Mongolia today is a huge country in land mass, roughly three times the size of France, or France, Germany and Spain added together. Yet it has only 3.5 million people, just about half of the population in Hong Kong.
At the time of Genghis Khan, about 800 years ago, Mongolia ruled a gigantic empire stretching from Korea to Eastern Europe, covering the land of ~40 modern day countries. He is without a doubt the most famous Mongolian ever. His name is ubiquitous in the country. For example, the airport for the capital, Ulaanbaatar, is called Chinggis Khan International Airport.
That is also the reason why there is a gigantic (40 meter tall) stainless steel statue of him, on a horse, 54 kilometres east of Ulaanbaatar. It is said to be the largest equestrian statue in the world. It is visible over the terrain from a long distance away.
Up close, his huge, stern face was very impressive indeed.
Mongolians were distinguished by their horsemanship, mobility, fighting skills, organisation, and more. Yet their horses are surprisingly small. Today, relatively few Mongolians remain nomadic herders. Most have moved to the city.
Much of their treasure remain in the land. It is said there are 32 million sheep, 30 million goats, 4.7 million cattle, 4.2 million horses, and 0.5 million camels. Their camels have 2 humps, different from those in Arabia. Mongolia produces one third of the world’s cashmere.
While we were checking out hotels for possible accommodation for our students for future projects, I found an unusual map on the wall of one of the hotels. Special symbols mark where specific minerals can be found: gold, copper, silver, iron, tungsten, uranium, coal, petroleum, etc.
Apparently, many hotels cater especially for travellers who come for the mineral businesses. One of those we visited was said to offer special entailment. I am sure I don’t know what that means.
