- Paintings of Mongolian subjects
- Art Partnerships for Mongolian Conservation-my non-profit association. Our mission is to find innovative ways to use the arts to support conservation in Mongolia. Currently, we support a women's felt crafts cooperative near the Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve called "Ikh Nart Is Our Future"
- Argali On The Rocks - the 2005 Mongolia Trip
- Drawings
from My Flag Expedition Journal -
Mongolia
- The Horses of Mongolia articles in Horses in Art Magazine, Spring, Summer and Fall 2007
- There are also a many posts on my blog about my journeys to Mongolia, along with wildlife, land and culture.
MONGOLIA- THE LAND OF BLUE SKIES
Mongolia is in
northern Asia between the Russian Republic and the People's
Republic of China; about a two and a half hour plane ride from
Seoul, Korea, or Beijing, China.
The land area is over 1.5 million square km, slightly smaller than
Alaska,
over twice the size of Texas and three times the size of France.
Population is approximately 2.9 million as of 2010.
Mongolia has the world’s lowest population density at only 1.4
people per
square km.
Currency is the togrog; the exchange rate is around 1300 to the
dollar.
The country is divided into 21 aimags (counties or provinces)
served by
soum centers (county seats).
It is one of the highest elevation countries in the world, averaging around 1580m.
The major ethnic group is the Kalkha Mongols at almost 95%; Other ethnic minorities include Turkic
peoples (mostly
Kazakh), 5%: and other .1%.
Literacy is almost 98%.
42% of the population are herders or working in agriculture.
50% are Buddhists (Tibetan); Tengerist/Shamanist or Christian, 6%; Muslim,
4%;
none, 40%.
1724 km of paved road; 47,526 km of unpaved road.
There are almost 270,000 internet users and 272 internet hosts.
There are 557,200 cell phones.
About half the population lives in gers (known in other countries
as
"yurts", a Russian word of turkic origin).
The average salary in Ulaanbaatar is $100 a month and rising.
Other than the tracks along the railroad and some areas surrounding the capital, Ulaanbaatar, the land is open and
unfenced.
Yearly temperatures range from over 100F in the Gobi in the
summer to
-40F in the winter.
Mongolia has 260 days of sunshine a year, which is why the Mongols
call
their home "The Land of Blue Skies".
This information
is from the CIA World Factbook
and
the Lonely Planet Guide: Mongolia
Environment and Wildlife
While it certainly has environmental issues that need to be addressed, Mongolia has, within its
borders some
of the largest areas of unspoiled land left in Asia.
Lakes:
Khovsgol Nur in northern Mongolia, the second oldest lake in the
world, contains 2% of the world's fresh water (and 65% of Mongolia's)