Mongolia (2007) | Montserrat (2006) | |
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Administrative divisions | 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs | 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 28.7% (male 432,309/female 415,382)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 994,186/female 995,986) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 49,517/female 64,406) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 23.3% (male 1,125/female 1,079)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,957/female 3,245) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 532/female 501) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses | cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products |
Airports | 44 (2007) | 2 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 13
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007) |
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 31
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
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Area | total: 1,564,116 sq km | total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Alaska | about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and later came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. The ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000 and produced a coalition government in 2004. | English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possesion of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003. |
Birth rate | 21.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 17.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $695.3 million
expenditures: $634.5 million (2005) |
revenues: $31.4 million
expenditures: $31.6 million; including capital expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.) |
Capital | name: Ulaanbaatar
geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 55 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Saturday in March; ends last Saturday in September |
name: Plymouth
geographic coordinates: 16 44 N, 62 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat |
Climate | desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) | tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 40 km |
Constitution | 12 February 1992 | effective 19 December 1989 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat |
Death rate | 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.38 billion (2005) | $8.9 million (1997) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Mark C. MINTON
embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro Region, Ulaanbaatar mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002; P.O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar-13 telephone: [976] (11) 329-095 FAX: [976] (11) 320-776 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Ravdan BOLD
chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117 FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $211.9 million (2005) | Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.) |
Economy - overview | Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession due to political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000-02 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth was 10.6% in 2004, 5.5% in 2005, and 7.5% in 2006, largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases 80% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. China is Mongolia's chief export partner and a main source of the "shadow" or "grey" economy. The World Bank and other international financial institutions estimate the grey economy to be at least equal to that of the official economy, but the former's actual size is difficult to calculate since the money does not pass through the hands of tax authorities or the banking sector. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally are sizable, and money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes. | Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade. |
Electricity - consumption | 2.94 billion kWh (2006) | 1.86 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 15.95 million kWh (2006) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 125 million kWh (2006) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 3.43 billion kWh (2006) | 2 million kWh (2003) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006) |
Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment | land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Ethnic groups | Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000) | black, white |
Exchange rates | togrogs/tugriks per US dollar - 1,179.6 (2006), 1,205 (2005), 1,185.3 (2004), 1,146.5 (2003), 1,110.3 (2002) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 24 June 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Sanjaa BAYAR (since 22 November 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Mendsaikhan ENKHSAIKHAN (since 28 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural (parliament) elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 May 2005 (next to be held in May 2009); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by State Great Hural election results: Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected president; percent of vote - Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR 53.44%, Mendsaikhanin ENKHSAIKHAN 20.05%, Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN 13.92%, Badarchyn ERDENEBAT 12.59%; Miegombyn ENKHBOLD elected prime minister by the State Great Hural 56 to 10 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Deborah BARNES-JONES (since 10 May 2004)
head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister |
Exports | 821.9 bbl/day (2005 est.) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals | electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle |
Exports - partners | China 71.8%, Canada 11.7%, US 7.3% (2006) | US, Antigua and Barbuda (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol) | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 27.9% services: 50.4% (2003 est.) |
agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 13.6% services: 81% (1996 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 7.5% according to official estimate (2006 est.) | -1% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 46 00 N, 105 00 E | 16 45 N, 62 12 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia | the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages |
Heliports | 1 (2007) | - |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 24.6% (2002) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | 12,280 bbl/day (2004 est.) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea | machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials |
Imports - partners | Russia 29.8%, China 29.5%, Japan 11.9% (2006) | US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2004) |
Independence | 11 July 1921 (from China) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3% (2006 est.) | NA% |
Industries | construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing | tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances |
Infant mortality rate | total: 42.65 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 45.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 9.5% (2005 est.) | 2.6% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | ARF, AsDB, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | Caricom, CDB, ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU |
Irrigated land | 840 sq km (2003) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the president) | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court) |
Labor force | 1.577 million (2005) | 4,521
note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 39.9%
industry: 31.4% services: 28.7% (2005) |
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Land boundaries | total: 8,220 km
border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.76%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.24% (2005) |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005) |
Languages | Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999) | English |
Legal system | blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine "continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English common law and statutory law |
Legislative branch | unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms
elections: last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - MPRP 48.8%, MDC 44.8%, independents 3.5%, Republican Party 1.5%, others 1.4%; seats by party - MPRP 36, MDC 34, others 4; note - 2 seats disputed and unfilled; following June 2004 election MDC collapsed |
unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)
note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 66.99 years
male: 64.61 years female: 69.48 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 78.85 years
male: 76.67 years female: 81.14 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% male: 98% female: 97.5% (2000 census) |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.) |
Location | Northern Asia, between China and Russia | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Asia | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 73 ships (1000 GRT or over) 448,252 GRT/668,689 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 52, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 62 (Bulgaria 2, China 3, Hong Kong 1, Japan 1, Lebanon 1, Malaysia 1, Russia 17, Singapore 12, Syria 1, Thailand 1, Ukraine 3, UAE 5, Vietnam 14) (2007) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Mongolian Armed Forces: Mongolian People's Army (MPA), Mongolian People's Air Force (Agaaryn Dovtolgoonoos Khamgaalakh Tsergiyn Komandial, MPAF); there is no navy (2007) | no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (2006) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921) | Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
Nationality | noun: Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian |
noun: Montserratian(s)
adjective: Montserratian |
Natural hazards | dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions | severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995) |
Natural resources | oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Citizens' Will Republican Party or CWRP [Sanjaasurengiin OYUN] (also called Civil Courage Republican Party or CCRP); Democratic Party or DP [Tsakhiagiyn ELBEGDORJ]; Motherland-Mongolian New Socialist Democratic Party or M-MNSDP [Badarchyn ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Sanji BAYAR]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN]; People's Party or PP [Lamjav GUNDALAI]
note: DP and M-MNSDP formed Motherland-Democracy Coalition (MDC) in 2003 and with CWRP contested June 2004 elections as single party; MDC's leadership dissolved coalition in December 2004 |
Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 2,951,786 (July 2007 est.) | 9,439
note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 36.1% (2004) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.486% (2007 est.) | 1.05% (2006 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 7, FM 115 (includes 20 National radio broadcaster repeaters), shortwave 4 (2006) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | total: 1,810 km
broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2006) |
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Religions | Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4%, none 40% (2004) | Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.998 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.769 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas
domestic: very low density of about 6 main lines per 100 persons (roughly 25 per 100 persons including cellular mobile phones); there are 3 wireless providers international: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7 |
general assessment: modern and fully digitalized
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 156,000 (2005) | NA |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 557,200 (2005) | 70 (1994) |
Television broadcast stations | 456 (including provincial and low-power repeaters) (2006) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central | volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland |
Total fertility rate | 2.25 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.77 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3.3% (2005) | 6% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | 580 km
note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2004) |
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