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.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 2,951,786 (July 2007 est.)

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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.)

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Median age: total: 24.6 years male: 24.2 years female: 24.9 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 1.486% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 21.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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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.)

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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.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.99 years male: 64.61 years female: 69.48 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (2003 est)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

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Nationality: noun: Mongolian(s) adjective: Mongolian

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Ethnic groups: Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000)

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Religions: Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4%, none 40% (2004)

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Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% male: 98% female: 97.5% (2000 census)

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.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.852 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $1.54 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% according to official estimate (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,100 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 21.7% industry: 27.9% services: 50.4% (2005)

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Labor force: 1.577 million (2005)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 39.9% industry: 31.4% services: 28.7% (2005)

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Unemployment rate: 3.3% (2005)

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Population below poverty line: 36.1% (2004)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37% (1995)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44 (1998)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (2005 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $695.3 million expenditures: $634.5 million (2005 est.)

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Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses

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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

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Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2006 est.)

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Electricity - production: 3.43 billion kWh (2006)

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Electricity - consumption: 2.94 billion kWh (2006)

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Electricity - exports: 15.95 million kWh (2006)

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Electricity - imports: 125 million kWh (2006)

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Oil - production: 821.9 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 11,220 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - exports: 821.9 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - imports: 12,280 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2006 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: NA cu m

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Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2006 est.)

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Natural gas - imports: NA

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Exports: $1.064 billion f.o.b. (2005)

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Exports - commodities: copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals

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Exports - partners: China 68.4%, Canada 11.2%, US 7%, South Korea 5.1% (2006)

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Imports: $1.184 billion c.i.f. (2005)

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Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea

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Imports - partners: Russia 30.1%, China 29.8%, Japan 12% (2006)

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Debt - external: $1.38 billion (2005)

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Economic aid - recipient: $203.35 million (2005)

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Currency (code): togrog/tugrik (MNT)

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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)

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Fiscal year: calendar year