MONGOLIA AREA: At 1,564,116 km² (603,909 mi²), Mongolia is the world's nineteenth-largest country (after Iran).

GOVERNMENT:Parliamentary Republic

CAPITAL: Ulaanbaatar (Largest City).

POPULATION & LANGUAGE Mongolia's total population as of July 2007 is estimated by U.S. Census Bureau at 2,951,786 people, ranking at around 138th in the world in terms of population. The official language of Mongolia is Khalkha Mongolian, which uses the Cyrillic alphabet, and is spoken by 90% of the population. A variety of different dialects are spoken across the country. In the west the Kazakh and Tuvan languages, are also spoken. The Russian language is the most frequently spoken foreign language in Mongolia, followed by English.

GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE The geography of Mongolia is varied with the Gobi desert to the south and with cold and mountainous regions to the north and west. Most of the country is hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter, with January averages dropping as low as -30°C (-22°F).Ulaanbaatar has the lowest average temperature of any national capital in the world. Mongolia is high, cold, and windy. It has an extreme continental climate with long, cold winters and short summers, during which most of its annual precipitation falls.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE People: Life in sparsely populated Mongolia has recently become more urbanized. Nearly half of the people live in the capital, Ulaanbaatar , and in other provincial centers. Semi-nomadic life still predominates in the countryside, but settled agricultural communities are becoming more common. Mongolia's birth rate is estimated at 21.2 births/1000 people (2007 est.). About two-thirds of the total population is under the age of 30, 28.5% of who are under14.

Art & Culture: The Mongolian way of life is nomadic and intimately connected with the ways of animals. Mongolians have always taken wholeheartedly to Tibetan Buddhism and the links between Mongolia and Tibet are old and deep. Mongolia's paintings, music and literature are dominated by Tibetan Buddhism and nomadism. Tsam dances are performed to exorcise evil spirits and are influenced by nomadism.

Economy: Mongolia's economy is centered on agriculture and mining. Mongolia has rich mineral resources, and copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial production. There are currently over 30,000 independent businesses in Mongolia, chiefly centered around the capital city. The majority of the population outside urban areas participate in subsistence herding; livestock typically consists of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and Bactrian camels.

CURRENCY:

Mongolian tögrög

Obverse of a 20 tögrög Reverse of a 20 tögrög

Subunit

1/100 möngö (мөнгө

Symbol � Coins 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 tögrög

Banknotes 10, 20, 50 möngö, 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10 000, 20 000 tögrög Central bank Bank of Mongolia

Website www.mongolbank.mn

SOCIAL LIFE AND RECREATION

Sports

Mongolia's Naadam festival takes place over three days in the summer and includes horse racing, archery, and Mongolian wrestling. These three sports, traditionally recognized as the three primary masculine activities, are the most widely watched and practiced sports throughout the country. Another very popular activity called Shagaa is the "flicking" of sheep ankle bones at a target several feet away, using a flicking motion of the finger to send the small bone flying at targets and trying to knock the target bones off the platform.

EDUCATION

Educational System: During the state socialist period, education was one of the areas of significant achievement in Mongolia. Illiteracy was virtually eliminated, in part through the use of seasonal boarding schools for children of nomadic families. Funding to these boarding schools was cut in the 1990s, contributing to slightly increased illiteracy. Primary and secondary education formerly lasted ten years, but has been expanded to eleven years recently and is set to be expanded further to twelve years.

TRANSPORT

• Air

The international Mongolian carrier is MIAT.

Most people fly into Ulaanbaatar from Beijing, Berlin or Seoul

Main Airport Ulaanbaatar (ULN) (Chinggis Khaan) is 15km / 9 miles from the city

The routes to Mongolia from India are:

Delhi- Beijing- Ulaanbaatar

Delhi- Seoul- Ulaanbaatar

• Land

In the capital there are many taxis available, both commercial and private. As in all developing countries, it is advised to negotiate the fare before getting in.

In Ulaanbaatar, there are normal city busses in operation. Cross country, most travelling is done in private minibuses

• Train

The Trans-Mongolian Line of the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway links Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar with Moscow, Russia and Beijing, China. A second line goes west from Ulaanbaatar to Erdenet.

COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY Mongolia has a number of radio stations broadcasting traditional and modern Mongolian and International music. BBC World Service has an FM transmitter broadcasting on FM103.1 in Ulaanbaatar.

The international calling code for Mongolia is +976

Internet country code - .mn

Package delivery services –DHL, Fedex.

Time Differences: -2.30 hrs

PLACES OF INTEREST

• Natural history museum,

• Suburgan gurba

• National academy theatre

• Gandan monastery

• Zaisan memorial (Ulaanbaatar) • Choijil Monastery: located in the centre of Ulaanbaatar, this former monastery is now the

home of the priceless sculptures crafted by the famous monk, politian, sculptor and philologist Zanabazar;

• Bogd Khan Museum: the palace of the last dynastic ruler of Mongolia

• The Orkhon river.

• Gobi Desert

TRAVEL TIPS

Mongolia is considered to be relatively safe place for travelers with no serious crimes against foreigners. Never less, some precautions can save you money, time and nerves.

• Bring preferably U.S. dollars in cash, $20 and $50 denominations

• Best place to exchange currency is Exchange Point at the first floor of the ARD Cinema, one block west from the Central Post Office as they offer slightly better rates than banks.

• When traveling to countryside make sure to take along cigarettes, soap, colored pens, a couple of bottles of alcohol and sweets as a small gift to cheer up local hosts.

• You can't book domestic return flights in advance, so stop at the MIAT local ticket office as soon as you arrive at each destination, or see if your guide can take care of it.

• Do not carry big amounts of money with you. Beware of pickpocketers, especially in crowded places or while riding public buses.

• The streetlights in Ulaanbaatar function only along the central streets, so do not walk late or stick to well lit central streets.

• Mongolian drivers do not care much about pedestrians. Make sure to look left and check for an approaching car before crossing streets.

• It is advisable not to eat in small canteens as the quality of food is not guaranteed. And it's better to buy foodstuff from large shops or food markets where cool storing equipment is available.

• If possible, make a copy of your passport and bear it on you while leaving the original in the hotel.

• Do not leave personal belongings unattended. They can easily disappear.

• Do not forget to set aside $12 for the airport departure tax.

VISA REQUIREMENTS & PROCEDURE:

Valid Passport One Visa Application form Duly filled in Capital's and Signed as per Passport One Recent Colour Passport Size Photograph's Covering Letter from Indian Company Stating Applicant's Name, Designation, Purpose & Duration of Visit Invitation from Mongolia Stating Applicant's Name, Designation, Purpose & Duration of Visit Return Confirmed Air Ticket's for Stay Duration Foreign Exchange Duly Endorsed / Valid International Credit Card Copy Yellow Fever Certificate for Processing Visa A letter of recommendation from an Indian Chamber of Commerce. Time Taken: 02-05 Working Days

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS

Subject Type of Service Telephone Number

Ambulance Emergency Non-Emergency

102

Fire Fire Service 100 Police Emergency 101

EMBASSIES

Embassy of India Embassy of Mongolia Zaluuchuudyn Urgun Chuluu 10 34, PO Box 691 Ulanbaatar Archbishop Makarious Marg Ulaanbaatar 210613 New Delhi- 110003 MONGOLIA INDIA Phone: +976-11-329-524 Phone: 0091-11-4631728, 4717989 Fax: +976-11-329-532 Fax: 0091-11-4633240 Email: indembmongolia@magicnet.com Email: mongemb@vsnl.net

REGIONAL OFFICE

Country Manager: Mr. Righu Gautam, M/s ICT Sain Consulting Pvt. Ltd. P.O. Box 199, P.O. Branch 28 Bayangol District,Railway Street-1 Ulaanbaatar – 210646 (Mongolia) Tel. 00-976-21-252-243, 252633 Fax.00-976-21-252-433 Mobile-00976-9911-3232

MONGOLIA-COVER.pdfPage 1