Mongolia is an amazing country that amazes tourists with its uniqueness and originality. Located in Central Asia, this country borders only with Russia and China and has no access to the sea. Therefore, the climate of Mongolia is sharply continental. And Ulaanbaatar is considered the coldest capital of the world. But still, Mongolia is popular among tourists all over the planet.
General information
Mongolia still preserves its traditions; it managed to carry its cultural heritage through the centuries. The great Mongol empire had a huge impact on world history, the famous leader Genghis Khan was born on the territory of this particular country.
Today, a unique place on the planet attracts primarily those who want to relax from the noise of megacities and familiar resorts and plunge into a special world of pristine natural beauty. The geographical location of Mongolia, population, climate, plants, animals - all this is unusual and unique. High mountains, boundless steppes, blue sky, a unique world of flora and fauna cannot but attract tourists from all over the world to this country.
Geographical position
Mongolia, the relief and climate of which are naturally interconnected, unites the Gobi Desert and such mountain ranges as the Gobi and Mongolian Altai, Hangai on its territory. Thus, in the territory of Mongolia there are both high mountains and vast plains.
The country is located on average at an altitude of 1580 meters above sea level. Mongolia is located in Central Asia, has no access to the sea, it has common borders with Russia and China. The area of the country is 1 566 000 square meters. km The largest rivers flowing in Mongolia are the Selenga, Kerulen, Khalkhin-Gol and others. The capital of the state - Ulan Bator - has a long and interesting history.
Population of the country
Today, about 3 million people live in the country. The population density is approximately 1.8 people per square meter. m. territory. The population is unevenly distributed, in the capital the population density is very large, but the southern regions and desert territories are less populated.
The ethnic composition of the population is very diverse:
- 82% are Mongols;
- 4% are Kazakhs;
- 2% - Buryats and other nationalities.
There are also Russians and Chinese in the country. Among religions, Buddhism prevails here. In addition, a small percentage of the population professes Islam, there are many adherents of Christianity.
Mongolia: climate and its features
This place is called the "country of the blue sky", since it is sunny most of the year. Located in the temperate climatic zone, Mongolia's climate is sharply continental. This means that it is characterized by sharp temperature drops and a small amount of precipitation.
The cold, but almost snowless winter in Mongolia (the temperature can drop to -45 ° C) is replaced in the spring with its strong gusts of wind, sometimes reaching hurricane, and then in warm and sunny summers. This country often becomes the site of sandstorms.
If you describe the climate of Mongolia briefly, it is enough to mention large temperature fluctuations even within a day. It has harsh winters, hot summers and increased air dryness. The coldest month is January, the warmest is June.
Why such a climate in Mongolia
Sudden changes in temperature, dry air and a large number of sunny days make this place special. We can conclude what are the reasons for the sharp continental climate of Mongolia:
- remoteness from the seas;
- the barriers to the entry of moist air currents from the oceans are the mountain ranges that surround the country;
- the formation of high pressure in combination with low temperature in the winter.
Such sharp fluctuations in temperature and low rainfall make this country special. Familiarization with the reasons for the sharp continental climate of Mongolia will help to better understand the relationship between the relief, geographic location and climate of this country.
Seasons
It is best to come to Mongolia from May to September. Despite the fact that there are many sunny days, the temperature amplitude is very large over the seasons. The climate of Mongolia for months has very characteristic features.
- Winter here is usually sunny, cold, lowering temperatures to -45-50 ° C are possible. Winter cold starts in November and lasts until March. A large amount of precipitation is not observed: snowfalls are infrequent. January is the coldest winter month, the temperature during the day drops below 15 degrees below zero.
- Spring in Mongolia begins in late March and lasts until June. At this time, dust storms and hurricanes can be dangerous. He is much warmer, the average air temperature in spring is + 6 ° C.
- The summer temperature in Mongolia coincides with the calendar - it begins in late May and ends by September. During this period, there is relatively much rainfall. The average temperature is 21 degrees above zero, and in July (the warmest month of the year) can reach 25˚ C.
- Autumn in Mongolia is a transitional period - both for temperature (on average + 6˚), and for humidity (the climate becomes drier, the amount of precipitation decreases).
Vegetable world
Mongolia, whose climate is sharply continental, has a rich and unusual flora. On its territory there are various natural zones: highlands, taiga zone, forest-steppe and steppe, desert and semi-desert zones.
In Mongolia, you can see mountains covered with deciduous, cedar and pine forests. In the valleys, they are replaced by deciduous species (birch, aspen, ash) and shrubs (honeysuckle, bird cherry, rosemary and others). In general, forests occupy about 15% of Mongolia's vegetation.
The vegetation cover of the steppes of Mongolia is also very diverse. It includes plants such as feather grass, wheat grass and others. On the territory of semi-deserts saxaul prevails. This type of vegetation accounts for about 30% of the entire flora of Mongolia.
Among the healing plants, the most common are juniper, celandine, and sea buckthorn.
Animal world
In Mongolia, several very rare species of mammals are represented, such as the snow leopard, the Przhevalsky horse, the Mongolian kulan, the wild camel, and many others (about 130 species in total). There are also many (over 450) different species of birds - eagles, owls, hawks. In the desert there is a wild cat, gazelle, saiga, in the forests - deer, sable, roe deer.
Some of them, unfortunately, need protection, as they are threatened with extinction. The Mongolian government is committed to maintaining the existing rich fund of flora and fauna. For this purpose, numerous reserves and national parks were organized here.
Interesting facts about Mongolia
This country is unique. Therefore, it attracts many tourists who want to learn more about Mongolia. There are several features that characterize it:
- Mongolia, whose climate is severe enough, is the country with the coldest capital in the world.
- Among all countries of the world, the lowest population density.
- If you translate the name of the capital Ulan Bator from the Mongolian language, you get the phrase "red hero".
- Another name for Mongolia is “The Land of the Blue Sky”.
Not all tourists who aspire to these parts know the climate in Mongolia. But even a detailed acquaintance with its features does not scare lovers of exotics and wildlife.