Australian-Geographic-Magazine-September-Octobe..

Ider

Zavkhan

Yenisey

Uvs Nuur

Khövsgöl

Nuur

Khyargas

Nuur

Khar Us Khar Nuur

Nuur

Telmen Nuur

Uureg

Nuur

Tsambagarav

Khüiten Peak

4,374 A

lt

a

i

(^)
(^)
(^)
(^)
M
ou
nt
ai
ns
Kh
an
gai
(^) M
ount
ains
Sa
yan
Mountains
Khan
(^) Khokhii M
tns
Kharkhirra
Turgen
Uvs Province
Zavkhan
Province
Govi-Altai
Province
Bayan Olgiy
Province
Republic
of Tuva
Republic
of Altai
Khövsgöl
Province
Hovd
Province
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
MONGOLIA
KAZAKHSTAN
CHINA
Gobi (^)
Desert
Bo
rig
Del E
ls
Bor Khyarin
Els
Uliastai
Altai
Kyzyl
Ulaangom
Olgiy
Hovd
Desert
Saltwater lake
0 100
SCALE: 1:10,000,000
200 km
Pacific
Ocean
CHINA
RUSSIA
MONGOLIA
TROPIC^ OF
CANC
ER
EQUATOR
Ulaanbaatar
AREA
ENLARGED
As I lift my eyes beyond the stone,
they’re met with a panorama that has
probably changed little since man is
thought to have first domesticated
the horse on the steppe about 5500
years ago. To the north rise the
fluted, glaciated tips of the 4000m
Kharkhiraa-Turgen massif – a range,
which in summer becomes a magnet
for nomads in search of its rich alpine
grasses. To the south, the Shivreen
River descends into a cavernous
V-shaped gorge beyond which the
waters splay out on to arid, sandy
plains. Framed by these two broad
features are grass foothills peppered
with herds and flocks of horses, yaks,
sheep and goats. On closer inspection,
tell-tale flecks of white – nomad tents
known as gers in Mongolian, and
more commonly in English as yurts –
can be seen in the clefts of slopes and
by the slivers of streams and gullies.
Moving between them, riders sit high
in the saddle, cantering along barely
perceptible tracks.
As I watch, increasingly
mesmerised, I realise that the
absence of roads, fences and
mechanisation makes the same
impression that it did during my
first visit here on my epic journey
across the steppe 10 years ago (see
Nomad spirit AG 89). Back then I was
left particularly spellbound by an
encounter with a family migrating
down from the high pastures.
The caravan, snaking its way down
with heavily laden camels, was led

AUSTR ALIAN GEOGR APHIC SOCIETY

UPCOMING EXPEDITION

WESTERN MONGOLIA

POPULATION

2.95 MILLION

AREA OF MONGOLIA

1 , 5 6 4 ,116 SQ.KM

53 %

BUDDHIST

POPULATION

GEOGRAPHY

Mongolia is a landlocked Central Asian

nation of high elevation, wedged between

Russia and China. It is mountainous and dry,

peppered with peaks, ranges and valleys.

Features include the vast Gobi Desert of the

south; Lake Khövsgöl, one the largest lakes

in Asia, which is home to 2 per cent of the

world’s fresh water; and Khüiten Peak in the

far western corner, which is the nation’s

highest point at 4374m.

RELIGION

The predominant religion is Buddhism,

which was revived following the lifting

of the communist ban on religions in

1990. Historically, Mongolia has had
      close ties with Tibet through the Buddhist
      religion, and many similarities exist in the
      culture and lifestyle of these two countries.
      Mongolian religion and their nomadic
      lifestyle is depicted in their music,
      literature and artwork.

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September–October 2014 105

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