About Mongolia
Overview | Gobi | Steppe & Forest Steppe | Taiga | Brief History
Overview
Mongolia is located in east central Eurasia and is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the east, south and west. Although dwarfed by its neighbors, it is one of the largest landlocked nation in the world. It occupies more than 600,000 square miles (about 1,560,000 sq. km.), which is roughly equal to the size of the United States east of the Mississippi.
On the other hand, the human population (as estimated in 2005) is 2,646,000. With less than 4.4 inhabitants per square mile (1.7/sq km), Mongolia is one of most sparsely populated nations on the planet.
The low population density is primarily the result of Mongolia's severe continental climate. Located far from any of the oceans, it lacks the their moderating influences. Moreover, with an average elevation of 5135 ft (1580 m), Mongolia is one of the highest countries in the world. The winters are long and frigid. The summers are brief. It's also very windy.
Severe geographic and climatic conditions have significantly limited population growth and economic development. Semi-nomadic pastoralism has traditionally dominated the economy and continues to play major role. The exploitation of mineral resources is a relatively recent but increasingly important sector. Nonetheless, the environmental degradation that typically accompanies economic development is relatively limited. Despite continuous human occupation for tens of thousands of years, Mongolia is one of the least spoiled landscapes in Eurasia.
Broadly speaking, the Mongolian landscape can be divided into three east-to-west bands. The Gobi lies to the south and the Taiga along clings to the northern margin. Steppe and Forest Steppe occupy the middle and is home to the majority of the inhabitants.
This south to north pattern is complicated somewhat by the high mountains that cover much of the west, north and north-central parts of the country. Precipitation, which is never high, tends to be greater at higher elevations and in the north and east.
Lake Hövsgöl (Hövsgöl Nuur), the center of activity for the Institute of Mongolian Biodiversity and Ecological Studies, is a large deepwater lake in north. Its southern outlet feeds into the Selenge River system which drains much of northern and central Mongolia. The Selenge continues northeast into Siberia and empties into Lake Baikal. Several large, shallow lakes —some of which are saline— are located in the west.
The Gobi
The southern third of Mongolia is dominated by the fabled Gobi. This arid region has been the site for the famous paleontological expeditions by the American Museum of Natural History of the 1920s and (in cooperation with the Mongolian Academy of Science) since 1990. The southernmost portion of the Gobi is a true desert where there might be no precipitation at all during any given year. Not surprisingly, this bone-dry region is one of the most sparsely inhabited stretches of Eurasia. Further north and northeast, increasing rainfall supports marginal grasslands known as desert steppes. Here, pastoralists herd sheep, goats, horses, cows, yaks and bactrian (two-humped) camels.
The Steppe and Forest Steppe
About half of Mongolia is occupied by steppe (grasslands) and forest-steppes (patchworks of grasslands and forests). These landscapes are most extensive in the central and eastern parts of the country, but they are also common in upland areas in western Mongolia; desert steppe occupies most of the lowlands in western Mongolia.
The steppes occupy the cultural heart of Mongolia. This classic landscape of rolling hills is as central to the Mongolian national identity as it is to the Mongolia of the Western imagination. Central to this identity (or image) is the horse. Indeed, Mongolia is known as "the land of the horse" and there are actually more of them (about 3 million) than there are people. Moreover, Mongolia may have been a center of their domestication some 6,000 years ago. It's home to sizable herds of the wild takhi (Prezewalski horse), an endangered species of the modern horse that has been recently reintroduced from zoo populations.
Outside of the urban areas, landuse is dominated by pastoralism. Sheep, yak/cattle, and horses account for most the traditional livestock, but the stock of cashmere (kasmir) goats has increased substantially due to global demand. Some winter wheat is produced in the Selenge basin, but its production is hindered by the severe and unpredictable winters.
The Taiga
The southern margin of the Siberian Taiga (boreal coniferous forest) extends into northern Mongolia. This is a transitional zone in which coniferous forests occur in a mosaic with other types of vegetation. Typically, the taiga forest is most extensive on north-facing slopes, while open steppe covers south-facing slopes and occupy, along with wetlands, the valley floors. Permafrost is present in forested areas.
Timber harvesting and pastoralism are significant landuses. A considerable proportion of the taiga forest is protected, but deforestation —often due to illegal harvesting— is a problem. The livestock mix (sheep, cashmere goats, yak/cattle and horses) is generally similar to that from the steppe and forest-steppe, but an indigenous group, the Tsaatan, maintains herds of reindeer.
The transitional nature of the taiga surrounding Lake Hövsgöl has prompted concern about and research into the interactions of climatic change with pastoralism, forestry, and environmental protection.
A Brief History
A variety of nomadic groups occupied Mongolia since prehistory, and some of these (the Xiongnu, Huns, Götürks and Mongols) rose to prominence and either threatened or conquered neighboring lands. The most important of these were the Mongols of the 13th century. Founded by Chinggis Kahn (Genghis Kahn) and expanded by his successors, the Mongol Empire extended from the Far East to Mesopotamia and Central Europe. It was the largest land empire in history.
The Mongol Empire declined in the following century, and after several centuries of relative obscurity, Mongolia submitted to the Manchus (Qing Dynasty) in 1691. Independence was declared in 1911, but power struggles with Chinese, White Russians and Bolsheviks soon ensued.
Soviet influence was firmly established in 1924 with the founding of the People's Republic of Mongolia. The population experienced many of the hardships and brutalities of the Stalinist years, including forced collectivation of livestock, political purges and religious persecutions. Conditions improved somewhat by mid-century, but Mongolia remained firmly within the Soviet sphere of influence and virtually isolated from the outside world.
In 1990, following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Mongolia managed a peaceful transition to a parliamentary democracy, but the sudden cessation of trade with and aid from the Soviets created substantial challenges and hardships for the Mongolian economy, government, and people. Desperate to spur development and prevent further decline, Mongolia initiated diplomatic, economic and scientific relationships with China and the West.
One of the most successful of these new relationships is with The Academy of Natural Sciences. It all began with an appeal for help from Samyev Tenson, a Buddhist lama who was concerned about the environmental degradation that could accompany mining and other economic development.
In 1994, the lama persuaded Academy representatives Dr. Clyde E. Goulden and Robert McCracken Peck to visit Lake Hövsgöl, a large, remarkably pristine, and under-studied lake in northern Mongolia. The unique research opportunities presented by this lake, combined with the urgent environmental questions associated with the need for economic development in Mongolia led to the establishment of the Institute for Mongolian Diversity and Ecological Studies, the Mongolian Aquatic Insect Survey and other research efforts.
Credits
The world map is from Wikipedia.org, which also served as a major source of information for this page. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolia). Photos by Dr. Clyde Goulden, Dr. David A. Neely and Dr. Mark Sabaj Pérez.