MONGOLIA                                                                        
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 1,565,000 km2; land area: 1,565,000 km2                             
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska                                   
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 8,114 km total; China 4,673 km, USSR 3,441 km                  
                                                                                
Coastline: none--landlocked                                                     
                                                                                
Maritime claims: none--landlocked                                               
                                                                                
Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature              
ranges)                                                                         
                                                                                
Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains; mountains in west and               
southwest; Gobi Desert in southeast                                             
                                                                                
Natural resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten,                     
phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold                         
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures              
79%; forest and woodland 10%; other 10%; includes irrigated NEGL%               
                                                                                
Environment: harsh and rugged                                                   
                                                                                
Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Soviet Union             
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 2,247,068 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991)                      
                                                                                
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 63 years male, 67 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Mongolian(s); adjective--Mongolian                           
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Mongol 90%, Kazakh 4%, Chinese 2%, Russian 2%,                
other 2%                                                                        
                                                                                
Religion: predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim (about 4%),                    
limited religious activity because of Communist regime                          
                                                                                
Language: Khalkha Mongol used by over 90% of population; minor                  
languages include Turkic, Russian, and Chinese                                  
                                                                                
Literacy: 90% (male NA%, female NA%) (1989 est.)                                
                                                                                
Labor force: NA, but primarily herding/agricultural; over half the              
adult population is in the labor force, including a large percentage            
of women; shortage of skilled labor                                             
                                                                                
Organized labor: 425,000 members of the Central Council of                      
Mongolian Trade Unions (CCMTU) controlled by the government (1984)              
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Mongolian People's Republic; abbreviated MPR                    
                                                                                
Type: in transition from Communist state to republic                            
                                                                                
Capital: Ulaanbaatar                                                            
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (aymguud, singular--aymag)               
and 3 municipalities* (hotuud, singular--hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor,           
Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan*, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi,                      
Dzavhan, Erdenet*, Govi-Altay, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol,                           
Omnogovi, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov,                                  
Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs                                                               
                                                                                
Independence: 13 March 1921 (from China; formerly Outer Mongolia)               
                                                                                
Constitution: 6 July 1960                                                       
                                                                                
Legal system: blend of Russian, Chinese, and Turkish systems of                 
law; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts;       
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction                                    
                                                                                
National holiday: People's Revolution Day, 11 July (1921)                       
                                                                                
Executive branch: chairman and deputy chairman of the Presidium of              
the People's Great Hural, premier, deputy premiers, Cabinet                     
                                                                                
Legislative branch: People's Great Hural, People's Small Hural                  
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court                                                  
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--President Punsalmaagiyn OCHIRBAT (since 3                       
September 1990); Vice President Radnaasumbereliyn GONCHIGDORJ (since            
7 September 1990);                                                              
                                                                                
Head of Government--Premier Dashiyn BYAMBASUREN (since 11                       
September 1990);                                                                
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
                                                                                
ruling party--Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP),                    
Budragchagiin DASH-YONDON, general secretary;                                   
                                                                                
opposition--Social Democratic Party (SDP), Batbayar;                            
Mongolian Democratic Association, Sanjasuren DZORIG, chief coordinator;         
Mongolian Party of National Progress, Ganbold;                                  
                                                                                
other--Mongolian Democratic Party (MDP), Batuul;                                
Free Labor Party, Maam;                                                         
note--opposition parties were legalized in May 1990                             
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
President--last held 3 September 1990 (next to be held July 1994);              
results--Punsalmaagiyn OCHIRBAT elected by the People's Great Hural;            
                                                                                
People's Great Hural--last held on 29 July 1990 (next to be held                
July 1994);                                                                     
results--MPRP 84.6, MDP 3.8%, PNP 1.4%, SDP 1%, independents 9.2%;              
seats--(430 total) MPRP 343;                                                    
                                                                                
People's Small Hural--last held on 29 July 1990 (next to be                     
held July 1994);                                                                
results--MPRP 62.3%, MDP 24.5%, SDP 7.5%, PNP 5.7%;                             
seats--(50 total) MPRP 33                                                       
                                                                                
Communists: MPRP membership 90,000 (1990 est.)                                  
                                                                                
Member of: AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IIB, ILO, IMF,             
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,           
WIPO, WMO, WTO                                                                  
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Gendengiyn NYAMDOO;                       
Chancery, Tel. (202) 983-1962;                                                  
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Joseph E. LAKE; Deputy Chief of Mission                          
Michael J. SENKO; Embassy at Ulaanbaatar, c/o American Embassy                  
Beijing; Tel. 29095 and 29639                                                   
                                                                                
Flag: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and                
red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is a five-pointed star       
above the national emblem (soyombo--a columnar arrangement of                   
abstract and geometric representations for fire, sun, moon, earth, water,       
and the yin-yang symbol)                                                        
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: Economic activity traditionally has been based on                     
agriculture and the breeding of livestock--Mongolia has the highest             
number of livestock per person in the world. In recent years extensive          
mineral resources have been developed with Soviet support. The mining and       
processing of coal, copper, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold                 
account for a large part of industrial production. In early 1991 the            
Mongolian leadership was struggling with severe economic dislocations,          
mainly attributable to chaotic economic conditions in the USSR, by              
far Mongolia's leading trade and development partner. For example,              
the government doubled most prices in January 1991, and industrial              
production dropped 10% in the first quarter of 1991. Moscow almost              
certainly will be cutting aid in 1991.                                          
                                                                                
GDP: $2.2 billion, per capita $1,000 (1990 est.); real                          
growth rate NA%                                                                 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%                                           
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 10% (February 1991)                                          
                                                                                
Budget: deficit of $240 million (1991 est.)                                     
                                                                                
Exports: $784 million (f.o.b., 1988);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--livestock, animal products, wool, hides, fluorspar,                
nonferrous metals, minerals;                                                    
                                                                                
partners--nearly all trade with Communist countries (about 80%                  
with USSR)                                                                      
                                                                                
Imports: $1.14 billion (f.o.b., 1988);                                          
                                                                                
commodities--machinery and equipment, fuels, food products,                     
industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea;           
                                                                                
partners--nearly all trade with Communist countries (about 80% with             
USSR)                                                                           
                                                                                
External debt: $16.8 billion (yearend 1990); 98.6% with USSR                    
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate NA%                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 657,000 kW capacity; 2,950 million kWh produced,                   
1,380 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
                                                                                
Industries: copper, processing of animal products, building                     
materials, food and beverage, mining (particularly coal)                        
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for about 20% of GDP and provides livelihood              
for about 50% of the population; livestock raising predominates (sheep,         
goats, horses); crops--wheat, barley, potatoes, forage                          
                                                                                
Economic aid: about $300 million in trade credits and $34 million               
in grant aid from USSR and other CEMA countries, plus $7.4 million              
from UNDP (1990)                                                                
                                                                                
Currency: tughrik (plural--tughriks); 1 tughrik (Tug) = 100 mongos              
                                                                                
Exchange rates: tughriks (Tug) per US$1--7.1 (1991), 5.63 (1990),               
3.00 (1989)                                                                     
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 1,750 km 1.524-meter broad gauge (1988)                              
                                                                                
Highways: 46,700 km total; 1,000 km hard surface; 45,700 km other               
surfaces (1988)                                                                 
                                                                                
Inland waterways: 397 km of principal routes (1988)                             
                                                                                
Civil air: 25 major transport aircraft                                          
                                                                                
Airports: 81 total, 31 usable; 11 with permanent-surface                        
runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; fewer than 20 with             
runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m                            
                                                                                
Telecommunications: stations--12 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (with 18 provincial             
relays); relay of Soviet TV; 120,000 TVs; 186,000 radios;                       
at least 1 earth station                                                        
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Mongolian People's Army (includes Border Guards),                     
Air Force                                                                       
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 535,376; 349,548 fit for                    
military service; 25,275 reach military age (18) annually                       
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP                                           
                                                                                
