Population.
In the Conception for Development of Mongolia, it is stated that Mongolian citizens with high levels of creative force, knowledge, education, spiritual and professional expertise are the source Mongolia's development. For the time being the
population of Mongolia stands at 2.5 million, which compared to that recorded in the 8th Bogd Khaan's Mongolia, i.e. in 1918, shows a 3.7 fold rise over an 80-year period. The
population density of Mongolia is 1.5 persons per square kilometre, making Mongolia one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The natural population growthrate was 3.6 per cent in 1980 and was reportedly 1 .4 in 2000.
In response to this dramatic fall, a resolution was issued by the President of Mongolia on policies to be pursued to check the decline. The resolution underlined that it would be appropriate to carry out a policy aimed at preventing a further decline in the population's annual growth rates, and to secure the purity of the Mongolian gene pool. For this purpose, the
traditions of keeping genealogical records are being reinstated, to be kept by every household, and policies designed to re-establish the ancestry and family records of citizens are being carried out with a view to ensuring a favourable social, economic, scientific, cultural, natural and psychological environment for
Mongolia's population growth and to safeguard the purity of the Mongolian gene pool.
Ethnic groups
More than 90 percent of the country's population are Mongolian ethnic groups. The core Mongolian ethnic group, Khalkha, is distributed all over the territory of the country, making up 80 per cent of the
population. The other major ethnic group, the Kazakhs, make up about 6 percent of the population and live in western Mongolia, mainly in Bayan-Ulgii Aimag. A considerable number of Kazakhs emigrated to Kazakhstan in the early 1990s, but many have since returned. As for the linguistic reference of the Mongolian population, it relates to the Mongolian group of the Altaic family except for Kazakhs. This group is composed of Khalkh, Durvud, Buryad, Bayad, Uriankhai, Zakhchin, Darkhad, Torguud, Uuld, Myangad, Barga and Uzemchin dialects.
The Mongolian group stemmed from the ancient Mongolian people and Mongolian tribes being parts of the Mongol Empire founded in 1206 by Chinggis Khaan. The ancient Mongolian tribes comprised the medieval Aimag (principality) of Mongolian tribes. The current "aimag" of Mongolia means its administrative and territorial unit, which is why the dominant tribes and nationalities that used to comprise the ancient Mongolian group are now spread among all the aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. However, the traditional settlement patterns of the dominant tribes and nationalities of the ancient Mongolian principality can still be easily traced back even now.
Barga. Originally from the Lake Baigali region of Siberia, they number 1560 and live in remote pockets of Dornod and Tuv aimags.
Bayad. Descendants of Oirad Mongols; about 40,000 live in Malchin, Khyargas and Zuungovi districts in Uvs aimag.
Buryat. Also found in Siberia, they number about 47,500 and congregate in the northern aimags of Bulgan, Dornod, Khentii and Selenge.
Dariganga. About 32,300 live in southern Sukhbaatar.
Darkhad. Descended from Turkic people; there are about 15,000 in Khuvsgul.
Durvud. About 55,000 in Uvs and Khovd aimags.
Khoton. Of Turkic descent; about 6000 live in Uvs aimag.
Myangad. Also of Turkic descent; about 5000 live in Khovd aimag.
Uuld. About 11,400 live in Khovd and Arkhangai aimags.
Torguud. About 10,500 live in Khovd aimag.
Tsaatan. Also known as the "reindeer people", they are perhaps the smallest ethnic group; only about 200 live in the northern Khuvsgul aimags.
Uriankhai. Also known as Tuvans; about 21,000 live in the Mongol Altai Nuruu mountain in Khovd and Bayan-Ulgii aimags. Uzemchin. Only about 2000 live in Dornod and Sukhbaatar, sharing similarities with the ethnic Mongolians of Inner Mongolia.
Zakhchin. About 24,700 live in Khovd aimag.
Thus, Mongolia is to be viewed as the hearth of the Mongolian race, spreading worldwide Mongols who comprise one single family developed from a common ethnic origin. Tripartite talks were held in Khiagt from August 1914 to June 1916 between representatives from Tsarist Russia, China and the Bogd Khaan's Mongolia. Under what became known as the "Triple Treaty", signed under pressure from Tsarist Russia and China, it was agreed that only 4 Khalkh aimags, including Khovd province, should be under Mongolian jurisdiction. The historical basis for modern Mongolia's territory and boundaries was formed as per the provisions specified in the "Triple Treaty".
The capital of modern Mongolia,
Ulaanbaatar (Red Hero), is a city with a history over 360 years long. After the Mongol Empire's capital Kharakhorum was abandoned, Urguu city was founded in 1639 for the first religious leader of the Mongols, Bogd Zanabazar, by the Khalkh nobility. They assigned some of their subordinates to be the Bogd's disciples to establish the Khuree city. The first Bogd's Urguu city was established along the valleys of the Orkhon, Selenge and Tuul rivers until 1778 when it ceased moving from place to place and settled down amidst the four mountains of the Khan mountains, the Khatan Tuul river's banks, the Selbe river's terraces, Bayanzurkh, Songinokhairkhan and Chingeltei mountains. Since then, it began to be called the Ikh Khuree.
The Ikh Khuree of the Khalkh Mongols, apart from being first and foremost its religious centre, also turned into the country's cultural, state, economic and spiritual centre. The capital city of Khuree of Bogd Khaan's Mongolia was set up as a result of the struggle for Mongolian independence and national freedom, by the first Great State Khural held in 1924, when it was given the legal status of capital city of the Mongolian People's Republic and was renamed
Ulaanbaatar city. 50% of
Mongolia's Population living in
Ulaanbaatar.
About Mongolia
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia — It is late June, but a biting north wind has swept in from the Siberian steppe, driving temperatures down by 40 degrees and bringing an icy drizzle that chills the skin.
