MONGOLIA

Mongolia is a country in East-Central Asia.The landlocked country borders Russia to the north and China to the south. The capital and largest city is Ulan Bator. Mongolia's political system is a parliamentary republic.

At 1,564,116 square kilometers, Mongolia is the nineteenth largest, and the least densely populated independent country in the world with a population of around 2.9 million people. It is also the world's second-largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan. The country contains very little arable land, as much of its area is covered by arid and unproductive steppes, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately thirty percent of the country's 2.9 million people are nomadic or semi-nomadic. The predominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, and the majority of the state's citizens are of the Mongol ethnicity, though Kazakhs, Tuvans, and other minorities also live in the country, especially in the west. About 38% of the population lives in Ulan Bator.

MISSIONARIES:

Ballinger, Chris & Stephanie

HISTORY:

Mongolia's history spans over 5,000 years, where the country was primarily inhabited by various rival clans until the 12th century. In 1189, Genghis Khan managed to unify much of Mongolia, and no leader to date has led Mongolia as effectively as Genghis did.

Manchu controlled Mongolia from 1691 to 1911. Following the Manchu dynasty, a group of Mongol princes proclaimed the Buddha of Urga to be the next ruler. This period of rule allowed the Buddhist faith to springboard, which brought persecution to many other faiths.

In 1990, the nation's freedom of religion was reinstated. Since then a revival of Buddhism and other religions has occurred. Mongolia declared its independence in 1911 and in 1921; the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party government was started. A new constitution came into force in 1960, and Mongolia was admitted to the United Nations in 1961. In January of 1992, primarily due to Soviet support, the president of Mongolia instituted a new constitution.

In March 1990, pro-democracy protests erupted and hunger strikes were held. Mongolia held its first multiparty election in June 1990, where the communist party claimed victory. The communist party lost the elections in 1997 due to a poor economy and the wildfires of 1996. In 2000, the elections resulted in nearly a total win for the Mongolian People's Republican Party (95% of votes in favor of).

RELIGION:

According to the other latest sources from U.S. Department of State, 94% of Mongolians practice Tibetan Buddhism, followed by Islam (4%), Christianity and Shamanism (2%).

Various forms of tengriism and shamanism have been widely practiced throughout the history of what is now modern day Mongolia; as such beliefs were common among nomadic people in Asian history. Such beliefs gradually gave way to Tibetan Buddhism, but shamanism has left a mark on Mongolian religious culture. Indeed, some shamanistic practices and traditions, such as the use of ovoo as religious sites, are still practiced.

Throughout much of the twentieth century, the communist government ensured that the religious practices of the Mongolian people were largely repressed. The fall of communism in 1991 restored the legality of public religious practice.