Mongolia

Time for some quick facts

Name: Mongolia

Capital: Ulan Bator

Flag:

Currency: Mongolian Togrog ($1 USD = 1812 Togrog)

Area (Square miles): 603,909

Population: 2,646,000

Regional Map of North Asia, including Mongolia

Physical map of Mongolia

Clothes

Hats are a major aspect of clothing. There are many hats. There are different colors, shapes, styles, etc. The hats have 32 stitches to symbolize the unification of the 32 Mongol tribes. The summer hat is called toortsog. Married women are not permitted to wear this hat. Women's hats are usually more fashionable than mens. But both sexes wear hats.

The Del is also important. It is a calf-length tunic. Each ethnic group has its own color and design. Men and women wear a del, the only difference is that men have more somber colors. Dels are worn all year long. Sheep skin dels are worn in the winter.

A specific type of boots are worn in Mongolia. The toes are upturned. There are myths about why that is. Some think it is so that one's foot would not fall out of the horse saddle. They are still very popular in the urban areas and in the rural areas. 

Literature

The Mongols were very mobile, which means they had to use literature in order to entertain or record. Poetry, stories, folk tales became very popular. The most important poem of Mongol history was "The Secret History of the Mongols." Current literature is influenced by Western culture, especially Russian culture.

Visual Arts

Paintings were used for religious purposes and are often inside temples. The religious scrolls called Tankas that depict the gods and saints of Lamaist Buddhism. Many cave paintings were found with ancient drawings. The nomads of Mongolia had highly decorative saddles, knives, blankets, and storage chests. During Soviet Union rule, Soviet endorsed was painted. Now it is not desired.

Performing Arts

90% of the people speak Khalkha Mongol 

The rest speak Turkic and Russian

Сайн байна миний нэр Alex байна (Hello, my name is Alex)

Non-verbal communication is very important for Mongolian culture. Some American gestures mean different things. For example the middle finger means "so-so" or "ok." Eye contact is also very important. The equivalent of the "middle finger" is putting your thumb in between your middle and index finger while making a fist. Lastly, appearance is important. Wearing nice clothes and taking care of personal hygiene gives a person respect and is the first thing a person sees. 

Family is the most important unit of organization. It provides society with a building block of morality. Family is very important to Mongols. Most houses consist of 2-7 families. Living with extended family is a major part of life. Also in rural areas, the neighborhood is considered a unit and they ofter work and move together. It is called a khot ail

Social Hierarchy

In ancient times, the hierarchy of families, tribes, and clans were important. They would be shown by headwear, clothing, horses, etc. During Soviet times, social equality became more prevalent because of the ideals of socialism. Now social hierarchy is show by material objects such as cars, clothes, houses, etc.

Mongol Empire

The ancient Mongols, under the control of Genghis Khan, took over most of Asia and Europe. They did this by conquest of land and war. 

Soviet-Mongolian War- October 7, 1967

The Soviet Union tried to take over Mongolia. Mongolia was rich in deposits of metals and minerals. In the end, the U.S.S.R. and Mongolia reached an agreement. Mongolia would become a satellite state and joined the Warsaw Pact. 

Property

Before the Soviet Union, Mongolia used to own property in a quasi-feudal system. This meant aristocrats and monasteries owned the land. During the Soviet Union, the Soviets forced collectivization of herds. Now, land can be owned privately. 

Systems of Trade

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Mongolia has been working on its free-market trade. The country joined the World Trade Organization in 1997.

Division of Labor

In the rural areas, livestock production and crop production are a primary focus. In the urban areas, manufacturing, industrial, and service-oriented jobs are more common.

Formal

Education is mandatory from ages 8-15. Mongolia is starting to move towards the European model of education. After primary school, children move onto secondary school. An alternate option to secondary school is vocational school. Tertiary school is offered to all. 

97.4% are literate.

Informal

Relgion

In the Mongol times, they would worship the sky. The believed in shamanism. This has left a mark on Mongolian culture as some aspects are still used in its culture.

Previously, Mongolia was highly dependent upon their herding and agriculture as their main economic activity. Recently, the have discovered huge mineral deposits. These include copper, gold, coal, molybdenum, fluorspar, uranium, tin, and tungsten. This has attracted many foreign investors and is allowing for the Mongolian economy to grow. 

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, it caused political instability, which helped and hurt the economy. Mongolia went into a deep recession, but they started to reform the economy. This helped them greatly.

90% of Mongolia's exports go to China and Mongolia is China's largest supplier.

Mongolia also heavily relies on Russia for energy, which causes for the price to become higher.

GDP per capita is 5,900 dollars

Current % of economy by sector

agriculture: 16.5%

industry: 32.6%

Mental Health problems: Mongolia is currently facing a high suicide rate. This is because of the economic struggle and lack of social safety net. Due to this, alcoholism and drug addiction has risen. This has put a strain on the Mongolian health care system as they cannot support the large amount of sickness.

Mongolia is also facing human right issues.

They have a parliamentary democracy, with 21 provinces.

They gained their independence from China July 11, 1921.

Chief of State: President Tsakhia Elbegdorj (since 18 June 2009)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Norov Altankhuayag (since 9 August 2012);

Deputy Prime Minister Dendev Terbishdagva (since 20 August 2012)

There has been a lot of corruption in the government, for example, former President Nambaryn Enkhbayar was arrested for corruption. 

There are currently no transnational issues.

Ingredients

250g of Flour

150mL of Water

4tbsp of Sugar

Oil or Butter

Prepare the dough

   Mix flour and water to create a pliable dough. Let it rest for 15 min.

Split the dough into three or four parts, to process individually.

Roll one part into a thin sheet.

   Pour a little oil or molten butter on the sheet.

Disperse it over the surface by temporarily folding the sheet together from different directions.

Sprinkle a little sugar over the surface.

   Now wrap the sheet up into a long roll.

Turn the roll vertically, and press it together into a compact heap. The result is that oil and sugar are now distributed quite regularly within the dough.

Flatten it again with the rolling pin, to a size that will fit into the frying pan at a thickness of about 3 mm.

   Take a knife and make to parallel cuts near the center. This helps to avoid blisters when frying, an makes it easier to break the finished Gambir into pieces.

Fry with some oil in the pan at moderate heat from both sides. Make sure to fry slowly, or the surface will be black before the dough inside is cooked.

Serving suggestions

You can eat the Gambir just so with your fingers. Gourmands may put some jelly (jam) on top of it first.