Location: Northern Asia, between China and Russia

Country Name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Mongolia
local short form: Mongol Uls
former: Outer Mongolia
local long form: none

Nationality: noun: Mongolian (s)
adjective: Mongolian

Capital: Ulaanbaatar

Flag Description: The Mongolian flag is composed of 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). The red, formerly denoting communism, now stands for
progress and prosperity. The blue center panel represents the people of Mongolia. The soyombo,
despite the fact that Mongolia has a secular government, is a 17 century Buddhist marking
combining several of the central themes of the religion. The star and flame (sometimes shown
only as a flame) represents past, present and future. The sun and moon just below represent the
ancestors of the Moguls (i.e. Genghis Khan). The vertical columns illustrate the Mongolian
proverb: "Two friends are stronger than stone." The center circle is actually the familiar "yin-
yang" fish. This symbolizes vigilance because fish never sleep. The horizontal bars indicate the
vigilance is required at the top and bottom of the culture.
http://www.ultimateflags.com/int/mongolia.html

Government Type: parliamentary

Administrative Divisions: 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govi-Sumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs

Independence: July 11, 1921 (from China)

Language: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian

Ethnic Groups: Mongol (predominantly Khalkha) 85%, Turkic (of which Kazakh is the largest group) 7%, Tungusic 4.6%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 3.4% (1998)

Religion: Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism 96%, Muslim (primarily in the southwest), Shamanism, and Christian 4% (1998)
Population: 2,694,432 (July 2002 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 1.48% (2002 est.)
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 32% (male 438,176; female 422,960)
15-64 years: 64.1% (male 864,033; female 865,172)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 45,080; female 59,011) (2002 est.)
Life Expectancy: male: 62 years ; female: 67 years (2002 est.)
Literacy rate: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8%
male: 98%
female: 97.5% (2000)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $4.7 billion (2001 est.)
Currency: togrog/tugrik (MNT; 1,101MNT=1USD)

Area: 604,250 sq. miles (slightly smaller than Alaska)

Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)

Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central

Natural Resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron, phosphate