Mongolia
none conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia
parliamentaryIndependence 11 July 1921 (from China)
Mongolia as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 114 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Northern Asia, between China and Russia
18 fieldsTerrain
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.)
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
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Ethnic groups(1998)
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.)
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.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 64.26 years male: 62.14 years female: 66.5 years (2001 est.)
Religions
Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism 96%, Muslim (primarily in the southwest), Shamanism, and Christian 4% (1998)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 97.5% (2000)
Government
Parliamentary
20 fieldsState Great Hural, 76 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia
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
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
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
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
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
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
Economic activity traditionally has been based on agriculture and breeding of livestock.
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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.
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
Exports - commodities
copper, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, fuels, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea
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)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone 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)
Transportation
7 fieldsHighways
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 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
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
7 fieldsMilitary branches
- Mongolian Armed Forces (includes ;
- note - Border Troops are under Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs in peacetime
Transnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Mongolia.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/mongolia/2001.