Middfest International: Mongolia Next

Mongolia (pronounced /mɒŋˈɡoʊliə/) (Mongolian: Монгол улс, ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ) is a country typically classified as part of East Asia, and at the same time as part of Central Asia, while the northern rim of historical Mongolia extends into North Asia. It is a landlocked country bordering with Russia at the north and with the People's Republic of China at the south. The capital and largest city is Ulan Bator. Mongolia was the center of the Mongol Empire in the thirteenth century and was later ruled by the Qing Dynasty from the end of the seventeenth century until 1911, when an independent government was formed under Bogd Khan. The Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed in 1924, leading to the adoption of communist policies and a close alignment to the Soviet Union. After the fall of communism in Mongolia in 1990, Mongolia adopted a new constitution which was ratified in 1992. This officially marked the transition of Mongolia to a multi-party political system. Mongolia's political system is parliamentary republic.

At 1,564,116 square kilometres, Mongolia is the nineteenth largest, and the least densely populated independent country in the world with a population of around 2.9 million people. It is also the world's second-largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan. The country contains very little arable land as much of its area is covered by arid and unproductive steppes with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately thirty percent of the country's 2.9 million people are nomadic or semi-nomadic. The predominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, and the majority of the state's citizens are of the Mongol ethnicity, though Buriats, Kazakhs and Tuvans also live in the country, especially in the west. About 38% of the population lives in Ulan Bator.
Source: Wiki