspects of present day Mongolian society, nomadic culture and modern society: high-rises cohabit with traditional gers, nomads in traditional costumes (del) with business men, traffic jam with ruminating cows.

Regions: 18 aimags (provinces) +4 independent municipalities subdivided into Sums (somon)

Capital: Ulaanbaatar (900,000 inhab)

Government: Parliamentary with a president elected every 4 years.

Economy: Traditionally based on agricultural, livestock breeding (camel, bovine, goats, horses and sheep)-Mining (coal, copper)

Religions: Buddhist Lamaism 94% and shamanism

Language: Khalkh mongol. Mostspoken languages: Russian, English, German, Japanese.

Passport and visas: Full valid passport, entry and exit visa. Visa can be obtained after confirmed arrangements (letter of invitation) from Mongolian Embassies in Europe (2 photo required).

Time: +8 hours to GMT

Territory: 1,564,000 sq km

Population: 2,353,000 -51% live in urban areas

Density: 1,5 per sq km

Tourism season: From 15 May to 1^st October (peak-season: July-August)

Currency: Tugrig: Exchange rate: 1 USD-1169 Tug (30 Jan 2007). Exchanging bureaus at most hotels. Us dollars are accepted in hotels and restaurants. Some hotels and tourist shops accept credit cards (American Express mainly and Visa, Master card, Diner club).

Communication: International telephone is available in hotel. Country code :976 and area code for Ulaanbaatar :11. Email connections.

History of Mongolia

Mongolia's history is extremely long; it spans over 5,000. "The Mongols has little inclination to ally with other nomadic peoples of northern Asia and, until the end of the 12th century, the Mongols were little more than a loose confederation of rival clans, It was in the late 12th century that a 20-year-old Mongol named Temujin emerged and managed to unite most of the Mongol tribes. In 1189 he was given the honorary name of Genghis Khan, meaning 'universal king'. No Mongolian leader before or since has united the Mongolians so effectively."

Geography of Mongolia

This of course attracts many adventure tourists but Mongolia's location and geography also strongly impact its climate, social life, trade and tourist seasons. All in all, it has remained the last great place to visit for the very same reasons as it is hard to get to. It is at times one of the coldest and driest places to visit. The Gobi desert serves as an amazing destination for photographers and adventure seekers.

Arts and Culture of Mongolia

Mongolia has always had a very defined artistic past with influences from all over the world this was evident at the time of the great Mongol Empire of Chingis Khaan and Khubilai Khaan to the later days of Chinese occupation and Russian domination. Never the less the Mongol arts have always remained pure only taking in slight alterations but rarely loosing its unique identity. It is the Russians (or soviets at the time) which dealt the Mongolian arts its most serious blow, the traditional Mongolian script was changed to cyrillic. Since Mongolia has escaped Soviet domination in the early 1990's there has been a strong resurgance and revival of all Mongolian art forms, this is clearly visible if you spend some time in Mongolia at the present time. Art is once again being used to form and foster a national identity.

Political History of Mongolia

Mongolia has also begun to break out of the political and economic isolation that characterized its modern history from the 1920s to the 1990s, this is largely caused by a new, young generation of Mongolians, which has tasted the rewards of democracy and the opportunity presented by a market economy, and are moving into positions of influence and power within the Mongolian economy. Their outlook on the world and Mongolia's place in it is markedly different than that of their parents and grandparents. Mongolia, today, is "on the march" not only at home, but also on the international scene. Mongolia redefined its vital national security and foreign policy priorities and concepts in a new 1992 Constitution and in a 1994 national security and foreign policy document. Defined as an "open and non-aligned" policy, Mongolia declared it would safeguard its independence and security primarily by political and diplomatic means and by striving to create an external environment that was favorable for its economic, scientific and technological development.

Economy of Mongolia

After years of flat or negative growth rates, economic growth took off in 2004 (10.6%) and is expected to stabilize at between 5 to 6% per year for the next few years (2005 estimate is 5.6%). The bulk of this growth comes from two sectors – agriculture (2004: 25% of GDP) and mining (2004: 12% of GDP). New shopping malls, restaurants, bars and discos and internet cafes are opening up every month. Inflation has stabilized to around 5%, this is being closely matched by the growth of real GDP. As the banking sector recovered from its 1997 crash, consumer confidence improved better rates of interest are constantly being offered thus encouraging domestic credit from the private sector, this while domestic and foreign deposits are growing in importance and the budget balance is improving.

Property in Mongolia

The largest and best real estate agency in Ulaanbaatar is www.mongolianproperties.com.

Religious

Tibetan (Mahayana) Buddhism has long been the religion of the Mongols. Chingis Khaan’s grandson, Khubilai Khaan (1216-94), selected Buddhism from all the religions represented in his empire to be adopted by his imperial court in Beijing. In 1578 the country reconverted to Tibetan Buddhism when a Tibetan monk, Sonam Gyatsho, recognized as a reincarnation of Khubilai Khaan, received the title, Dalai Lama, from the Mongol Altan Khaan.

Ger Etiquette

The large, white felt tent, known as a ger and seen all over Mongolia, is probably the most identifiable symbol of Mongolia. (The word yurt was introduced by the Russians). The outer and innermost material of the ger is usually canvas, with an insulating layer of felt sandwiched in between, all supported by a collapsible wooden frame. They appear flimsy, but gers hold up amazingly well to Mongolia's fierce winds. Ancient gers were more solidly built: when it was necessary to move them, they had to be placed on carts and pulled by horses.

Climate of Mongolia

The mean elevation of Mongolia is about 1500 meters above sea level (5000 ft) which enhances the sharp continental climate. Precipitation is low and sky is usually clear during the wintertime. There is a short rainy season in July and August. Around 67-78 percent of all precipitation falls during these three summer months.

In Mongolia, there are several natural zones and belts including Central Asian desert zones to Siberian taiga. Mongolia is a country of continental extreme climate. Warm rainy summers and extremely cold winters. Sharp seasonal fluctuations and variations. Great diurnal temperature changes.

Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city of the World. Mongolia is known as the Land of the Blue Sky. Throughout the year, there are 250 sunny days and 9-23 cloudy days. The duration of the period with a mean daily temperature higher than the freezing point lasts about 170-190 days, increasing to the south and southeast up to 200-215 days.

The summer climate, when most visitors are likely to be in Mongolia, could be described as being similar to Scandinavian summers. After extended rain, it can be cause of floods in local area. The weather pattern is very variable over short periods of time. In July 1996 some parts of Mongolia had drought, whereas at the same time other areas had floods and more rain than normal. Average altitude is 1580m and the highest mountain is located in Altai mountain. It reaches to 4374 m (ASL).

Months	Average temperature (Degree C)	Precipitation (mm)
January	-26.1	1.5
February	-21.7	1.9
March	-10.8	2.2
April	0.5	7.2
May	8.3	15.3
June	14.9	48.8
July	17	72.6
August	15	47.8
September	7.6	24.4
October	-1.7	6
November	-13.7	3.7
December	-24	1.6

Hotels

ULAANBAATAR Hotel Sukhbaatar Squre 14 Ulaanbaatar 210645 118 rooms (190 beds) Average tariff: 60-120 USD	BAYANGOL Hotel Chingis Khan Avenue 5B PO Box 43 Ulaanbaatar 205 rooms (418 beds) Average tariff: 72-178 USD	CHINGIS KHAN Hotel Khukh tengeriin Gudamj 5 Ulaanbaatar 49 184 rooms (400 beds) Average tariff: 70-150 USD
FOLWER Hotel Baynzurkh District Khukh Tenger street 12 Ulaanbaatar 49 184 rooms (336 beds) Average tariff: 44-154 USD	NEW CAPITAL Hotel Friendship Avenue 39 PO Box 1029/46 Ulaanbaatar 36 beds Average tariff: 50-110 USD	MARCO POLA Hotel Sukhbaatar district Irkhuugiin street Ulaanbaatar 46 20 rooms (36 beds) Average tariff: 55-88 USD
WHITE HOUSE Hotel Jalhanz hytagt Damdinbazaryn street PO Box 1029 Ulaanbaatar 210524 28 beds	NUHT Hotel Central Post 112 Ulaanbaatar 120 beds Average tariff: 19-140 USD	HOTEL URGE Hudaldaany street M-100 Building Entrance 6 Ulaanbaatar 46 15 rooms
BISHRELT Hotel Liberty square 3/1-PO Box 104 Ulaanbaatar 211238 21 rooms Average tariff: 66-132 USD	EDELWISS Hotel Peace Avenue 15A/5 Ulaanbaatar 20 rooms (36 beds) Average tariff: 60-180 USD	CONTINENTAL Hotel Embassy district of Ulaanbaatar Average tariff: 80-160USD
PEACE BRIDGE Hotel 20 minutes walk to Sukhbaatar square Average tariff: 70-92 USD	PALACE Hotel Average tariff: 60-98 USD

Restaurants

Baccarat-European cuisine Chinggis Khan hotel Phone: 976-11-311993	CAFÉ DE FRANCE-French cuisine and atmosphere Baga Toiruu Tis-iin Oyutnii bair 1 (behind the Chinese Embassy) Phone:976-11-310406	HANAMASA Japanese cuisine (buffet style) Phone: 976-11-327544
CHURCHILL’S –British bistrot Baga Toiruu 31 Tel/Fax: 976-11-322770	ANKARA RESTAURANT Turkish cuisine Huvsgalchdyn Orgon Choloo Phone: 976-11-322371	HAZARA RESTAURANT Northen India cuisine Enkh Taivany Orgon Choloo-6 Phone: 976-11-455071
LA CAPITALE DOUALA African cuisine Phone: 976-11-457824	ASIA RESTAURANT Traditional Mongolian cuisine Enkh Taivny Orgon Choloo Phone: 976-11-453420	AMERICAN RESTAURANT American cuisine Enkh Taivny Orgon Choloo Phone: 976-457291
ALTAI EUROPEAN RESTAURANT European dishes Flower Hotel Phone: 976-11-358330	BAYANGOL RESTAURANT European dishes Bayangol Hotel Phone: 976-11-326794	BERLIN FAST FOOD Huvisgalchdyn Orgon Choloo Phone: 976-11-313786

Museums

THE NATIONAL MUSUEM OF MONGOLIAN HISTORY

Sukhbaatar Gudamj (West of Government House)

Prehistoric, historic and ethnographic sections.

Open daily 10 am to 4.15 pm (Except Thusday)-Admission-1 USD

MUSUEM GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY

Located in the technical University. Open Monday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm

THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Khuvsgalchid avenue 1 includes a complete dinosaur skeleton and eggs excavated in the Gobi.

Open daily 10 am to 4.30 pm.-Admission -1 USD

THE ZANABAZAR MUSEUM OF FINE ART

Khudaldaany Gudamj (on Barligachdyn Square just down the road from the Trade and Development Bank)

Main focus on religion painting and sculpture from prehistoric times up to the beginning of the 20^th century.

Open daily 9 am to 4 pm (except Thursday)-Admission: 1 USD

THE STATE CENTRAL LIBRARY

Abcient sudars and other old manuscripts exhibited.

Open Monday to Friday 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm

THE CHOIJIN LAMA MONESTRY MUSEUM

Jamyangun street 4 Formerly a monastery and temple complex. Collection includes 108 masks used for the ceremonial Tsam dabcing.

Open daily 10 am to 5 pm (except Thursday)-Admission 1 USD

BOGD KHAAN WINTER PALACE MUSEUM

Zaysan street Built between 1893 and 1903, it was the palace, monasteries of Mongolia’s last king, Javzan Damba Hutagt VIII. Contains religious and cultural items from the 17^th century to the beginning of the 20^th century.

Open daily 10 am to 5 pm (except Thursday)-Admission -1 USD

GANDAN MONASTRY (Gandantegchilen)

Largest the monastery and temple complex in use in Mongolia, built in 1810, partly destroyed and reconstructed after 1990. In one of the temples there is the biggest standing Buddha in Central and East Asia, Janraisag.

Open daily from 9 am to 4 pm.

Embassies

GERMANY

Mongolian Embassy

Botschaft der Mongolei

Siebengebirgsblick 4-6

53844 Troisgorf-Seiglar Bonn-Germany

Phone: 49 2241 402727

Fax: 49 2241 47781

Email: mongolbot@aol.com

GEART BRITAIN

Mongolian Embassy

7 Kensington Court-London W8 DL

Phone: 44 171 937 0150

Fax: 44 171 937 1117

Email: Embmonh@aol.com

SWITZERLAND

Mission Permanente de la Mongolie

4 Chemin des Mollies 1293 Bellevue/GE Geneve

Phone: 41 22 7741 974

Faz: 44 22 7743201

Email: mission.mongolia@itu.ch

FRANCE

Ambassade de Mongolie

4 Avenue Robert Schumann

92100 Boulogne-Billancourt

Phone: 33 1 460523 18

Fax: 33 1 46053016

Email: 106513.2672@Compuserve.com

BELGIUM

Ambassade de Mongolie

Avenue Besme 18

1190 Forset-Bruxelles

Phone: 32 2 3446974

Fax: 32 2 3443215

Email: hanibal@arcadis.de

ITALY

Honorary Consul

Viele XX Settembre 37-34126 Trieste

Phone: 39 40 362241

Fax: 39 40 363494

SWEDEN

Honorary Consul

Gotatergsgatan 34 S-41134Gothenburg

Phone: 46 31 167621

Fax: 46 31 160770

USA

Embassy of Mongolia

2833 M street NW

Washington DC-20007 USA

Phone: 001 202 333 7117, 2987137

Fax: 001 202 298 9227

Email: monemb@aol.com

HOW TO GET AROUND

By air: The majority of visitors arrive to Mongolia by through Chinggis Khan international airport located 18 km to the southwest of Ulaanbaatar. Been reconstructed in 1990, immigration and customs formalities as well as luggage delivery are very prompt. The international air transport is operated by MIAT, Korean Airline and China Airlines. Three possibilities to get to Ulaanbaatar airport from Europe by air.

From Europe to Moscow and to Ulaanbaatar with AEROFLOT (SU)
From Europe to Bejing with the major foreign companies and then to Ulaanbaatar with MIAT Mongolian Airlines or AIR CHINA (CA)
From Berlin and Frankfurt (twice week flights) to Ulaanbaatar direct with MIAT Mongolian Airlines (OM).

MIAT Mongolian Airlines operates scheduled and charter domestic flights (An-24) throughout 21 Aimags. The obligation to return to Ulaanbaatar to get another tourist site (due to the network concentrated on UB as a single hub) as well as some delays in scheduling are to be taken into account in preparing tourist itineraries. A round trip to Dalanzadgad or Moron costs 142 USD.

By road: The road network includes asphalt roads (to Darkhan ( and to Russia)-to Terelj-to Bayankhongor), paved and gravel roads ( often in rather poor conditions). The majority of roads to tourist camps are track laid out across the steppes by jeeps. Consequently, duration of trips depends on the quality of the road. On the weather and on the type of vehicle used. For example, a trip to Kharkhorum (360 km from Ulaanbaatar) may take 4/5 hours ( without stop) with a good jeep or 8/9 hours with a bad vehicle or minibus. The best ways of conveyance for Mongolian terrain are horses and camels.

By rail: Trans Mongolian Railway operates some 1.110 kilometers of “Trans-Mongolian Line” (inside Mongolia).Dating back to 1938, the Trans Mongolian runs from Russian border via Ulaanbaatar to the Chinese border.

Exploring Mongolia following the lines of the legendry Trans Mongolian and Trans Siberian Railways is more than a simple way of transportation, it is an expedition in itself. Total distance by rail from Beijing to St Peterburg is 7.925 km. Travellers can join in Moscow ( or St Peterburg) on in Beijing ( or Hong Konh and Hanoi). There are usually nine compartments in each carriage with four berths in each ( Twin-share rail compartments are available for a supplementary price).

Indicative prices for first class ( subject to change without notice):

Ulaanbaatar/Moscow-departure Monday(Russian train) 151.000 T, Saturday ( Chinese train ) 183.000 T and Thursday ( Mongolian train) 160.000 T

-Duration of the trip : 5 Days

Ulaanbaatar/Bejing –departure Thursday ( Mongolian train) 77.000 T Sunday ( Chinese train) 88.000 T

Festivals

Tsam Dances Festival

A special religious ceremony for the ten Dharma Protectors, especially for the deities of the Tsam Dance, will be held at the Dashchoilon Monastery. During the religious ceremony at the monastery, the main events, the Tsam dance will be performed. In this religious dance there are many kinds of characters, such as Damdinchijoo, The King, Shridevi, the female protector of religion, Gongor and Namsrai, deities of wealth, and several more.

The Mongolian Camel Festival

The Mongolian two humped Bactrian Camel is nicknamed the “Gobi ship” by local people, and inhabits the Gobi desert area in the Southern Mongolia. As an inseparable part of the life of nomadic Mongolians, it has become traditional in Mongolia to organize a Camel Festival annually.

The Mongolian Lunar New Year

Tsagaan sar or White Month is the Lunar Calendar New Year, which has been celebrated in Mongolia many centuries. During the Tsagaan Sar , Mongolian's dress in traditional clothes, prepare traditional food, pay tribute to religious and hereditary customs, and relish singing and having fun. It should be noted that each year the Tsagaan sar may fall on different dates of the Gregorian Calendar in January or February.

The Naadam Festival of Mongolia

The Naadam Festival, a traditional celebration inherited from olden days, is the biggest national event for Mongolians. The word ”Nadam” means “games”, and the festival's full title is Eriin Gurvan Naadam, which can be translated as the "Three Man Games". They consist of traditional wrestling, horseracing, and archery.

The Khazak Eagle Festival of Mongolia

One of the oldest, most revered and spectacular celebrations for Kazakh people, passed down from generation to generation, is hunting with trained eagles. It exhibits the real pride of the Kazakhs. They annually hold an exceptional feast called the Eagle Hunting Festival in the extreme air of the majestic Altai mountains, among the river glaciers and beautiful landscape in Bayan-Ulgii province.

Natural Zones and Belts

Mongolia is unique in its unusual and varied life zones, especially compared to the other temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere. Being in the very center of the Eurasian continent it is hard to get anywhere further from the oceans of the world. Mongolia is a vast place of unexpected and unlikely encounters. The northernmost desert zones in the world are found within Mongolia, and so are the southernmost taiga forests of Siberia. The habitats of camels and reindeer almost merge in the northern areas by Huvsgul Lake.

THE MOUNTAINS

There are three mountain ranges namely the Altai, Khangai and Khentii, where you find alpine flora. The flora is mostly related to Scandinavian species in the northwest areas and to East Asian species in the northeast. However, species are unusually large and bright in colors, probably due to the high elevation and bright sunshine which intensify the photosynthesis process. The high mountain systems in the northern and western parts are favorable to the distribution of high altitude animals like Ibex (Capra sibirica), Argali Sheep (Ovis ammon) and its predator the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia uncia). Further Narrow-sculled Vole (Microtus gregalis), Mountain Hare (Lepus timidus), Stone Marten (Martes foina) and avifauna such as Altai Snowcock, Rock Partridge, Alpine or Himalayan Dunnock, Willow Grouse, Rock Ptarmigan etc...

THE TAIGA FORESTS

Mongolia shares its northern frontier with Siberia where the taiga and forest life zones are located. In the taiga zone around Lake Hövsgöl, Baikal's twin lake, you may encounter Moose (Alces alces), Brown Bear (Ursos arctos), Musk Deer (Moschus moschiferus), Chipmunk (Tamias sibirica), Sable (Martes zibellina), Eurasian River Otter (Lutra lutra), Hazel-hen (Bonasia bonasia), Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), Oriental Cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus), etc. In the lake itself there are Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), Black-throated Loons (Gavia arctica), Great Cormorants and several species of Gulls.

THE FOREST-STEPPE

To the south of the taiga complex, around the Khangai and Altai mountain forests there are also Roe Deer, Lynx and Wolf while the broken forests are inhabited by Goshawk, Black Kite, Hoopoe, Oriental Cuckoo, and Woodpeckers. Around the lakes we may find Osprey and Ruddy Shell-duck (Tadorna ferruginea). Moving a bit east to the Khentii wilderness we start finding East Asian species like Raccoon Dog, White-naped Crane, Swan Goose etc...

THE STEPPES

The main characteristic of Mongolia is usually thought of as vast steppe zones, which is also entirely true. The high elevation of the country gives unusually clear air - all the year round. The predators of the steppes are Corsac Fox (Vulpes corsac), Wild Cat which is common but nocturnal (Felis manul). There are also White- tailed Mongolian Gazelle. Demoiselle Cranes are common all over steppe. In the steppes we also find Steppe Falcon, Steppe Eagle, Mongolian and Horned Lark, Dancing Wheatear etc.

THE SEMI DESERTS

The Gobi is a word describing one third of the Mongolian territory to the south. It extends into northern China (Inner Mongolia) and this life zone gradually start to emerge only some 140 km south of Ulaanbaatar. There is water available and open streams have very fresh and cold water. The Altai Mountains stretch into the Gobi and extend as the Gurvansaikhan Mountains into the middle of the Gobi. In spite of the high summer temperatures all around, the ravines of the Yol Valley of the Gurvansaikhan Mountains have permanent ice and snow. Right here there is alpine flora and fauna.

THE DESERT

The desert fauna of the Gobi is biologically diverse. Only 3 percent of the Gobi is considered true desert. There are several species of Jerboas, Mongolian Hamster, Mongolian Jird. Among predatory species in the desert zones there is the only desert Bear in the world, the Gobi Bear (Ursus pruinosus) which the Mongols call the Maazalai. It is an extremely rare species, and threatened with extinction. There is also the rare Wild Ass (Hemionus hemionus) which is found in places like the very arid plains of Borzongobi (ca 2000) east of Dalanzadgad. The last remaining true wild Camels in the world, the Havtagai (Camelus ferus) are found in the west Gobi. More common are the Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa).

http://www.num.edu.mn/ornithology/. Email: mongolianbirds@mail.com