Some facts about Mongolia:
GDP per capita: $3
Drives on the right (like
in the UK)
national sport: wrestling (even while horse riding!)
national sport: wrestling (even while horse riding!)
Around 30% of its 2.8
million residents are nomadic.
Main religion: Tibetan buddism
Main religion: Tibetan buddism
A third of the population lives in the capital city, Ulan Bator.
A bit of History:
In the 13th
century, the highly respected Gengis Khan, a military chief, unifies
the Mongolian tribes, creating an empire. After being the centre of the
Mongolian empire, Mongolia was governed by the Mandchoue Qing dynasty from the
17th until the beginning of the 20th century. After the Russian invasion at the
end of the 17th century, North Mongolia (the lake Baikal region) is annexed by
the Russian empire. South Mongolia would have sought Russia's support to get
rid of the Chinese political control. In 1924 the Mongolian People's
Republic was proclaimed and the Mongolian People's Party created with support
from the Soviet Union.
While officially keeping
its independence during the Soviet era, People's Republic of Mongolia closely
aligned its politics with Moscow. During the Soviet-Japanese Border War of
1939, the Soviet Union successfully defended Mongolia against Japanese
expansionism. The Mongolian army later took part in the Soviet attack against
the Japanese armed forces in Inner Mongolia in August 1945. The
Soviet threat of seizing parts of Inner Mongolia induced China to recognize
Outer Mongolia's independence, provided that a referendum be held. The
referendum took place on October 20, 1945, with 97,8 % of votes
in favor of the independence under the control of the Red Army. Mongolia
being closely linked to the USSR, many Soviet military bases during the Cold
War. After the collapse of the USSR and with it communism, Mongolia adopted a
democratic constitution in 1992.
Climate:
In winter the whole of
Mongolia comes under the influence of the Siberian Anticyclone. The country is subject to
occasional harsh climatic conditions known as zud. The annual average
temperature in Ulan Bator is 0°C, making it the world's coldest capital city.
Mongolia is high, cold, and windy. It has an extreme continental climate with
long, extremely cold winters (down to -50) and short summers, during which most
of its annual precipitation falls.
The Gobi region:
The name "Gobi"
is a Mongol term for a desert steppe; however, Mongols distinguish Gobi from
desert proper (as Westerners understand it): Gobi rangelands are fragile and
are easily destroyed by overgrazing, which results in expansion of the true
desert, a stony waste where not even Bactrian camels can survive.
Economy:
-Minerals (mostly coal,
copper and gold) represent more than 80% of Mongolia's exports, a proportion
expected to eventually rise to 95%. About 3,000 mining licences have been
issued. Mining is rising fast and has become a major industry of
Mongolia as evidenced by number of Chinese, Russian and Canadian firms opening
and starting mining business in Mongolia. When we stayed at the hostel in Ulan
Bator, I met a young Canadian architect working for mines in different parts of
the country and he told me how fast and strongly this business is growing.
-Agriculture. In 2002,
about 30% of all households in Mongolia lived from breeding livestock. Due to
the severe 2009–2010 winter and storms, Mongolia lost 9.7 million animals, (22%
of total livestock).
Mongolia in pictures:
-Inside a yurt-
Roof of a yurt
The door is always to the North
The most important and respected part of the yurt is the central, back part (for elder people), on each side are the family's most precious belongings (pictures, postcards, candles for special occasions (funerals), children's sport competition medals...)
Always attached to the roof is a rope made of the family's livestock's hair
Welcoming snacks offered everytime you arrive at a yurt to visit the family: biscuits and milk omelette (as a biscuit topping)
Playing ankle bones games with goat anckle bones
Each of the fourth sides of the bone has the name of an animal: camel, goat, horse, sheep (animals owned by the nomads)
-Holy place-
People go round the stone mountain once. It is said to cure people, this is why you see crutches (béquilles en français) left at the beginning of the holy walk supposed to cure you.
As they go round, people touch the first stone with their forehead to receive a blessing, then ring this bell once.
Finally, once they've completed their round, they throw milk and grains to the numerous scarves (blue or yellow are religious colours)
-Landscapes of the Gobi-
Steppes
Sand dunes
From the right to the left: the dunes (and they continue on both sides)
Because of unusually high precipitations during the spring, an oasis has formed on the dunes. This is the particularity of the Gobi: its landscape diversity. It does not only consist of sand dunes but also, according to the seasons, bushes, trees, lakes (swan lake faces these dunes), steppes (more or less arid depending on the regions) and high stony mountains.
First plan: on top of a dune, second plan: an oasis, background: high stony mountains.
-Mongol horse riding-
Nomadic family always keep at least one horse tied to the rope in front of their yurt so that they can always catch other horses with the one tied. Although all family members know how to ride since they're 5, only males are given their personal horse which they rides most of the time).
Mongol saddles are very different from the European ones: much more narrow and less comfortable. This saddle is typically used for tourists (it has a cushion). Mongols do not ride their horses sat on the saddle, they just stand up on the stirrups.
This is a typical Mongol saddle, made of wood and a very thin layer of fabric (nothing similar to European padded saddles). Mongol saddles are much higher than European ones, this is to help the horserider to "sit" against the top of it. Each horseman, from his teen years, has his own saddle, recognisable by its distinctive metal badge.
Mongol horses are most of the time absolutely left free in the vast steppes. They are very close to each other and stay in herds.
Because nomadic families leave their animals free most of the time, reproduction can't be fully controlled. As a consequence, Mongol horses have very different, colourful coats.
