Mongolia - Culture Smart!

Mongolia - Culture Smart! introduces readers to a nation landlocked between its neighbours, China and Russia, in the heart of Asia. For centuries after the disintegration of Genghis Khan's empire, Mongolia was ruled by one or the other of these powerful neighbours. However, in 1990, the Mongols embraced democracy. Now, after two centuries of Manchu stagnation and seventy years of Soviet communism, they are diligently rebuilding their national heritage.

Although rarely in the news, Mongolia is making commendable progress toward a market economy. This resource-rich yet infrastructure-poor country is a land of pioneers. Its greatest asset is the Mongol people, who are friendly, cooperative, ambitious, and well educated. Notably, English is now the first foreign language, and the country's leaders are actively forging new partnerships with international investors.

Travellers from across the world are drawn to this "land of blue sky" by its picturesque mountains and lakes, flower-carpeted steppes, and stony deserts, which are home to the snow leopard, the wild horse and camel, and the Gobi bear. The broad pasturelands, with herds of grazing livestock, and the traditional lifestyle of the nomads, present a stark contrast to the busy streets of the capital, Ulan Bator. This bustling metropolis of over one million people boasts modern hotels, apartments, and shops.