Territory

1,566,000 sq. km

Population

Mongolia has more than 2, 8 million population and over 1 million people live in rural areas and are mainly engaged in traditional livestock herding and some extent in crop production.

Population density is one person per 1.6 square km. 68% of the total populations is young people under the age of 35. The average life expectancy is just over 65 year. The present urban population is above 1 million. In Ulaanbaatar having 800,000 inhabitants-one third of the total population of Mongolia

Density

1.5 per sq. km

Terrain

Vast semi-desert and desert plains, mountains in the west and southwest, the Gobi desert in south and southeast.

Climate

Warm summers and cold winters.

Average summer temperature + 20C, average winter temperature -26C.
Average rainfall 200-220 mm

Winter lasts from November to April. Spring runs from May through June.
Summer is from July through to September.

Average altitude

1,580 m above sea-level

State structure

Mongolia is a unitary state and divided administratively into 21 Amiga’s and a capital city.  Amiga’s are subdivided into sums; sums into bags; a capital city into districts; districts into khoroos.

Capital

Ulaanbaatar

Religions

Buddhism (94%), Muslim, Shamanism and Christian

Language

Khalkha Mongol, Moast Mongols speak Russian as a second language because of Mongolia's seventy year experience of Soviet domination, but many also speak a third language.  English, German, French and Japanese are widely spoken in the Ulaanbaatar.

Time

Mongolia Time Standard Time is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+8).
Mongolia Time does not operate Daylight-Saving Time

Dialing Code

The International Dialing Code for Mongolia is +976.

Currency

1USD=1150 Tugrik. No limit on foreign currency but must be registered at Mongolian customs.  USD and Euros are accepted in hotels and restaurants.  Hotels and tourist shops accept credit cards (American Express, Visa, Master card and Diners Club).

Electricity

The standard voltage is 220 volts/50Hz

Mobile phone

GSM 900 network operated by Mobicom covers centers of provinces and Zamyn-Uud and Zuunkharaa.  CDMA network operated by Skytel Company covers Bulgan, Darkhan, Selenge, Ulaanbaatar, Uvurkhangai and Zamyn-Uud.

Internet

Access is available in Ulaanbaatar at business centres (often located in hotels), Internet cafe and at the telephone exchange on province centers. 

Food

Mongolian food includes beef, mutton, dairy products, pasta, rice and seasonal fruits and vegetables.  A variety of restaurants in Ulaanbaatar offer traditional Mongolian food as well as European and Asian cuisine.

Health

No specific requirements.  Visitors are advised to have medical insurance policy of their native countries.  Safety: Mongolia is a very safe country.

Tourism Season

From 15 May to 01 October.  July and August are the peak months.

Visa

Any foreign visitor wishing to enter Mongolia must have a valid passport and visa. Mongolian visas are issued by Mongolian Diplomatic Missions abroad or upon arrival at a special request.

The following materials are required to obtain Mongolian Visa:
1. Valid passport

2. One passport sized photo3. Application form

4. Sponsor Letter from confident authority, unless otherwise stipulated in bilateral agreements

Alternatively, those who travel from countries with no Mongolian mission present can get visa either from the Mongolian Embassy in Beijing or Moscow, or at the arrival points: Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar, Dzamyn-Uud Railway Station on southern border or Sukhbaatar Railway station on the northern border.

Festivals & Events

The Nadaam festival, or Eriyn Gurvan Nadaam, is the biggest festival of the year for Mongolians. Usually occurring in 11th of July, it runs for three days in all parts of the country and highlights the greatest athletes in horse racing, archery, and wrestling: Mongolia's most popular sports. Women participate in all but the wrestling category. The word Nadaam means game or competition in Mongolian. Competitions take place days on the first two and merry-making is reserved for the third.  This festival has been held for centuries as a form of memorial celebration, as an annual sacrificial ritual honouring various mountain gods or to celebrate a community endeavour. The festivities kick off with a colourful parade of athletes, monks, soldiers marching in perfect uniformity, musicians performing powerful military tunes, and Mongolians dressed in Chinggis-style warrior uniforms.

Mongolia Horses Festival will be on 15^th August, 2009. Tuv province, 114 km from Ulaanbaatar. The event will provide you a chance to meet with the methods and technology how to prepare "airag" /fermented mare`s milk/, traditional diary product and to show the proud which expresses the power and strength of a horseman how to break an unbroken horse for riding, to catch horses with a lasso-pole and snatch a lasso-pole laying on the ground.

Mongolian National Costume Festival will be on 8^th July 2009 Tuv province, 65km from Ulaanbaatar. The Festival is a bright example of culture that introduces foreign guests and tourists to the marvels of national costumes and folk performances in the country. The festival will take place at "Guru" tourist camp in the beautiful Gorhi- Terelj National Park located 65km from Ulaanbaatar city. During the festival tourists will experience customs of various Mongolian minorities as well as view dances including tsam and hear national music plus huumii /throat singing.

The 1,000 Camel Festival will be on 3^rd – 5^th March, 2009 Umnugovi province, Bulgan sum. The festival is organized by a local non-governmental organization working to protect and perverse the Bactrain camel population, which has been steadily declining over the past twelve years. This extraordinary festival allows travelers a rare opportunity to interact with and learn first-hand about these amazing animals and the camel herders' nomadic lifestyle. Highlights of the festival include camel races, performances by traditional Mongolia musicians and dancers, and visits to significant paleontological and cultural sites of the Gobi.

Tsaatan Festival (Reindeer Festival) will be on 1^st March 2009. Huvsgul province. The festival provides great opportunity to see Tsaatan people's culture and to play reindeer polo. The locals welcome tourist to join yak caravan, reindeer and horse riding, have a journey on boat or canor.

Ice Festival will be on 27th -28th February 1st -2nd  March 2009 Huvsgul province, Hatgal sum. "Ice Festival" offers an opportunity to taste the crispy, icy and sunny Mongolian winter. To make you fully enjoy the Mongolian winter.

Altai Eagle Festival will be on October 10tth -  11th 2009 in the Sagsai village, Bayan-Ulgii province. In western Mongolia, deep within the Altai mountain range, an ancient tradition of hunting with Golden Eagles is still alive. The Kazakhs of Mongolia train their eagles to hunt for rabbits and foxes. Once a year, hunters from all over Bayan-Ulgii province gather to celebrate this traditional skill and compete against each other challenges that show off the abilities of both birds and their trainers. The festival highlights local culture through performances, handcrafts, concerts, horse and camel games and eagle hunting. Eagle hunting is practiced by approximately 450 Kazakhs in Mongolia. The festival highlights this culture legacy in a series of competitions designed to showcase the practice and provide a venue for eagle hunters to meet each other. It is a fantastic opportunity for photographers and adventurers alike to see these magnificent birds up close, as well as Kazakh culture.

Tsagaan Sar (White Month) will be on 24th -25th February, 2009. Tuv province, 114 km from Ulaanbaatar.Tsagaan sar which Mongolian Lunar new year is celebrated for three days according to the lunar calendar at the junction of winter and spring. During the holidays, Mongolians dress traditional outfits, prepare traditional food, pay tribute to religious and hereditary customs, relish singing and having fun. It should be noted that each year the Tsagaan sar may fall on different dates on the Gregorian Calendar in January or February.

Do’s and Don’ts

You can visit a family anytime during ordinary days because Mongolian people are always hospitable and friendly. They offer food and drinks for guests who arrived from far places. House owners would wish you to feel at home. Please remember the following:

·     Greet the family members and sit down. Mongolians respect by sitting, but Europeans show respect by standing. Do not sit putting one leg over another otherwise people will think that you are looking down on them.

·     Do not cross your arm over your chest while sitting. They would think that you are sick.

·     Do not point at people. They would suspect that you bring them to evil.

·     It is not allowed to show your palm to others, put up your shoulders, put up your nose and bending your neck because Mongolians dislike it and would think that they offended their guests and gave bad impressions. Therefore, they would start worrying about it.

·      Women cannot sit on the place of honor where men sit. Most of Asian people respect men and give them a seat in the place of honor.

·     Europeans let women sit in the place of honor. If one gives praise to the wife, the husband dislikes it and the wife feels ashamed. Being ashamed, she turns her head and hides her face with palms of her hand.

·      If a present is given right upon entry in a ger, there will be a disfavor (they will be upset) and surprised and worried. The custom is to present a gift before leaving. According to European culture tea is offered at the end, but in Mongolian tradition tea must be the first thing to be offered.

·     Mongolians dislike when people drink tea holding from the top of the cup and would think that they do not know Mongolian custom but will not have courage to tell it straight.

·     It is a tradition for Mongolian people to offer tea and food for guests, therefore, not necessary to say "Thank you" every time if tea is offered. They would think that you never visited a family and disrespect the family. It is respectful to say at the end: "Thank you so much for your hospitality and thank you for your respect". While they are offering food it is not proper to say "I have to go". This makes the owner of the family nervous and as if you are telling them "I'm going now, give me the gift!" Therefore, you can tell some reasons like "I have to move earlier because I have many things to do..."

·     Do not pass the place of honor while going out of the house; therefore, you can pass clockwise by the side. Mongolian people do not expect to get gifts from the visitors, but they would be happy if visitors give candies or gifts to their children

·     During formal celebrations or occasions, food, tea, of vodka should be given and received with the right hand extended and the left hand supporting the right elbow.

·     Use two hands or the right hand to offer or to take something

·     Roll down your sleeves before taking or giving something, or before being introduced to an older person

·     Hold a cup by the bottom, not by the top rim

·     When given knives or scissors, offer the handle, but not the blade

·     It is not polite to say no when the host offers tea, food or dairy products

·     It is rude not to offer a guest a cap of tea of coffee, some candy, etc

·     Passing a snuff bottle is a formal occasion. You may actually take a pinch or sniff the bottle's top. Before passing the bottle to another, you should offer it back to its owner. If you sample the snuff, do not screw the cap back on - simply leave it on the bottle neck, with the snuff blade inside

·     When offered vodka or airag, accept it. Drinking it is not necessary, but you should touch it to your lips as if tasting it, and return the cap or bowl to the person who handed it to you. You may also dip your ring finger into the drink, raise your hand above your head, and flick your finger to the four winds

·     Mongolians touch each other more than Anglo-Saxons. It is normal to see men or women holding hands or putting their arms around each other's shoulders

·     It is normal for Mongolians to not introduce friends they are with to the friends they meet

·     Mongolian friends sometimes visit each other's house without calling, it is not considered rude

·     It is impolite to put your feet or shoes on chairs or tables. To show the bottom of your feet when sitting in close proximity to another is offensive when you enter a ger, do not step on the threshold. Usually, guests move in a clockwise direction to the west and north. The east side of the ger (yurt) is the women's side, and the west is the men's Mount and dismount a horse from the left side

·     It is rude for a women to sit cross-legged in a ger

·     If Mongolians spill airag, milk or other dairy products on the ground, they will dip their fingers into it and touch it lightly to their forehead

·     Do not whistle inside gers or any kind of building. Why should one not whistle at home? ‘If we whistle at home a whirlwind will come and destroy our home’ they say. People dislike very much one who whistles and brings about such bad wind. A long time ago there was legend about whistlers who can create a whirlwind to destroy the enemies for the sake of protecting their home.

·     When offering a drink, consider that it is better to present a cup without cracks or a damaged rim

·     It is rude to walk across an area where women are milking their cows