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Top 7 Fun Facts about Mongolia

Mongolia is an intriguing destination for tourists for all the right reasons. The place is dipped & soaked in culture and history, also has some of the greatest landscapes to explore in the outskirts. Around 3 million people reside in the country out of which over 25% still live a nomadic life. This country is oozing with interesting locations and activities that can give you memories of a lifetime. If you have been recently researching for fun facts about Mongolia, then let us give you seven, because after knowing some of these you will not be able to stop yourself from executing a trip to this incredible country.

1. Mongols have a festival dedicated to eagle hunting

Doesn’t this sound interesting? Every year the Golden Eagle Festival takes place over for two days, honoring the ancient Kazakh rituals. The festival starts with a horseback procession of eagle hunters, where they deliberately showing off their extravagant hunting outfits and accessories. The eagles in the festival are judged for speed and strength, the event begins when the birds are left from the cliff to dive down to the hunters arms.

Read more about 5 Best Traditional Mongolia Festivals

2. Genghis khan was the founding father of Mongolia

Genghis Khan is classed as Mongolia's founding father. He came to power by uniting many of northeast Asia's nomadic tribes and creating the world's largest empire, the empire was so huge that it exceeded by the British Empire in the 19th century alone. Genghis Khan's horsemen were recognized by their strength and power, they dominated the other armies for being larger and higher in population. In short, they were unreal but did exist in the histories as one of the fun facts about Mongolia. See also Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex

Genghis khan's Statue

3. Mongolians love guests

Hospitality is very important in Mongolia, communication can be difficult in a country of vast distances but maintaining a sense of community is vital. In the inert parts of Mongolian countryside, people will always have a bowl of dry, salty milk tea ready for visitors, this is such a sweet gesture and one of the fun facts about Mongolia.

4. The two-humped camel is the native to Mongolia

The Bactrian two-humped camel is originally from Mongolia. Everybody knows about the annual camel festival where people honor the beauty and strength of the Bactrian camel. A local non-governmental group organizes the annual Thousand Camel Festival, this group swears to protect and conserve the population of Bactrian camels, which is now the endangered species from over the last 12 years.

Apart from camels, you will also get to know a lot about the camel herders and communicate with them on their nomadic life.

Two-humped Camels in Mongolia

5. Airag-fermented horse milk

Airag may be the most popular drinks in nomadic families and often works as the welcoming drink for guests. It is considered rude if you reject the drink. Nomadic families like to raise horses, camels, goats and more. The milk produced by the animals is processed and left to ferment until it reaches an alcoholic content of about 3 per cent. This kind of drink is very common in the nomadic families, they usually drink the Airag in large quantities, and however, you might take time to get used to the taste.

Read more about Top 4 Mongolian Street Food

6. They consume tons of mutton fat

In Mongolia, the cuisine consists mainly of dairy products, meat and animal fats. Cooked mutton is the most popular rural dish and contains a large amount of fat to keep the bodies warm in the freezing temperature. Fruits and vegetables are imported, and not even a large part of the diet. Their diet is built to withstand the harsh Mongolia weather conditions in the cold winter months.

7. Nadaam festival - the Mongolian Olympics

This is one of the most fun facts about Mongolia. Each year in July the Nadaam Festival takes over the country as a whole. It is the origin of the Olympic Games in Mongolia to celebrate the 1921 revolution when Mongolia declared itself a nation free. Some tourists even plan a trip around winter to experience the Mongolian Olympics.

More Mongolia Naadam Festival Pictures(16)

The official name of Mongolia for the Naadam Festival is "eriin gurvan naadam," which means "three men's sports." The festival, therefore, revolves on these three sports: Wrestling, Horse riding, Archery.

Read more about How to Experience a Mongolia Horse Riding

These are the seven most important and fun facts about Mongolia. However, the story does not end here, we would really like you to read more and know some of the incredible facts about Mongolia.

Bonus Fun facts

We decided to mention some of the most incredible facts that you will see only in Mongolia.

1. The desert at the Gobi is the biggest desert in Asia. It is like no other desert in the world.

See also 7 Tips for Traveling to Mongolian Deserts

2. A camel festival is held to honor these famous camels and to conserve the species. It was in 1997 that this camel festival started.

3. The Snow-Leopard is also native to Mongolia.

4. The Gobi Desert is also known to be the largest fossil site of dinosaurs worldwide.

5. Mongolia is also called "the land of the blue sky," because it has a bright, blue sky for over 260 days.

6. Mongolians love to eat ice-cream even in winter. In the winter, it is sold in paper cases, with these cold temperatures no need for a freezer.

7. In Mongolia one-third of the world’s population of snow leopards resides, this species is extremely rare.

These incredible fun facts about Mongolia are just mesmerizing in every aspect; Mongolia is an underrated country that is discovered by only the passionate travelers. If you are one of them, then just get going because winter is around the corner.