Good evening!

Welcome to our next topic for today, which delves into the fascinating region of
North Asia, we were going to focus on Mongolia and we will learn about its geography, culture,
history, and economy. So! Without further ado, let's get started.

Start of the discussion

The Modern country of Mongolia, historically known as Outer Mongolia, is a landlocked nation
situated in north-central Asia. It is roughly oval in shape and boasts a total land area of
approximately 1.56 million square kilometers (603,000 square miles), ranking as the 18th largest
country in the world by land area. Mongolia is the second-largest landlocked country globally.
Despite its lack of access to seas, Mongolia's stunning landscapes compensate for this limitation.
Much of its territory is covered by grassy steppe, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi
Desert to the south.

The national capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar, also known as Ulan Bator, meaning "Red Hero" in
Mongolian. Located in the north-central part of the country, Ulaanbaatar serves as the political,
economic, and cultural center of Mongolia. Despite its vast territory, Mongolia has a relatively small
population of just 3.3 million, making it the world's most sparsely populated sovereign state.

1. Mongolian-Manchuran Grassland One ofthe largest, most intact grassland ecosystems on Earth, lying
between Siberian conifer forests,C entral Asian rocky deserts, and the Manchurian hills of North eastern
China.

2. Gobi Desert A large, cold desert and grassland region in northernC hina and southern Mongolia and is
the sixth largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word Gobi,
used to refer to all of the water less region sin the Mongolian Plateau, while in Chinese Gobi is used to
refer to rocky, semi-desert s such as the Gobi itself rather than sandy deserts.

In Mongolia, two Mongolic languages are spoken: Oirat and Buryat. Oirat is primarily spoken in
western Mongolia. However, Oirat is facing the threat of becoming endangered in Mongolia.
This situation is a consequence of economic and governmental policies within the country.

Ethnic Groups in Mongolia

1. Khalkh
 The Khalkh represent the largest ethnic group of Mongols in Mongolia. They are
spread across various regions of the country.
2. Kazakh
 The Kazakh community in Mongolia is part of a larger ethnic group primarily
residing in Kazakhstan. However, a significant number of Kazakhs now live in
Mongolia, constituting the largest non-Mongolian ethnic group in the country.
3. Dorvod
 The Dorvod, also known as Durbet, are a Western Mongol tribe. They
predominantly inhabit the western regions of Mongolia, particularly near the
border with Russia.

These ethnic groups contribute to the cultural diversity and richness of Mongolia's
population.