Mongolia

Монгол улс Mongol uls Mongolia
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Bügd Nairamdakh Mongol" United Mongolia
Capital (and largest city)	Ulaanbaatar 47°55′N 106°53′E
Official languages	Mongolian
Government	Parliamentary democracy
- President	Nambaryn Enkhbayar
- Prime minister	Miyeegombyn Enkhbold
Formation
- National Foundation Day	1206
- Independence from China	July 11, 1921
Area
- Total	1,564,116 km² (19th) 603,909 sq mi
- Water (%)	0.6
Population
- July 2005 estimate	2,646,000 (139th)
- 2000 census	2,650,952
- Density	1.7 /km² (227th) 4.4 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$5.56 billion (147th)
- Per capita	$2,175 (138th)
HDI (2004)	0.691 (medium) (116th)
Currency	Tugrug (MNT)
Internet TLD	.mn
Calling code	+976

Mongolia (Mongolian: Монгол улс) is the world's second-largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan. It is typically classified as being a part of East Asia, although sometimes it is considered part of Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. Mongolia's political system is parliamentary democracy. Its capital and largest city is Ulaanbaatar.

Mongolia was the center of the Mongol Empire in the thirteenth century and was later ruled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty from the end of the seventeenth century until 1911, when an independent government was formed with Russian assistance. The Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed in 1924, leading to the adoption of communist policies and a close alignment to the Soviet Union. After the fall of communism in Mongolia in 1990, Mongolia adopted a new, democratic constitution which was ratified in 1992. This officially marked the transition of Mongolia to a democratic country, making it one of the world's youngest democracies.

At 1,564,116 square kilometres, Mongolia is the nineteenth largest country in the world, but also the least densely populated. 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 2.8 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 Buriats, Kazakhs and Tuvans also live in the country, especially in the west. About one-third of the population lives in Ulaanbaatar.