| Background: |
Long a province
of China, Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet
backing. A communist regime was installed in 1924. During
the early 1990s, the ex-communist Mongolian People's
Revolutionary Party (MPRP) gradually yielded its monopoly on
power. In 1996, the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC)
defeated the MPRP in a national election. Over the next four
years the Coalition implemented a number of key reforms to
modernize the economy and institutionalize democratic
reforms. However, the former communists were a strong
opposition that stalled additional reforms and made
implementation difficult. In 2000, the MPRP won 72 of the 76
seats in Parliament and completely reshuffled the
government. While it continues many of the reform policies,
the MPRP is focusing on social welfare and public order
priorities. |
| Location: |
Northern Asia,
between China and Russia |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
46 00 N, 105 00 E |
| 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:
8,161.9 km
border countries: China 4,676.9 km, Russia
3,485 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 518 m
highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil)
4,374 m |
| Natural
resources: |
oil, coal,
copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc,
wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron, phosphate |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
5.7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 81%
forests and woodland: 11.4%
other: 1.9% (2000 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
800 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
dust and snow
storms, grassland and forest fires, drought and "zud",
which is a combination of drought followed by harsh winter
conditions |
| Environment
- current issues: |
limited natural
fresh water resources in some areas; 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 in power plants
and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws have
severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation,
overgrazing, the converting of virgin land to agricultural
production have increased soil erosion from wind and rain;
desertification and mining activities have also had a
deleterious effect on the environment |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked;
strategic location between China and Russia |
| Population: |
2,654,999 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
32.99% (male 445,252; female 430,758)
15-64 years: 63.13% (male 837,771; female
838,384)
65 years and over: 3.88% (male 44,436; female
58,398) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.47% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
21.8 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.1 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
53.5 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 64.26 years
male: 62.14 years
female: 66.5 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.39 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
less than 0.01%
(1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
less than 100
(1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Mongol
(predominantly Khalkha) 85%, Turkic (of which Kazakh is the
largest group) 7%, Tungusic 4.6%, other (including Chinese
and Russian) 3.4% (1998) |
| Religions: |
Tibetan Buddhist
Lamaism 96%, Muslim (primarily in the southwest), Shamanism,
and Christian 4% (1998) |
| Languages: |
Khalkha Mongol
90%, Turkic, Russian (1999) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 97.5% (2000) |
| 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 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
18 provinces (aymguud,
singular - aymag) and 3 municipalities* (hotuud, singular -
hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan*,
Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Erdenet*, Govi-Altay,
Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Ovorhangay, Selenge,
Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs
note: there may be a new province named Gobi-Sumber;
further, there may now be 21 provinces and 1 capital city
instead of 18 provinces and 3 municipalities |
| Independence: |
11 July 1921
(from China) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence
Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921) |
| Constitution: |
12 February 1992 |
| Legal
system: |
blend of Russian,
Chinese, Turkish, and Western systems of law that combines
aspects of a parliamentary system with some aspects of a
presidential system; constitution ambiguous on judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Natsagiyn BAGABANDI (since 20
June 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Nambaryn
ENKHBAYAR (since 26 July 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the State Great
Hural in consultation with the president
elections: president nominated by parties in
the State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a
four-year term; election last held 20 May 2001 (next to be
held NA May 2005); following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or majority coalition is
usually elected prime minister by the State Great Hural;
election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: Natsagiyn BAGABANDI reelected
president; percent of vote - NA%; Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected
prime minister by a vote in the State Great Hural of 68 to 3 |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral State
Great Hural (76 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 July 2000 (next to be
held NA July 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - MPRP 72, other 4 |
| 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 for approval by
the president) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Citizens' Will
Party or CWP (also called Civil Will Party) [Sanjaasurengyn
OYUN]; Democratic Party or DP [D. DORLIGAN]; Mongolian
People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR];
Mongolian Democratic New Socialist Party or MDNSP [B.
ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [B.
JARGALSAIHAN]
note: the MPRP is the ruling party |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CCC, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Jalbuugiyn CHOINHOR
chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC
20007
telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117
FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227
consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador John DINGER
embassy: inner north side of the Big Ring, just
west of the Selbe Gol, Ulaanbaatar
mailing address: United States Embassy in
Mongolia, P. O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar 13; PSC 461, Box 300,
FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [976] (11) 329095
FAX: [976] (11) 320776 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal,
vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered
on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem
("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract
and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth,
water, and the yin-yang symbol) |
| Economy
- overview: |
Economic activity
traditionally has been based on agriculture and breeding of
livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits:
copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account
for a large part of industrial production. Soviet
assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared
almost overnight in 1990-91, at the time of the
dismantlement of the USSR. Mongolia was driven into deep
recession, which was prolonged by the Mongolian People's
Revolutionary Party's (MPRP) reluctance to undertake serious
economic reform. The Democratic Coalition (DC) government
has embraced free-market economics, easing price controls,
liberalizing domestic and international trade, and
attempting to restructure the banking system and the energy
sector. Major domestic privatization programs were
undertaken, as well as the fostering of foreign investment
through international tender of the oil distribution
company, a leading cashmere company, and banks. Reform was
held back by the ex-communist MPRP opposition and by the
political instability brought about through four successive
governments under the DC. Economic growth picked up in
1997-99 after stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural
disasters and declines in world prices of copper and
cashmere. In August and September 1999, the economy suffered
from a temporary Russian ban on exports of oil and oil
products, and Mongolia remains vulnerable in this sector.
Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in 1997.
The international donor community pledged over $300 million
per year at the last Consultative Group Meeting, held in
Ulaanbaatar in June 1999. The MPRP government, elected in
July 2000, is anxious to improve the investment climate; it
must also deal with a heavy burden of external debt. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $4.7 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-1% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $1,780 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
36%
industry: 22%
services: 42% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
40% (2000 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.9%
highest 10%: 24.5% (1995) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
7.6% (1999) |
| Labor
force: |
1.3 million
(1999) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
primarily
herding/agricultural |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$262 million
expenditures: $328 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
construction
materials, mining (particularly coal and copper); food and
beverages, processing of animal products |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
2.4% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
2.671 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
2.767 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
80 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
363 million kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley,
potatoes, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses |
| Exports: |
$454.3 million
(f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
copper,
livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides,
fluorspar, other nonferrous metals |
| Exports
- partners: |
China 60%, US
20%, Russia 9%, Japan 2% (2000 est.) |
| Imports: |
$510.7 million
(c.i.f., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment, fuels, food products, industrial consumer goods,
chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea |
| Imports
- partners: |
Russia 33%, China
21%, Japan 12%, South Korea 10%, US 4% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$760 million
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$200 million
(1998 est.) |
| Currency: |
togrog/tugrik (MNT) |
| Exchange
rates: |
togrogs/tugriks
per US dollar - 1,097.00 (December 2000), 1,076.67 (2000),
1,072.37 (1999), 840.83 (1998), 789.99 (1997), 548.40 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
104,100 (1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
110,000 (2001) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: very low density: about 3.5 telephones
for each thousand persons
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 7, FM 9,
shortwave 4 (2001) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
4 (plus 18
provincial repeaters and many low powered repeaters) (1999) |
| Televisions: |
168,800 (1999) |
| Internet
country code: |
.mn |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
5 (2001) |
| Internet
users: |
between 10,000
and 15,000 (2001) |
| Railways: |
1,815 km
broad gauge: 1,815 km 1.524-m gauge (2001) |
| Highways: |
total:
3,387 km
paved: 1,563 km
unpaved: 1,824 km
note: there are also 45,862 km of rural roads
that consist of rough, unimproved, cross-country tracks
(2000) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
26
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Mongolian Armed
Forces (includes General Purpose Forces, Air and Air Defense
Forces, Civil Defense Troops); note - Border Troops are
under Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs in peacetime |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 748,779 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 486,491 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
30,230 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$25.5 million
(FY01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.3% (FY01) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
