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Facts about Mongolia | Official Name: | Mongolia | | Area: | 1,565,000 square kilometers (604,800 square miles) | | Population: | 2,475,000 (2002), 1.5 person per sq. km (4 persons per sq. mi) | | Capital: | Ulaanbaatar (918,900 people in 2005) | | Official Language: | Khalkha Mongolian | | Major Religions: | Buddhism, Islam | | Literacy: | 92.9% | | Prominent Features: | Gobi desert, grasslands, salt and fresh water lakes | | Highest Peak: | Tavan Bogd Uul, 4374 m | | Mountain Ranges: | Altai, Khangai, Hentii | | Form of Government: | Republic | | Chief of State: | President | | Head of Government: | Prime minister | | Voting Qualification: | All citizens above 18 years of age | | Political Divisions: | 21 provinces and 1 autonomous municipality, Ulaanbaatar | | Major Cities: | Ulaanbaatar (680,000), Darhan (85,800), Erdenet (63,000) | | Chief Manufactured & Mined Products: | Food products, textiles, chemicals, leather, construction materials, fluorspar, copper, molybdenum, gold | | Chief Agricultural Products: | Crops - wheat, potatoes, vegetables; Livestock - sheep, goats, cattle, horses, camels | Duty-Free Items
The following goods may be imported into Mongolia without incurring customs duty:
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco; 1l of vodka and 2l of wine and 3l of beer; personal effects; goods up to a value of US$1000.
Prohibited items: Guns, weapons and ammunition without special permission; explosive items; radioactive substances; narcotics; pornographic publications; any publications, records, films and drawings critical of Mongolia; palaeontological and archaeological findings without special permission; collections of various plants and their seeds; birds and wild or domestic animals; wool, raw skins, hides and furs without permission from the appropriate authorities. Currency
The unit of currency is Togrog or Tugrik (MNT), 1 MNT = 100 Mongo. The denominations of the banknotes are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5,000 and 10,000 Togrog. Coins are in 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Togrogs and are rarely used. Time
Local Time in Ulaanbaatar is GMT +8 hours. The three western provinces are one hour behind the capital. Mongolia observes daylight savings time in the summer months. Electricity
In Mongolia, the current is 220V/50Hz. Electrical sockets take European-style two round pin plugs. Bank Opening Hours
9 am - noon and 1-3 pm, Monday – Friday; Golomt Bank works round-the-clock. Credit Cards
You can use VISA, MasterCard and American Express cards in Ulaanbaatar at hotels, all airline offices, in some super markets and most travel agencies. ATM machines are available in many hotels and supermarkets. Store Hours
Most large stores and shops are open 10 am – 8 pm, daily. Best Buys
Cashmere products, leather, jewelry, traditional clothes, Useful Telephone Numbers
Police 102, Ambulance 103, Fire 101 Communications
Two mobile phone operators, Mobicom and SkyTel, provide mobile phone networks. GSM 900 network is operated by MobiCom and available throughout the country. In every province center GSM mobile phone service is available so you can keep in touch with your home while you are in Mongolia if you bring your GSM. Internet & Email
Ulaanbaatar has dozens of Internet cafés where you can surf the Web and access email accounts. Many province centers have Internet access at their Post Offices. Email is easily the most reliable, cheapest and quickest way of communicating with outside world. News & Current Affairs
BBC World Service (FM 103.1 MHz) and VOA (FM 106.6 MHz) radio broadcasts are available on FM in Ulaanbaatar. CNN, BBC World, DW-tv, NHK broadcasts are provided by the most cable operators and available in most hotels.
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