5 things to know about Mongolia, a windswept democracy in the shadow of authoritarian giants
Mongolia, where parliamentary elections are being held Friday, is a sparsely populated and landlocked Asian nation known for its bitter winter cold and independent spirit
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Mongolia, where parliamentary elections are being held Friday, is a sparsely populated and landlocked Asian nation known for its bitter winter cold and independent spirit.
As a democracy of just 3.4 million people in the shadow of two much larger authoritarian states, China and Russia, it has taken on symbolic importance in an era when democracy is under pressure or in crisis in many countries, including the United States.
In an earlier era, the fierce nomadic tribes of the Mongolian steppe were widely feared, at one point conquering China and expanding west across Asia to the edges of Europe.
Today, it is a country punctuated by extremes. Its vast mineral resources are sought by China and the West but generate wealth mainly for the elite: nearly a third of Mongolians lived below the poverty line in 2022 according to the Asian Development Bank.
