Asia Quiz: Mongolia | 10 Questions

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The capital city of Mongolia was known under the names of Orgoo (Urga) and Khuree (pronounced as khoo-ray), which meant "the residence" and "the camp", respectively. In 1924 it was renamed Ulaanbaatar. What does Ulaanbaatar mean?

Answer: The Red Hero

Ulaanbaatar was named after Mongolian national hero Damdiny Sukhbaatar (1893-1923). He led the Mongolian liberation movement, with the help of the Russian Red Army, and ousted the Chinese and rogue Tsarist Russian troops. The Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed in 1924. Mongolia became the second socialist country after the USSR.

The main square of Ulaanbaatar is called Sukhbaatar square, and features his statue.

2. Ulaanbaatar is considered the coldest capital city of an independent country in the world.

Answer: True

According to various sources, it is the coldest capital city of an independent country, with an annual temperature of -1.3�C (29.7 �F). In the summer the average temperature is usually about 22�C (74�F), and in the winter it's normally around -15�C (5�F).

The top five coldest capitals (normally) are:
1. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
2. Astana, Kazakhstan
3. Moscow, Russia
4. Helsinki, Finland
5. Reykjavik, Iceland

And you thought it was Ottawa? It is a rather warm #7!
(Matt Rosenberg, About.com, 2009)

3. Which of the following finds have been made in Mongolia?

Answer: dinosaur fossils

Mongolia is famed for its abundance of dinosaur fossils. In 2006, a team of palaeontologists from Mongolia and USA found 67 dinosaur skeletons in just one week.

4. According to official Mongolian statistics, about half of the population of Mongolia professes Buddhism, about 7% adhere to Shamanism or Christianity, and approximately 4% follow Islam. That leaves nearly 40% of the population following which religion?

Answer: None

Those approximate 40% are listed as having no religion. Mongolia was a socialist country, and Karl Marx's view that "religion is the opium of the people" helped raise generations of proud atheists. However, Buddhism and Shamanism are so deeply integrated into the Mongolian life and customs, that people follow some of the ancient ways and partake in religious practices, considering them to be more of a tradition than actual worship.

5. The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in the history of the world.

Answer: True

At its peak in the second part of the 13th century, The Mongol Empire stretched from the Danube river in the west to the Sea of Japan in the east, and from the Arctic Sea in the north to Cambodia in the south.

6. Modern Mongolia borders Russia and China. Its area is 1,564,115.75 km2 (603,909 sq mi), making it the 19th largest country in the world. What else is true about Mongolia?

Answer: It is a landlocked country

In 2009, Mongolia had an estimated population of 2.7 million people. Mongolia is on the top twenty largest countries list, but at the same time it's one of the least densely populated independent countries in the world. Population density in Mongolia has been approximately two persons per 1 km2, and it is a landlocked country.

7. Back to history: which of the following is NOT a Mongolian Khan's name?

Answer: Imran Khan

Imran Khan is a retired Pakistani cricketer and currently a politician. "Khan" is a widespread surname in countries of Central and South Asia; it derived from the word "Khagan"--chief or ruler--but does not in any way imply any ancestral links to historic Khagans.

Chingis Khan (or Genghis Khan) was the founder and ruler of the Mongol Empire.
Ogedei Khan was the third son of Chingis Khan and the second Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Khubilai Khan (or Kublai Khan) was a grandson of Chingis Khan, Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China.

8. Which of the following big cats might you encounter in the wild of Mongolia if you're very lucky?

Answer: Snow leopard

Snow leopards are a very rare, beautiful, and shy member of the big cats species that live high in the snowy mountains. Mongolia is home to an estimated 1000 members of these critically endangered animals, which is possibly as many as a quarter of the entire world population of snow leopards.

9. What is the largest desert in Asia that covers parts of southern Mongolia?

Answer: Gobi

Gobi is home to such unique animals as takhi, the wild horse (also known as Przewalski's Horse ), and khavtgai, the wild Bactrian camel. It is also the home to the mazalai bear, the wild ass, and many others. Gobi has an extreme climate, with temperatures ranging from -40�C (-42�F) in winter to +40�C (104�F) in summer.

10. Finally, last but not least: Mongolia is often referred to as The Land of The ___?

Answer: Eternal Blue Sky

The Land of The Eternal Blue Sky has its roots in Tengriism, an ancient religion of the people of Central and East Asia. This relgion was centered around Tengri, the god of Sky. There's also the fact that Mongolia typically has about 257 cloudless days a year--lots of blue skies there! :-)

Thank you for taking this quiz!

Source: Author erbian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Asia Quiz: Mongolia | 10 Questions

There's not much you hear about Mongolia on the news, and most people have very vague ideas about this country. So, here are some interesting facts for you! You'll have to take the quiz first to get to those facts :-)

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