INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS

RELIEF, GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES

Mongolia has an area of ​​1,564,116 sq. km and is mainly a plateau, elevated to a height of 900-1500 m above sea level. Above this plateau rises a series of mountain ranges and ranges. In the south and east of the country there are vast hilly and ridged plateaus, crossed by individual hills. The average height of the territory of Mongolia is very high - above sea level 1580 m. There are no lowlands in the country at all. The lowest point of the country, the Khukh Nuur basin, lies at an altitude of 560 m. Forests mainly grow in the forest-steppe zone located in the northern part of the country. The area of ​​the forest fund is 15.2 million hectares, i.e. 9.6% of the entire territory.

To the east and south of Ulaanbaatar towards the border with China, the height of the Mongolian plateau gradually decreases, and it turns into plains - flat and even in the east, hilly in the south. The south, southwest, and southeast of Mongolia is occupied by the Gobi Desert, which continues into north-central China. According to the landscape features of the Gobi - the desert is by no means homogeneous, it consists of sections of sandy, rocky, covered with small fragments of stones, even for many kilometers and hilly, different in color - the Mongols distinguish especially the Yellow, Red and Black Gobi. Surface water sources are very rare here, but groundwater levels are high.

Natural conditions of Mongolia extremely diverse - from north to south (1259 km) taiga forests, mountain forest-steppes, steppes, semi-deserts and deserts are replaced. Researchers call Mongolia a geographical phenomenon that has no analogues anywhere. Indeed, within the Mongolian People's Republic there is the southernmost center of permafrost distribution on Earth, and in Western Mongolia, in the Great Lakes Basin, the world's northernmost border of dry deserts passes, and the distance between the permafrost distribution line and the beginning of deserts does not exceed 300 kilometers. In terms of temperature fluctuations, both daily and annual, Mongolia is one of the most continental countries in the world (the maximum annual amplitude of temperature fluctuations in Ulaanbaatar reaches 90 ° C): Siberian frosts rage there in winter, and summer heat in the Gobi can only be compared with Central Asian. These are truly paradoxical physical and geographical phenomena, coupled with the vastness of the territory (length from west to east in a straight line 2368 and from north to south 1260 kilometers), a clear demarcation of geographical zones (from taiga to steppe and from steppe to desert), with sharp height differences and a clear predominance of mountainous relief create a peculiar face of the country, define and explain its wealth.

HIGH MOUNTAINS

Mongolia is a mountainous country. Mountains occupy more than 40% of its total area, highlands (over 3000 m) - about 2.5%. The highest of the mountain ranges of Mongolia is the Mongolian Altai with mountain peaks up to 3000-4000 m high, stretching in the west and south-west of the country for a distance of 900 km. Its continuation is the lower ranges that do not form a single massif, which received the common name Gobi Altai. Highest point- peak Kuiten-Uul (Nairamdal) with a height of 4370 m is located in the Mongolian Altai at the westernmost tip of Mongolia near the border with Russia.

Along the border with Siberia in the north-west of Mongolia there are several ranges that do not form a single massif: Khan Khukhei, Ulan Taiga, Eastern Sayan, in the north-east - the Khentei mountain range (2800 m).

In the center of the country are the Khangai mountains, about 700 km long and 2000–3000 m high (the highest is 3905 m, Otkhon-Tengri), divided into several independent ranges.

The highest mountains of Mongolia

In mountainous areas, vertical zoning of the soil is manifested. With an increase in altitude, chestnut soils are replaced by chernozem-like and in some places chernozem, then mountain-meadow and partially peaty. The southern slopes of the mountains, as a rule, are sandy and rocky, the northern slopes are with more dense soil, clayey. The steppes are dominated by loam and sandy loam, the colors of ripe chestnut and light chestnut.

TAIGA

The taiga zone, which covers only 5 percent of the territory of Mongolia, is located predominantly in northern Mongolia, in the Khentii Mountains, in the mountainous landscape around Khuvsgul Lake, the back of the Tarvagatai mountain range, in the upper reaches of the Orkhon River and parts of the Khan Khentii mountain range. The taiga zone receives more rain than other zones in Mongolia (12 to 16 inches annually).

The northern mountain-taiga zone abounds in forest; forests cover the northern slopes of the mountains and consist of Siberian larch, cedar, pine, birch and aspen. The inhabitants of this zone are the same as in the Siberian taiga - marals, elks, wild boars, lynxes, bears, sables, wolverines and other animals. Reindeer are also found here.

FOREST-STEPPE

The mountain steppes of the middle steppe belt lie between the ranges of Khentei, Khangai and Mongolian Altai. There are gazelle antelopes, wolves and foxes, and in the alpine zone rare cat predators are common, such as the snow leopard - irbis, lynx, tiger, which hunt for wild goats and wild argali sheep.

In the forest-steppe and steppe zones, various chestnut soils are most widespread, accounting for almost 60% of all soils in the country.

STEPPE ZONE

In the mountains, the Mongolian steppes rise to a height of 1500 m or more, and with an increase in moisture in the mountains, the proportion of forbs increases in the vegetation cover. On the northern slopes of the mountains of Mongolia (precipitation 500 mm or more), predominantly coniferous forests of Siberian larch, cedar, and pine grow.

Unlike the European steppes, the zonal soil type of the Mongolian steppes is not chernozems, but leached chestnut soils. They are formed on sandy and gravelly parent rocks and are not solonetsous. There are chestnut, dark chestnut and light chestnut soils. The intensity of their color depends on the specific gravity of humus. In the upper layer, dark chestnut soils have from 4% to 6% humus, light chestnut soils from 2% to 4%. depending on the predominance of certain plant groups. The Mongolian steppes are poorer than the steppes of Russia and Kazakhstan. Grass in them is lower, there is almost no continuous coverage. Formations of tyrsovye, serpentine, serpentine-tyrsovye and others dominate. Of the shrubs, there is especially a lot of small-leaved caragana (Caragana microphylla), of semi-shrubs of wormwood (Artemisia frlgida). With the approach to semi-deserts, the role of low-growing feather grasses and onions intensifies.

SEMI-DESERT

Semi-deserts occupy more than 20 percent of the territory of Mongolia, stretching across the country between desert and steppe zones. This zone includes the Great Lakes Depression, the Valley of the Lakes, and much of the area between the Khangai and Altai mountain ranges, as well as the eastern Gobi region. The zone includes many low-lying areas, soils with salt lakes and small ponds. The climate is arid (frequent drought and annual rainfall of 4-5 inches (100-125 mm). Frequent strong winds and sandstorms greatly affect the vegetation of the area). However, many nomadic herders of Mongolia occupy this area.

Mongolian steppes amaze with their loneliness

Mongolian steppes amaze with their loneliness

This time we are happy to tell you about the most beautiful places Mongolia. This country is quite underestimated by travelers. And only now, true seekers of beauty and lovers of solitude find peace in the serene expanses of the Mongolian wastelands.

In this country, mountain peaks have their own names, supposedly received according to their rank. So, for example, the mountains Khaan, Bogd, Zaisan. There are few mountains suitable for the title of Bogd in Mongolia. Such mountains, as a rule, have their own primitive legend about ancient knowledge and otherworldly forces. Here is Mount Shiliin Bogd - this is an amazing and very special mountain, and all because the flow of winds from four different directions, which originate in the north-west of Mongolia, meet at the top of this mountain.

In addition, the local climate is affected by a very humid atmosphere from the southeastern Hyangang. In this area, flowers of the temperate climate, wansenberu, gandigaar - flowers of warm countries, as well as steppe grasses grow. Every man in Mongolia wants to climb this mountain and whisper his wish. It is this mountain that appears in the Sukhebaatar aimaks - legends about Toroso Bands. On this mountain, they proclaimed an oath of allegiance to each other. Everyone who has climbed to the top of this mountain, the largest mountain Shilin Bogd, gets the feeling that he has risen above the ground and is floating in a state of weightlessness. From the top of Mount Shiliin Bogd, from a height of more than 1700 meters above sea level, more than 200 extinct volcanoes stretch blue below.

Mongolian steppes

In the steppes of the Dargang, at the foot of the Shilin Bogd mountain, there is a small hill. If you look closely, next to this mountain you will see a small rounded hill, it resembles a yurt. This is the entrance to the cave, which is located on the territory of the Dargang Sukhebaatar, about 15 kilometers north of Mount Shiliin Bogd.

But the cave - Tal is one of the longest caves of volcanic origin, which are known to Mongolia. It is connected by an underground corridor with the Zuun Nartyn cave. locals they say that the wolves run away from the hunters, entering this cave, and exit the Zuun Nart cave already.

Lake Ganga is located 13 kilometers from the center of the Dargang aimag somon, located among the sands. On the shore of this particular lake, amazing rare birds nest, such as gangar swans, as well as tsen cranes, which have long been listed in the Red Book.

In ancient books and sutras, it is written about the Ganges Lake, that it came from the Ganges River. The word itself has several meanings - loving, pitying, saving. Therefore, the local population calls this lake the Ganges mother.

This lake is filled with water from 21 springs. The largest of them is the Orgikh spring. This spring is located at a distance of less than a kilometer from the coast. The peculiarity of this spring is that when singing long songs or other loud sounds, the spring begins to gurgle and gush.

The main attraction of Mongolia is its unearthly nature

Having visited a Japanese zoo, two years ago the President of Mongolia decided to create the same one in his homeland, keeping the rarest species of animals in it. Thanks to this idea, for two years now, all the very species that are quickly exterminated can live in peace on the territory of this not even a zoo. Now it's a big national park. In this regard, at the moment, this group and Tama Zoo have completed preparations for the transport of five horses, of which 1 male and 3 females, to Tokyo from the zoo in the Swiss city of Zurich at the end of this year. The body length of a wild horse reaches 200 cm, at the withers - 130 cm. Weight reaches 300-500 kg. The color is close to savras: the color of the coat is red-yellow, the tail, mane and the so-called stockings on the legs are brown-black. The head of the horse is large and massive, on the sides of which are large dark eyes, providing a good overview. The color of the animal is golden brown. The belly and muzzle are much lighter, almost white.