This scarcely populated country is best visited in the summers. You can enjoy the scenic beauty of nature while visiting the cliff of mountains. Or roam around the city on horseback. Or insert a few stones in the pile of stones of ozoo.
Mongolia has Russia to its north and China to the south. This landlocked country is one of the lightly populated countries. The name Mongolia is derived from Latin, meaning Land of Mongos (a name given for mountain or river), .the official name of the country at the present day in Mongolia. Mongolia has joined the World Trade Centre and is a member of the United Nations too. The country has minimal fertile land; most of its area being grassland plains sans trees. The Gobi desert is situated in the south while mountains are present in the north and east. The country's capital houses about 45 % of its total population.
Area: 1,566,000 km2
Population: 3,353,470
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia is known as the Land of Eternal Blue Sky because sunny days prevail here for more than half of the year. The climate type of Mongolia is an extreme continental type. It comprises of long and freezing winters, while summers do not last long. Summers are hot here, while winter observes extreme cold. Most of its rainfall is received in summers. The rainfall goes on decreasing as you travel from north to south. Minimum rain is received in the Gobi desert of the south. The temperature in January can drop down to ( - 30° C). the country capital, Ulaanbaatar, is the coldest capital city in the world. Hence, most of the visitors are expected in-between May and September. The number of tourists decreases after November owing to its extreme chilly weather. However, if you love colds, you can visit this beautiful country even after November to the Lunar New Year. You can also enjoy their traditional new year celebrations!
Mongolian people, known for being frank and honest, show great hospitality towards the tourists. Customs and practices inherited from their ancestors are something that these people are proud of. Their cultural heritage taught them family values and taking care of each other. The official language of the country is Mongolian. It is the primary language- about 95% of the people converse in Mongolian. Dialects of Oirat and Buryat are also spoken in the country. A few Turkic languages are also used in West Mongolia. As a foreign language, Russian enjoyed popularity by far; however, English is gradually replacing it as the second language. Korean is also a popular language in the country, as many citizens work in South Korea.
Time: There are two time zones active in the country.
West Mongolia- Hovd time zone (HOVT) is 7 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. (UTC +07:00)
Central and East Mongolia- Ulaanbaatar time zone (ULAT)and Choibalsan time zone (CHOT) both are 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. (GMT +08:00)
Electricity: Electricity in Mongolia is supplied at 230V and 50 Hz. Two types of plug systems are in use here: Type C with two round pins and Type E with two round clips and a hole for the earthing pin of the socket. If you are from the US, Canada, or South American countries, you will need a voltage converter, as the standard voltage of your appliances would be fit for the voltage range 100-127 V.
Weight & Measurement: Mongolia still uses its traditional measurement system.
Telecommunications: As half of the population resides in Ulaanbaatar, it was challenging to establish landline coverage because of the lesser density of the people. 4G network connectivity is available in all the capital of the provinces. Cellular phones are quite common here. Wireless Loop technology has been introduced for distant communications; however, the country has very few internet users. Only 16% of Mongolians have access to the internet. Citizens Service Information Centres provide internet to the citizens. Or access to the internet is also offered in many libraries and schools. Mongolian Government does impose restrictions on access to internet usage.
The official currency of Mongolia is the togrog, with the currency code issued by ISO 4217 as MNT. The currency is available in the forms of coins and banknotes. The coins made up of aluminium aNd cupronickel are available in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 togrog. Banknotes are available in denominations 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000, and 20,000 togrog. 1 and 5 togrogs are obsolete in the present except for banks. 10 togrog is the smallest denomination of the banknote that is used in the country. Most of the modern banknotes are printed in the United Kingdom.
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Mongol Nomadic way of life is depicted in the culture of Mongolia. The fine arts of Mongolia are mostly related to the religious preachings. Tengrism is the most ancient religion of Mongolia. Later on, Tibetan and Buddhism became the most followed religions in Mongolia in the 19th century. In recent years, Christians have also started living here. In this country, there is much less quota of the population practising Islamism.mongolians attaches much importance to architecture while constructing the religious places.
Ger-style architecture, derived from Mongolian, Tibetan, and Chinese cultures can be seen in Dashi-Choiling, Ulaanbaatar. Mongolian music was primarily inspired by nature, nomadism, shamanism, and Buddhism. In recent years, rap, hip-hop, techno, and bands are established. Naadam is the main festival celebrated here. Horseriding and Mongolian wrestling are much popular among these people. Kaftan known by the name deel is the traditional garment of Mongolia worn on workdays. Deels of the present time are available with a decorative cut over flaps and mandarin collar. Chess and checkers are widely played games here. The game- Dominoes also enjoys immense popularity.
If you want to travel on your own, then you need to be careful of the existing gravel roads. You can even hire a jeep and a driver to tag along with you for distant locations, though its pricing could be a little higher. You can also take a taxi instead. For local explorations, horse riding is a better option.
But, be careful as Mongolian horses are partially wild. Guidance from a local is highly recommended. The distinctive feature of Mongolia is that there are nomads at every water site. You can camp here and explore the lands by the dirt roads prevailing everywhere in the country. Paved roads are built only from Ulaanbaatar to Chinese and Russian borders, Millenium road from Ulaanbaatar east to west, and the Darkhan-Bulgan route.
This national park is located 6o miles away from the country capital, Ulaanbaatar. You can reach this fantastic grassy landscape via public transport, but a private car will be convenient for the park encompasses a large area. You can stay here inside the park; lodging is available. You can even camp inside the park for an adventurous experience. The park is home to takhi horses, who were believed to be extinct. These wild horses are never domesticated. Due to their declining population, they were bred carefully in these grasslands and few other sites in the world and reintroduced in the wilderness. You can even encounter red deer, grey wolves, Eurasian lynx, and some other animals.
Do you think you are a genius? Then test your ability to solve some rare and precious puzzles from all over the world. This museum displays over 5000 toys, puzzles, and games with which the visitors can play. The museum honours the enigmatic history of Mongolia for creating some of the most challenging puzzles and the Shatar- Mongolian version of chess. This museum, founded by Ulzii, the best inventor of Mongolia, tries to remind the visitors that solving these puzzles is not all; but curiosity and participation are essential in training your brain! The museum also offers varying prizes on solving certain puzzles. Woodcarving can also be observed from the exhibitions displayed in the museum.
This lake is situated in west-central Mongolia. Terkhiin Tsagan is widely known as White Lake as it remains covered in snow mostly. You can reach the northern side of the lake by taking the dirt road from Khorgo Volcano. This lake, situated 2600 metres above MSL, is famous for ozoos. Ozoo is an intense and azure silhouette formed by the heaps of stones. Ozoos can be found on many peaks of Mongolia. On reaching this ozoo, circle it around three times in clockwise direction and add a few ones to the pile of stones; this is the tradition followed by the Mongolians.
These cliffs offer a breathtaking site mimicking the radiance of the sun by glowing with a red light at sunset. You should visit these cliffs standing below or across to enjoy the magnificent view it offers. You can reach here by crossing a 60 miles dirt track in the desert. However, the sand is compacted so you won't have to face jerks during the ride. But, you should take someone familiar with the route as signs are rare, and the place is a desert! These ancient cliffs, formed about 70-75 million years ago, are created by layers of sand and calcareous matter. Dinosaur eggs were first discovered here!
This monument was built on the east side of the Orkhon river in 2004. this monument, also going by the name – King's Monument or Monument for the Mongol States, displays the glory of three empires, viz Xiongnu. Turkic Khaganate, and Mongol empire. Ovoo, a large pile of stones, is carefully arranged in a cone shape with nine poles that protrude at the top. This structure, surrounded by three walls, is placed on a stone and concrete platform. The surrounding walls display three maps representing the three empires. The Mongol empire's iconic plate is placed in the centre of the monument. This plate urges the visitors to offer milk, tea, vodka, rice, and other edibles to attract birds and sometimes a herd of goats and sheep. And if you have reached until here, don't forget to pay a visit to Erdene Zoo Monastery at a 10-minute driving distance!
Be content by taking the photographs of the outer yard, as photography inside the centre is prohibited. The centre is anything like the grand name given to it. However, it is authentic for there resides a shaman with the ability to mediate between this mortal world and the other world. The semi-permanent ger-like structure is the centre of attraction here. Tables and cabinets are arranged all around its perimeter with various statues, figurine, drums, pebbles, incense burners, scrolls, and other random items cleanly showcased on it. An altar covered by animal hide is constructed with four pillars, a table for offerings, and three tridents. Two white statues, an ovuu with the skull of a bull, are also erected in the yard.