Mongolia

General

Alright! Next we’re headed to Mongolia! The capital city is Ulaanbaatar which is located in North Central Mongolia. The land area of this country is 603,909 square miles whereas Canada is 3,511,023 square miles. Mongolia borders the Russian Federation to the North, China to the East, South and West. The population density of Mongolia is half that of Canada. The Mongolian government has been a democracy since 1990 and has a president and prime minister. The President is Khaltmaagiin Battulga and the Prime minister is Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh. The language spoken by 95% of the population is Mongolian. The currency used in this country is called the Mongolian tögrög. Now that you know the basic facts of Mongolia, let’s get into the details!

Image Link: http://famouswonders.com/mongolian-tugrik/

Travel

• 

Mongolia consists of roughly 12,660 km of roads. However, only 2,244 km are paved, 1,440 km has a gravel surface, 1,346 km has an improved earth surface and over 6,900 km is earth tracks. Mongolia, like Canada, is cold and very dry with harsh climate. They have long winters and short summers with a lot of precipitation. Another similarity with Canada is their speed limits. The speed limit in residential zones is 20 km/h, in built up areas it’s 60 km/h, outside built up areas it’s 80 km/h and on highways 100 km/h. All the traffic is on the right side of the road. As stated earlier Mongolia’s roads are mostly unpaved, the conditions of driving are really based on weather. On days with heavy rain, most roads would be in poor condition. Accidents occur frequently in Mongolia, there are roughly 616 deaths per year. The longest distance from one end of the country to the other is 2,368 kilometers. Foreigners are mainly targeted for crime, especially in the capital. Most are nonviolent but some consist of assault and robbery. Travel in Mongolia can be rough but a absolutely beautiful place to visit. https://theplanetd.com/driving-in-mongolia-equals-tons-of-fun/

Image Link: http://shaneandgeorgia.com/making-it-to-mongolia/

Sports and Leisure

Food and Dining

Common foods that are loved in Mongolia includes steamed dumplings and different types of meat, specifically mutton. The name for these steamed dumplings filled with meat is “buuz”. If you’re feeling hungry, then try making some delicious dumplings using this recipe! One sweet that is eaten in Mongolia is boortsog, a type of biscuit or cookie that is fried. One popular market in Mongolia is the Naran Tuul Market located in the capital. If you want to buy traditional Mongolian clothing, carpets, horse-riding gear and souvenirs, then this is the spot for you! Etiquette in Mongolia is much different than in Canada. Based on the food eaten and the way it is eaten, the food can result in being very messy. But even though it’s messy, it’s still delicious!

Image Link: https://www.worldvision.org/blog/recipe-buuz-traditional-mongolian-dumplings

Image Link: https://dphotographer.co.uk/image/245730/naran_tuul_market

Challenges and Possible Dangers

Mongolia is a pretty safe place. In fact, it has one of the lowest crime rates is Asia. However, there are still crimes that do occur, for example, assault and robbery. Unfortunately, foreigners are mainly targeted, especially in the capital but most are non violent. Pickpockets and bag slashers are also very common in Mongolia so travellers should be aware and keep their things close to them. Of course the other dangers are somewhat due to the fact that you will be traveling through the desert with a rust bucket! Mongolia overall is a beautiful and peaceful place, as long as you play it safe you will have a great time there!