Mongolia

Largest cities in Mongolia

Famous people from Mongolia

• Genghis Khan

  Politics

  United the Mongol tribes and built the largest contiguous land empire in history, reshaping the political map of Eurasia

• Kublai Khan

  Politics

  Grandson of Genghis who founded the Yuan Dynasty in China, hosted Marco Polo, and attempted the largest naval invasions in history

• Sukhbaatar

  Politics

  Father of modern Mongolia who led the 1921 revolution for independence, the national hero whose name graces the capital's main square

• Byambasuren Davaa

  Film

  Director of The Story of the Weeping Camel and The Cave of the Yellow Dog, bringing Mongolian nomadic life to global audiences

• Dolgorsurengiin Dagvadorj

  Sport

  First Mongolian sumo wrestler to reach yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo, competing as Asashoryu in Japan

• Natsagiin Bagabandi

  Politics

  President who guided Mongolia's transition to democracy in the 1990s, helping establish one of Asia's most stable democracies

• Zanabazar

  Art

  First Jebtsundamba Khutuktu and greatest Mongolian sculptor, whose bronze Buddhist works are considered masterpieces of Asian art

• Khutulun

  Sport

  Legendary 13th-century princess who demanded any suitor beat her in wrestling - she reportedly won 10,000 horses and never lost

Traditional cuisine of Mongolia

Buuz

Steamed dumplings filled with minced mutton and onion, Mongolia's most beloved dish, eaten by the thousands during Tsagaan Sar

Khuushuur

Deep-fried meat pies with a crispy shell and juicy lamb filling, the essential festival food during Naadam celebrations

Airag

Fermented mare's milk with a slightly sour, fizzy taste, the national drink of Mongolia consumed in vast quantities on the steppe

Tsuivan

Stir-fried noodles with mutton and vegetables, hearty comfort food cooked in every Mongolian household and ger

Boodog

Whole marmot or goat cooked from the inside with hot stones, a traditional nomadic cooking method unique to Mongolia

Suutei Tsai

Mongolian milk tea made with green tea, milk, water, salt, and sometimes butter - salty, not sweet, drunk all day long

Boortsog

Deep-fried butter cookies shaped in various forms, offered to guests with tea as a sign of Mongolian hospitality

Chanasan Makh

Boiled mutton served on the bone with a side of broth, the simplest and most fundamental Mongolian meal

Nature and landmarks in Mongolia

Gobi DesertDesert

One of the world's great deserts stretching across southern Mongolia, home to dinosaur fossils, Bactrian camels, and the singing sand dunes of Khongoryn Els

Lake KhovsgolLake

Mongolia's largest freshwater lake called the Younger Sister of Baikal, holding 2% of the world's fresh water surrounded by forested mountains

Altai MountainsMountain

Western Mongolia's snow-capped peaks reaching 4,374 meters, where Kazakh eagle hunters still hunt with golden eagles

Orkhon ValleyLandmark

UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape along the Orkhon River, heart of the ancient Mongol Empire with ruins and waterfalls

Terelj National ParkNational Park

Dramatic granite formations, alpine meadows, and nomadic ger camps just 80 km from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's most accessible wilderness

Khustain NuruuNational Park

National park where the takhi - the world's last truly wild horse - was successfully reintroduced after going extinct in the wild

Flaming CliffsDesert

Red sandstone formations in the Gobi where Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first dinosaur eggs in 1923

Tsaatan Reindeer HerdersLandmark

Remote northern taiga where the Dukha people - fewer than 300 - still live as nomadic reindeer herders in tepee-like shelters

Sports in Mongolia

Wrestling

Mongolia's most revered sport, central to the annual Naadam festival, with champions elevated to legendary status

Horse Racing

Child jockeys as young as six race horses across the steppe during Naadam in races covering 15-30 kilometers

Archery

Third pillar of Naadam's Three Manly Games, with a tradition stretching back to Genghis Khan's military training

Sumo Wrestling

Mongolians have dominated Japanese sumo, producing multiple yokozuna champions despite the country's tiny population

Did you know?

1. 1

   Mongolia is the least densely populated country on Earth with just 2 people per square kilometer

2. 2

   There are more horses than people in Mongolia - roughly 4.7 million horses for 3.5 million humans

3. 3

   The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history, covering 24 million square kilometers at its peak

4. 4

   Mongolian nomads still move their ger homes 2-4 times a year following seasonal pastures, as they have for millennia

5. 5

   Naadam, Mongolia's national festival of wrestling, horse racing, and archery, has been celebrated for over 800 years

6. 6

   The Gobi Desert is one of the world's greatest dinosaur fossil sites - the first dinosaur eggs ever discovered were found here

7. 7

   Mongolia became a democracy in 1990 through a peaceful revolution, one of the few countries to transition without bloodshed

8. 8

   The traditional Mongolian script, written vertically, is one of the few vertical scripts still in occasional use today

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