Ulaanbaatar, Gandan Monastery; Buddhist Statue
Mongolia is a landlocked sovereign state in East Asia covering 1,564,000 square kilometres, making it the 19th largest and one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, with a population of around 3 million people only. The country contains very little arable land: much of its area is covered by grassy steppe, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. It is bordered by China to the south and Russia to the north. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city, is home to about 45% of the country's population. In 1206, Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire, and his grandson Kublai Khan conquered China to establish the Yuan dynasty. In the 16th century, Tibetan Buddhism began to spread in Mongolia. By the early 1900s, almost one-third of the adult male population were Buddhist monks. In 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was declared as a Soviet satellite state. After the anti-Communist revolutions of 1989, Mongolia conducted its own peaceful democratic revolution in early 1990. This led to a multi-party system, a new constitution of 1992, and transition to a market economy. Approximately 30% of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic; horse culture is still integral. The majority of its population are Buddhists. The non-religious population is the second largest group. Mongolian shamanism has been widely practised throughout the history of what is now Mongolia, with similar beliefs being common among the nomads of central Asia. They gradually gave way to Tibetan Buddhism, but shamanism has left a mark on Mongolian religious culture, and it continues to be practiced. Gandan Khiid (Monastery) is one of Mongolia's most important. Building started in 1838 by by the fourth Bogd Gegeen, and the purges of 1937 fell heavily on Gandan like on most monasteries in Mongolia. However, it was kept as a monastery for foreign visitors until 1990 when religious ceremonies started again. Today, Gandan is home to more than 600 monks.
Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Asia
Photo credit: © François-Olivier Dommergues / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: asia, buddhism, buddhist, culture, desert, eastern, grass, horse, isolated, landlocked, mongolia, mongolian, mountains, nomad, nomadic, nomads, remote, republic, satellite, shaman, shamanism, soviet, state, steppe, tibetan, traditional
