Mongolia Travel Guide

Questa bambina è MIA sorella!. This is MY sister!. Mongolia 1994

Most of us probably think of the great Genghis Khan when we hear about Mongolia. Mongolia is a sparsely populated nation with more than twice the land area of Texas but only one-eighth that state's population. It shares the vast Mongolian Plateau with portions of China and Russia. The plateau is the traditional home of the Mongol people. During the 13th century a.d., the various Mongol tribes, united under Genghis Khan, swept down from the plateau to carve out a great empire that eventually stretched from China to eastern Europe.

The Mongolian Plateau is made up of three general regions. The northwest is a massive mountain complex etched with river basins and featuring permanently snow-covered peaks rising to more than 14,300 ft. (4,300 m.). The central region consists of the Gobi, a great desert, anc rolling, grass-covered plains dotted with oases. The southeast contain; many mountain chains plus an extensive zone of lowlands. Mongolia covers a little less than half the plateau. It is bordered by Chinese territory to the south and east and Russian territory to the north.

With the exception of the Gobi, most of Mongolia is prairie and grassland. This provides the Mongols, whose economy is based on stockbreeding, with excellent pastures. Mountains are generally treeless, except in the northwest.

Outside the cities, two-humped camels and compact horses provide the most common forms of transportation. Inside the cities, rubber-tired, horse-drawn carts are as plentiful as automobiles, trucks, and buses. Traditionally, all Mongols were nomads, who traveled with their livestock herds from season to season, seeking pasture. Their circular, felt tents, called yurts, were well-suited to the nomadic life. Their herds provided most of the family's food—meat, butter, cheese, and airag, or fermented mare's milk.

On average, the nation sits about 1 mi. (1.609 km.) above sea level with one peak reaching nearly three times that height. The continental climate is marked by limited rainfall and extremes in temperature. In Ulan Bator, the capital, January's temperatures average -17° F. (-27° C. . In July, at the height of the short summer, the average is 64° F. (18° C).

Wrestling, archery, and horse racing are the most popular sports. The Mongols have always been renowned for their horsemanship, and in rural areas riding is still a necessary skill. And contrary to Genghis Khan’s reputation as being one the most feared conquerors of history, the Mongolians are pretty down to earth.

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Anonymous user updated 1 year ago
Anonymous user updated 1 year ago