Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
centers of Mongolia' s 18 provinces acted as magnets for
regional growth. Third, the establishment of new towns
mediated the dispersal of industry .
Darkhan is an example of a new town that has bur-
geoned from a railway station of 2,000 people to an in-
dustrial center of some 75,000 by 2007. Located close to
the Soviet border, Darkhan' s thermal power (based on lo-
cal coal), as well as its brick works, meat-packing plants,
and other industries, easily served Soviet needs. Other
centers were developed to exploit and process new re-
sources such as molybdenum and copper. Some adminis-
trative centers added manufacturing functions.
Mongolia got its first motor road in 1937 from
Ulaanbaatar to Altanbulag on the Soviet Frontier. The
Ulan Bator Industrial Combine was also developed in the
1930s, producing carpets, wool garments, felt, and
leather goods.
T To further effect control, the Communists estab-
lished state farms and required the permanent settlement
of the nomadic herders. Needs were met and subsidized
by the state. When the subsidies ended after 1990, the
herders returned to their nomadic lifestyle, moving fre-
quently across the steppe in summer and clustering in
more sheltered valleys in winter.
Another Soviet goal was to transform Buddhist Mon-
golia into a secular state. Most of the country' s 700 tem-
ples were destroyed in the 1930s, and more than 100,000
lamas dispersed or killed. Five hundred truckloads of re-
ligious art treasures disappeared into the Soviet Union.
Since 1990, monasteries are being rebuilt, and the coun-
try' is Tibetan-style Buddhism is experiencing a revival.
virtually no metal. Japan has also introduced windmill,
battery , and TV assemblies. People once isolated in their
round, felt
gers
on the steppe now can choose from 52
channels, including the Cartoon Network and MTV .
What impact do you think this will have on Mongolia' s
development?
Even with the exploitation of mineral resources such
as coal, oil, molybdenum, copper, and uranium, animals
and animal products account for half of industrial output
and 90 percent of exports. Material infrastructure is ei-
ther lacking or obsolete, and few Mongols are educated
in modern business and industrial management.
A third of Mongols are livestock herders practicing
transhumance and living either in their large, permanent
winter
gers
or in their smaller, portable summer
gers
(Figure 11-21). Because animal pastures are sparsely
covered with low-yield grasses, families must move
around 30 times a year, covering distances of 125 to
185 miles (200-300 km).
One of the most important animal products is cash-
mere from cashmere goats. Until recently , China was
buying over half of Mongolia' s raw wool, to the detriment
of Mongolia' s processing industry . Consequently , the
Mongolian government banned the sale of raw wool. It is
now smuggled into China, whose cashmere products
challenge those made in Mongolia.
Development, in the context of transition from rigid
control under communism to freedoms presented by
democracy , has its downside. Mongolia is short of food,
and there are thousands of destitute people, mainly
women and children. As of 2004, 36 percent of Mongols
live below the official poverty line. In addition, literacy
has fallen dramatically and school dropouts have in-
creased. Maternal mortality has doubled. Although Mon-
golia' s medium- to long-term economic prospects are
good, social reforms are sorely needed.
Relationships with China are difficult because
Mongols do not wish to be dominated by China, as is
the case in Nei Mongol where millions of Chinese have
settled. China is anxious to intensify relations, how-
ever, as it needs lumber, minerals, and animal products
as well as markets for its farm produce and low-end
manufactures.
Mongolia' s trade interactions are strongly tied to his-
toric relationships and geographic proximity . Mongolia
ships 75 percent of its exports to China and China sup-
plies 28 percent of its imports. It gets 90 percent of its oil
from and exports 38 percent of its products to Russia. In
order to avoid falling under the sway of either country ,
Mongolia is pursuing what it calls a “third neighbor”
MODERN MONGOLIA
Mongolia is undergoing its own version of perestroika—
shinechiel,
meaning a “renewal.” A free-market econ-
omy has replaced state-controlled enterprises. People
are studying English as well as their traditional Uyghur-
T Turkic script, which had been replaced by the Russian
Cyrillic alphabet. T Trade, once as high as 90 percent with
the Soviet Union, has dropped to 50 percent and has in-
creased with China, South Korea, and Japan. Foreign
aid is pouring into the country , with Japan as the largest
aid donor.
Not all aid projects are successful. One cross-breeding
program resulted in Mongol-European cattle that died
in the winter cold. A prefabricated mini-mill fosteel
production was brought from Japan. It was to manufac-
ture steel from scrap metal. However, no one realized
that Mongolia, with few cars or machines, possessed
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