Interesting Facts about Mongolia is a brilliant opportunity to get acquainted with the history, climate and traditions of East Asia. For many, Mongolia is associated primarily with the Golden Horde, which managed to conquer vast territories.
So, before you the most interesting facts about Mongolia.
- The capital of Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar, literally translates as "red hero".
- The Great Khan managed to establish the Mongol Empire through large-scale military campaigns, as a result of which he captured the vast territories of many states. It was the largest empire in the world, including the largest contiguous territory in world history.
- An interesting fact is that Genghis Khan was able to conquer more lands and peoples in a quarter of a century than the soldiers of the Roman Empire in 4 centuries.
- The exact location of the grave of Genghis Khan (see) is still unknown. According to legend, 800 soldiers killed several thousand people who came to say goodbye to the deceased khan. After that, the soldiers committed suicide so that no one would know where their commander was buried.
- Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital on the planet.
- Special schools have been opened in Mongolia to educate children of nomads. Thanks to this, the number of illiterate people in the country does not exceed 2%.
- The Mongolian Gobi ranks third in the world in terms of area.
- Did you know that Mongolia is the most big state surrounded by other countries? In addition, Mongolia has no access to the sea.
- Mongolia is a huge plateau - an elevated plain, rising above sea level by 900-1500 m.
- Not far from the capital, there is the largest horseman statue on the planet, depicting Genghis Khan on a horse. The monument is so large that an observation deck was built on the horse's head from where you can see magnificent landscapes. The height of the monument is 50 m, including the pedestal.
- The Mongols are quite superstitious people. They believe that if you don't shake hands with the person you stepped on, they will become your enemy.
- In addition, the Mongols believe that shooting stars symbolize someone's death. For this reason, at such moments they begin to say prayers to themselves.
- The locals approach the horses only from the left side, as well as getting off them. This is another echo of superstition.
- In Mongolia, it is not customary to whistle indoors. But if for us it brings "lack of money", then for the Mongols the whistle personifies the call of evil spirits.
- An interesting fact is that Mongolia has a very low population density. There are less than 2 people per 1 square kilometer.
- The Mongols are known for their kindness and hospitality. Any traveler they are ready to pour hot with a pinch of salt, as required by customs.
- In Mongolia, a local wrestling called beh is very popular. It is curious that the wrestlers enter the mat in special suits with open chests. Such an unusual outfit is due to the fact that once a woman became the winner of the tournament. To prevent the situation from happening again, we decided to use such original clothes.
- Every year Mongolia hosts the Festival of a Thousand
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Despite the fact that we were only a couple of days in Mongolia, we managed to see a lot ourselves and learn from the stories of local residents. Mongolia knows how to shock! Read below the facts about this unusual and unlike any of the country's neighbors.
1. Ulaanbaatar claims to be the coldest capital in the world, because the average temperature of the coldest month, January, is below -21 degrees. This title can only be challenged by Reykjavik, where summers are much cooler and winters are warmer than in Ula Bator. In Ulaanbaatar, the summer is hot, days with temperatures above +30 degrees are not uncommon.
2. The monetary unit of Mongolia is the tugrik. In Mongolian, the name sounds like "tegreg". One ruble is equal to 42 tugriks (as of January 17, 2017).
3. Only three million people live in a huge area of Mongolia, of which 1.3 million are in the capital. In January 2015, a significant event happened: the three millionth resident was born, a girl in Sukhbaatar. By presidential decree, the family received a three-room apartment as a gift, and all other families where replenishment took place that day were rewarded with three million tugriks (about 75,000 in rubles).
4. The population density of the country is one of the lowest in the world and is about 2 people per sq. km. km (for comparison, in the European Union on average - 120, in Taiwan and Bangladesh - 650 and 1,100 people per sq. km, respectively).
5. In Soviet times, there were often families with 10 children, which was supported by the state program. Now families mostly have 1-2 children, and the state subsidizes a cell of society only starting from the fourth child.
6. The birth of ten children used to be a sign of the times: they were born and grew up in Spartan conditions, infant mortality was high, and the need for labor force great in families. If necessary, the exchange of children of different sexes between neighboring families was practiced, in one of which, for example, an excess of girls, and in the other, on the contrary, only boys are born. Do not fuss with children, in general.
7. Due to so many children, an ordinary Mongol can have so many relatives that in countryside even special holidays are arranged where relatives can get together and get to know each other. This is done primarily to exclude closely related marriages. It is customary to wear national costumes at such gatherings. In general, national costumes are worn either by provincials or the older generation.
8. Relations between relatives are often either lost or not maintained, so at an average wedding there are “only” 200 guests.
9. According to local residents, in Ulaanbaatar everyone knows each other, in this regard, they try not to talk about former passions to new friends and acquaintances. Amazing situation for a city with more than a million people, this usually happens in small towns :)
10. In family life things are not so smooth for the Mongols: a lot of divorces and single mothers. They usually give birth at the age of 25-30.
11. Girls in Mongolia, on average, more than boys, try to develop, get educated and teach foreign languages. In many ways, their family is pushing them to this so that they can work and not tolerate a tyrant husband. Local guys often do not catch up with girls in education, so marriages of girls with foreigners are not uncommon, which society and Mongolian grandmothers at the entrances look askance at.
12. In winter, on the streets of Ulaanbaatar, you can meet people without hats, in unbuttoned jackets or lightly dressed. In the provinces, children generally run all year round in light blouses.
13. Due to the fact that yurts and private houses are heated with coal, smog constantly hangs over Ulaanbaatar in winter, locals say that it is even tougher than in China. Now they are even introducing a law according to which electricity will be free for the owners of yurts from nine o'clock in the evening.
14. Part of the country's population still lives in yurts, even in Ulaanbaatar there are yurt areas. A yurt in the city does not stand in an open field, but on a site fenced with a blank fence. Hurry up to see: urbanization is proceeding by leaps and bounds, and more and more Mongols are moving from yurts to apartment buildings or ordinary cottages.
15. There are no devices for water procedures in the yurt, they wash themselves from a basin. In former times, the Mongols bathed only in the summer in the river. Toilet, of course, only on the street.
16. The main sources of development of Mongolia recent years- Chinese and Korean investments, as well as trade in minerals (copper, coal, gold).
17. Mongols travel to China for both work and vacation. After the abolition of visas in September 2014, they also go shopping to Buryatia, which immediately became relevant due to the fall of the ruble. By the way, the crisis has also been raging in Mongolia for the last couple of years.
18. The rule that is usually applied to disperse at the door: “first go out, then go in” does not work in Mongolia. To stay warm longer, everything happens exactly the opposite here :)
19. In Soviet times in Mongolia, surnames and first names were in use, now they use surnames, first names and patronymics, but in ordinary life in descending order of importance comes the patronymic (and without an ending) and the name. So, Pushkin in Mongolia would be called simply: Sergei Alexander.
20. On this occasion, the inscriptions in the customs card at the entrance must be translated as follows: surname - the name of the father, that is, the patronymic, family - the surname, given name - the given name.
21. Ulaanbaatar was designed and built Soviet specialists even when the passage of one car on the road became an event. Now the city is in endless traffic jams, road rudeness is widespread, no one will ever let you in from the adjacent road - you need to ram the flow. A car is as important to a Mongol as a horse is to Genghis Khan.
22. Parking in the center of the capital is paid and costs about 20 rubles per hour.
23. A monument to Lenin has stood at the Ulaanbaatar Hotel since Soviet times, but it was demolished a few years ago. Both under Lenin and after him, prostitutes stand in this place.
24. 95th gasoline in Mongolia is a ruble or two more expensive than in Russia, where it is bought.
25. Mongols generally don't like the Chinese, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, many residents of the Celestial Empire come to Ulaanbaatar to build construction sites and are not distinguished by good behavior. Secondly, the historical background (many years of enslavement by China) does not allow. If the Mongol wants to offend or scold someone, he says: "Well, what are you like a Chinese."
26. Of the sports in Mongolia, wrestling, boxing, shooting and, unexpectedly, sumo are popular. The popularity of the latter has been going on for ten years, since the Mongolian wrestler regularly wins the world championship. His name is Yokozuna D. Dagvadorzh.
27. Olivier and borsch are not considered Russian dishes; in Mongolia they are widely distributed and loved.
28. The attitude towards Russians is different, generally neutral, although there are both those who love and Russophobes. In economic and political terms, the country is more focused on cooperation with China and the United States.
29. Many Russians think that everyone in Mongolia speaks and understands Russian, and even that Mongolia was a union republic. Both of those are not true. In fact, only a few Mongolians over 40 understand Russian, and young people sometimes speak a little bit of English. Surely you never know which language is better to address in order to be understood.
30. Recently, in the shops of Mongolia you can find a lot of Russian products.
31. The feelings of a steppe person differ from the feelings of a person from the middle zone who grew up in the forests. So, for some Mongols it is uncomfortable to walk the streets of the city for a long time, you need to at least get into the park, where you can see the horizon.
33. We do not know what this is connected with, but many residents of Mongolia do not close the door to the toilet cubicle. As a result, several times they ran into people not in the most convenient position. Each time there were working locks on the doors, but they were simply ignored.
33. The most popular car is a used Toyota Prius imported from Japan, which is valued for its economy. Russian cars were not seen on the streets.
34. Drunkenness is the real scourge of Mongolia, although Lately started drinking a little less. A separate problem with freezing drunk people: people drink a lot, do not notice that they are cold, and freeze, many fatally. According to unofficial information, this phenomenon is so widespread that at night a special vehicle drives around the city, collecting those who are frozen tightly.
36. New Year is celebrated, but only one day off is given, on January 1. Much more widely at the end of January, the New Year according to the lunar calendar (Tsagaan Sar) and Naadam, the so-called men's games, are celebrated, in which competitions in Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery are held. Regarding the latter, the whole country walks a three-day weekend in July.
37. Mongolia is fairly safe, although petty theft (and by extension pawnshops) is widespread. Many Mongols, although they do not speak languages, will not leave in trouble and will do everything to help.
38. Traditionally, the Mongols do not throw away old things, believing that clothes accumulate energy over time. It is customary to give worn clothes to the younger ones or burn them.
39. The main attraction of Mongolia is the pristine nature (Gobi desert, lakes, steppes), and the summer season is better suited for viewing it. Come and see for yourself :)
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The city of Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the world. It is located at an altitude of about 1300 meters above sea level. In January, temperatures below 40 degrees Celsius are common in the capital of Mongolia.
By the way, the name of this city is translated as "Red Hero". Moreover, modern name the city received not so long ago - in 1924. And it was founded in 1639 and was called Urga - "the palace of a noble person." In 1911 it was renamed Niislel Khuree (Capital Monastery).
The area of the country is about 1,500,000 square kilometers, and the population is less than three million. It turns out that the average population density of less than two people per square kilometer is the lowest among all countries in the world. Almost half of the entire population of Mongolia lives in the capital.
Most people are sure that if you see a shooting star in the sky and make a wish, it will surely come true. But among the Mongols, a shooting star predicts a quick death. Therefore, they do not make a wish, but whisper a prayer.
In general, the Mongols are very superstitious. For example, if you accidentally step on the foot of another person, you should immediately shake his hand. Otherwise, you can become enemies. And you can’t whistle indoors, so as not to invite trouble on yourself.
Everyone naturally knows that the world's first socialist state was built in our country. The second one is in Mongolia. In 1924, Mongolia declared itself People's Republic. Interestingly, for a long time Soviet Union was the only country who recognized the independence of Mongolia.
One of the main attractions of Mongolia is the 40-meter statue of Genghis Khan. It was the founder of the Mongol Empire who erected the largest equestrian monument in the world. And inside the pedestal there is a museum, among its exhibits you can see a 9-meter gutul, the national Mongolian boot. It is also the largest in the world. 22 cowhides were spent on tailoring this unique product.
No one knows where Genghis Khan is buried. There is a legend in Mongolia that several thousand people who attended his burial were killed. And then the soldiers who killed the witnesses committed suicide so that there would be no one to reveal this secret.
It is believed that Mongolian men have three worthy occupations - horse racing, archery and wrestling. If a boy is born in the family, the parents dream of him becoming a great wrestler. And the tournaments national wrestling"beh" gather a huge number of spectators. By the way, despite the fact that Japan is the birthplace of sumo, one of the strongest in this type of wrestling is the Mongols.
The monetary unit of Mongolia is the tugrik. In turn, it is divided into 100 mungus, which are no longer in use. For a long time, money for Mongolia was made in the Soviet Union: banknotes at the Goznak printing factory, and coins at the Leningrad Mint.
Although Mongolia is ancient country, she does not stay away from scientific progress. Currently, every fourth inhabitant of this state uses the Internet.
Mongolia is a country that most people associate only with hordes of ferocious nomads from school history books. Once it was so, but modern Mongolia has not changed so much over the past centuries. Where else can you see endless steppes stretching from horizon to horizon? Only here, and, perhaps, even in the Argentinean pampa.
- Ancestors modern people settled the territory of Mongolia approximately 85 thousand years BC.
- More than 200 years before our era, the first empire consisting of nomads arose in Mongolia - the empire of the Huns.
- The Mongol ruler Genghis Khan managed in the 13th century to create a huge empire, which has not yet been surpassed in terms of the size of the adjacent territory. The state collapsed precisely because of its size - into an empire that stretched from Kievan Rus to Korea, were included too different nations that had nothing in common with each other.
- Genghis Khan managed to conquer more lands and peoples in 25 years than the soldiers of the Roman Empire in 400 years.
- No one knows where Genghis Khan was buried. There is a legend in Mongolia according to which eight hundred soldiers killed several thousand people who were present at the funeral of the greatest of the Mongol rulers. Then the soldiers committed suicide so that there would be no one to reveal the secret to.
- Mongolia has the third largest hot desert in the world - the Gobi, which the Mongols divide into Black, Red and Yellow because of the different colors of the landscape (see).
- There are no usual addresses in Mongolia, because due to a large number temporary settlements of the city and the streets are constantly changing their shape. The authorities of the country solved this problem by applying the Universal Address System - it allows you to assign addresses as a whole settlements, as well as individual objects located in them. Instead of street names and house numbers, it uses sets of letters and numbers. The smaller the specified object, the longer its address will be - it will include city codes, street codes, and, finally, a specific building.
- Mongolia has special boarding schools for nomadic children, which leaves only 2% of the country's population illiterate. This is a very impressive indicator - in Africa, for example, no country can boast of a similar achievement (see).
- Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the world. The average annual temperature there is lower than anywhere else, and winters are colder than in Moscow or Helsinki.
- Mongolia is the second largest country in the world after Kazakhstan, which does not have access to the sea or ocean (see).
- The main Mongolian holiday is Tsagan Sar - these are celebrations dedicated to the farewell to the old year according to the lunisolar calendar and the meeting of the coming spring.
- The largest horseman statue in the world depicting Genghis Khan on a war horse is installed 54 kilometers from the capital. The monument is so large that an observation deck is placed on the head of the horse, from where a stunning view opens. The height of the statue of the great conqueror is 40 meters, excluding the ten-meter pedestal.
- The Mongols believe that it is imperative to shake hands with the person you step on, otherwise he will become your enemy.
- From the point of view of the Mongols, shooting stars are a sign of someone's death, so they whisper prayers during starfall.
- It is customary to approach the horses from Mongolia only from the left; you should not get off them from the right either.
- In Mongolia, you cannot whistle indoors, because, according to local beliefs, whistling calls evil spirits into the dwelling.
- Mongolia ranks 19th in the world in terms of territory, but only 2.8 million people live in the country.
- The Mongols are always ready to treat travelers with warm tea with milk and a pinch of salt - these are the local customs of hospitality.
- One of the most popular sports in Mongolia is the local wrestling called beh. Wrestlers enter the arena in special suits that leave their chests open. It is said that once the winner of the tournament was a woman, and such attire guarantees the male gender of the participants.
- Every year Mongolia hosts the Festival of a Thousand Camels, which is designed to protect the two-humped variety of these animals. Now Bactrian camels are found only in Mongolia and one of the provinces of China.
1 . Genghis Khan is considered the founder of Mongolia. He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia and created the largest empire in the world, which was second in territory only to the British Empire of the 19th century.
2. In 25 years, the horsemen of Genghis Khan conquered a larger area and more people than the Romans in four centuries.
3. The birthplace of Genghis Khan is known, but the place of his burial is kept secret. According to legend, in order to protect this secret, 2,000 people who attended the funeral of Genghis Khan were killed by 800 soldiers. And in order to finally close this secret, the soldiers killed themselves.
4. The statue of Genghis Khan near Ulaanbaatar is the tallest equestrian statue in the world (40 m without a pedestal).
5. Long before China invaded and conquered Mongolia, Mongolia invaded China. In the XIII century, a giant nation fell into the hands of the grandson of Genghis Khan - Kublai Khan, who became the first emperor Chinese dynasty Yuan.
6. Mongolian superstition says that you need to shake hands with the person you stepped on, otherwise you will become enemies. So don't be surprised if the person who just walked on your foot starts shaking your hand.
7. The Mongols believe that a shooting star means someone's death. Therefore, when they see a falling star, they do not make a wish, but whisper a prayer.
8. Mongolian horses are used to being approached and dismounted only from the left side. Do not try to check how the horse will behave if you approach him from the right.
9. Whistling indoors is taboo in Mongolia. It is believed that this calls into the house of evil spirits.
10. Mongolia has a lot of land (1,566,000 km²) and few people (2.8 million people). In the south of Mongolia, the population density is 1 person per 10–15 km², and large areas are generally deserted.
11. People living in deserted places always have a bowl of warm, salted tea with milk ready for possible travelers.
12. The favorite sport in Mongolia is. The wrestlers are dressed in a special costume, part of which is an open shirt. They say that this style appeared after one of the champion wrestlers turned out to be a woman.
13. Every year in Mongolia, the Golden Eagle Festival takes place, where hunters in elaborate hunting costumes and accessories demonstrate the courage and art of riding, as well as their fast and agile eagles.
14. Today, the Bactrian camel can only be found in the wild in two places in the world – Mongolia and Xinjiang in China. Mongolia annually hosts the Thousand Camel Festival, which aims to protect and conserve Bactrian camels, whose numbers are steadily declining.
15. In the 1920s, dinosaur fossils and the first dinosaur eggs were found in the Gobi desert. If you're lucky, you might find dinosaur remains too.
