ABSTRACT
Called the “Land of Blue Sky,” with incredible natural features such as mountains in the north and the Gobi Desert in the south, Mongolia is also famous for having more horses than people. It’s a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. While it does not officially border Kazakhstan, it is considered a close neighbor, being only 37 kilometers away in some areas. Mongolia’s population of just 3.2 million makes it the world’s most sparsely populated country; there are only two people per square kilometer. About half the population lives in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, while 30 percent of Mongolians remain nomadic and semi-nomadic, with horse culture playing an important role in daily life. Mongolia’s ethnic majority is Khalkh, with smaller groups including Kazak, Dorvod, Bayad, Buryat-Gouriates, and Zahkchin. Languages spoken include Mongolian (Khalkha dialect), Turkic, and Russian. About 50 percent of the population is Buddhist, in addition to Muslim, Shamanist, and Christian. Nearly 40 percent of Mongolians do not identify with a specific religion.
