Mongolia, known as Mongol uls (Монгол улс) in Mongolian, is a landlocked country situated between China and Russia. It's an immense emptiness that connects land and sky, and it's one of the last few places on the planet where nomadic life is still a living tradition.

Mongolia may hold geopolitical, cultural, and geographical significance.

Covering a total area of 1,566,500 square kilometers, Mongolia ranks 15th in the world in terms of size. It stretches about 2,400 kilometers from west to east and approximately 1,260 kilometers from north to south. The total length of the country's border is 8,156 kilometers.

The northern part of the country is covered by forested mountain ranges, while the southern part consists of deserts, desert steppes, and steppe areas with low mountains. Snow-capped high mountains and glaciers dominate the eastern part, while vast plains and wild heaths dominate the western part. The Mongolian environment exhibits a wide variety of features. Mongolia can be divided into six zones: desert, mountain, mountain taiga, mountain forest steppe, arid steppe, and taiga.

The capital, as well as the industrial and commercial center of Mongolia, is Ulaanbaatar.

Ulaanbaatar is situated on the banks of the Tuul River and is surrounded by the beautiful foothills of the Khangai mountain range, with the sacred Bogd Khan mountain protected for centuries facing the city to the south. The city sits at an altitude of 1350 meters above sea level and currently covers an area of 470,000 hectares. As of early 2011, the population of Ulaanbaatar was 1,161,785 with a density of 247 people per square kilometer.

Although boasting over 260 sunny days a year and known as the "Land of the Blue Sky," Mongolia's climate is extreme. Long subarctic winters are harsh, with average temperatures dropping to -34°C (-88°F) in January and early February. Hence, some rivers remain frozen until June. The overall landscape of the country is influenced by its natural origin, which has been relatively less disturbed by human activities and has maintained its original nature.

Nomadic Civilization and Culture of Mongolia

Mongolia is a completely landlocked country, so its climate is sharply continental and dry with four seasons, and its geographical location is diverse. Influenced by these factors, Mongolians have developed a unique nomadic civilization since the Neolithic period. They have practiced animal husbandry in their vast land and have frequently moved in search of the best pastures and water. However, this doesn't mean that all Mongolians are nomads living in their gers (traditional dwellings); they have also developed their own urban civilization and architecture.

The first Mongolian Empire, the Khunnu, had its capital city on the banks of the Orkhon River. Each Mongolian Empire had its capital cities. Mongolian architecture has been greatly influenced by Buddhism, as in many other Buddhist countries, as evidenced by the numerous monasteries.

Religions of Mongolia

Currently, the main religion in Mongolia is Buddhism, with 90% of the population being Buddhists. The rest are Muslims, Shamans, and a few Christians. The first religion of the Mongols was Shamanism, which emerged during the clan structure. At that time, it was simple, just magic. According to archaeological findings, about 100,000-40,000 years ago, the people who lived on the land of present-day Mongolia practiced this religion.

In ancient times, every clan had a belief about their origin, believing they were descended from an animal or a plant, which they called a tutelary genius. The Mongols worshipped the deer or the wolf.