Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on agriculture and livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits: copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of Gross domestic product (GDP), disappeared almost overnight in 1990–91, at the time of the Collapse of the Soviet Union. Mongolia was driven into deep recession. Reform has been held back by the ex-communist MPRP opposition and by the political instability brought about through four successive governments under the DUC. Economic growth picked up in 1997–99 after stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural disasters and increases in world prices of copper and cashmere. Public revenues and exports collapsed in 1998 and 1999 due to the repercussions of the Asian financial crisis. In August and September 1999, the economy suffered from a temporary Russian ban on exports of oil and oil products. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1997. The international donor community pledged over $300 million per year at the last Consultative Group Meeting, held in Ulaanbaatar in June 1999. Recently, the Mongolian economy has grown at a fast pace due to an increase in mining and Mongolia attained a GDP growth rate of 11.7% in 2013. However, because much of this growth is export-based, Mongolia is suffering from the global slowdown in mining caused by decreased growth in China.
Ulaanbaatar, formerly anglicised as Ulan Bator, is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. The city is not part of any aimag (province), and its population as of 2014 was over 1.3 million, almost half of the country's population. The municipality is in north central Mongolia at an elevation of about 1,300 meters (4,300 ft) in a valley on the Tuul River. It is the country's cultural, industrial and financial heart, the centre of Mongolia's road network and connected by rail to both the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia and the Chinese railway system.
Chinggis Khaan International Airport is the international airport serving Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, situated 18 km (11 mi) southwest of the capital. It is the largest international air facility in the country.
The Mongolian People's Party is the oldest political party in Mongolia.
The flag of Mongolia is a vertical tricolor with a red stripe at each side and a blue stripe in the middle, with the Mongolian Soyombo symbol centering on the leftmost stripe. The blue stripe represents the eternal blue sky, and the red stripes symbolise thriving forever. The Soyombo symbol is a geometric abstraction that represents fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and a Taijitu symbol representing the duality of yin and yang.
MIAT Mongolian Airlines is the Mongolian national airline, headquartered in the MIAT Building in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. The airline operates international scheduled services from its base at Chinggis Khaan International Airport near Ulaanbaatar.
The national anthem of Mongolia, known before 1991 as the "State Anthem of the Mongolian People's Republic" was created in 1950 with music composed by Bilegiin Damdinsüren and Luvsanjambyn Mördorj, and lyrics written by Tsendiin Damdinsüren.
The Mongolia national football team represents Mongolia in international football and is controlled by the Mongolian Football Federation.
The ʼPhags-pa script is an alphabet designed by the Tibetan monk and State Preceptor Drogön Chögyal Phagpa for Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty, as a unified script for the written languages within the Yuan. The actual use of this script was limited to about a hundred years during the Mongol Yuan dynasty, and it fell out of use with the advent of the Ming dynasty.
Mongolia–United States relations are bilateral relations between the United States and Mongolia.
Yili Group is China’s market-leading dairy products producer and is listed as an “A Share” company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. It is engaged in processing and manufacturing of milk products, including ice cream, milk tea powder, sterilized milk and fresh milk under "Yili" brand, powdered milk under "Pro-Kido" brand, and organic milk under "Satine" brand. It is headquartered in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. Its main competitor in China is Mengniu. In 2018, it is the world's 3rd best-performing food brands.
The Mongolia national football team represents Mongolia in international football under the control of the Mongolian Football Federation (MFF). Founded in 1959, the federation was inactive between 1961 and 1997 and the men's national team did not feature in any international fixtures during that time. The federation was reorganised in 1997 and joined the AFC the same year. In 1998 the federation became a full member of FIFA, the international governing body for the sport. The MFF joined the EAFF as one of eight founding members in May 2002. Because of the harsh climate and a lack of suitable venues, the team has hosted few home matches in the past. However, in 2002 the MFF, with assistance from FIFA, began developing facilities in the country, including the creation of the 5,000-seat MFF Football Centre, which will allow the team to play more matches in Mongolia. About Mongolia's relatively low number of matches played, former national team player and coach Zorigtyn Battulga said, "Lack of games is a problem. No one will come to Mongolia in December and for us to fly to other countries is very expensive so it’s hard to arrange official matches."
Byambasuren Sharav was a Mongolian composer and pianist.
Marco Polo is an American drama web television series inspired by Marco Polo's early years in the court of Kublai Khan, the Khagan of the Mongol Empire and the founder of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The show premiered on Netflix on December 12, 2014. The series was written and created by John Fusco and stars Lorenzo Richelmy in the title role with Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan. The series was produced by The Weinstein Company. On January 7, 2015, Marco Polo was renewed by Netflix for a 10-episode second season, which premiered on July 1, 2016.
Battulga Khaltmaa is a Mongolian politician and Sambo wrestler who has served as the President of Mongolia since 10 July 2017. He served as Member of the State Great Khural from 2004 to 2016 and Minister of Roads, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development from 2008 to 2012. Prior to his career in politics, Battulga was a Sambo wrestling champion. He was the Democratic Party's candidate in the 2017 presidential election, and was elected President with 50.6% in the run-off, the first ever run-off election in modern Mongolian history. Mongolians are sharply divided about his role in the 2019 Mongolian constitutional crisis.
Mongolia is participating in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia from 18 August to 2 September 2018. Mongolia made its first appearance at the Asian Games in 1974 Tehran, and have a total 137 medals, including 20 gold, 37 silver, and 80 bronze. At the last games in Incheon, Mongolia had collected 21 medals, and standing in the 16th position in medals tally.
The Hu is a Mongolian rock band formed in 2016. With traditional Mongolian instrumentation, including the Morin khuur, and Mongolian throat singing, the band calls their style of music "hunnu rock", hu being a Mongolian root word for "human". Their producer's name is Dashdondog Bayarmagnai, a.k.a. "Dashka".
The Chief of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces is the highest-ranking professional military leader in the Mongolian military. The Chief of the General Staff carries out his duties under the governance of the Commander-in-Chief and serves as the principal advisor to him/her on military affairs. He/She is responsible for the implementation of operational orders and directives to maintain the combat readiness of the armed forces in peacetime. In wartime, the chief directs the military in accordance with the commander-in-chief.
