Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and also the largest city, is home to about 45% of the population. Mongolia's political system is a parliamentary republic.

Quotes

 * Commodities, and their prices, remain a critical valve for the Mongolian economy. After years of soaring economic growth, the Mongolian economy has precipitously cooled over the few past years with a sharp decline in GDP growth and a looming deficit of foreign direct investment (FDI). Indeed, Ulaanbaatar remains heavily dependent on the mining sector for its economic fortunes, which have been battered over the past three years due to the sinking price of coal as global supply outpaced demand. But while the demand for coal is once again slated to surpass supply in the coming years, Mongolia’s FDI numbers remain low.
 * In an email interview, Jonathan Berkshire Miller, director of the Council on International Policy, discusses the impact of the commodities slump on Mongolia, quoted on World Politics Review (February 3, 2016), "Despite Commodities Boom Years, Mongolia Still Faces Capacity Gap"

I learned that from a program on the National Geographic Channel, so I believe it is true. '''Not all dogs return as men, they say; only those who are ready. I am ready.'''
 * In Mongolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog’s master whispers in the dog’s ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat of fat is cut off and placed in his mouth to sustain his soul for its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog’s soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like.
 * Garth Stein, in  The Art of Racing in the Rain (2008)


 * Historically and geographically, Russia and Mongolia are more than just close neighbors. The peoples of our countries are united by a close and trusting relationship based on friendship and mutual respect.
 * Vladimir Putin (2019) cited in "Interview for Mongolian newspaper Udriin Sonin" on President of Russia, 2 September 2019.


 * Thanks to the policy of the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, the two countries (Kazakhstan and Mongolia) laid the foundation for a consistent development of the Kazakh-Mongolian relations. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev adheres to continuation in foreign policy and gives a special attention to an effective development of cooperation with Mongolia.
 * Asqar Mamin (2019) cited in: "Kazakh, Mongolian PMs hold talks in Nur-Sultan" in Kazinform, 10 October 2019.


 * Mongolia is a symbol of religious freedom.
 * Pope Francis (2023) cited in "Pope Francis: 'Mongolia Is a Symbol of Religious Freedom'" on National Catholic Register, 1 September 2023.