PEOPLE

The population of Mongolia is 2,387,100 (official estimate 1998), out of which 45% are nomadic herdsmen.

The population is homogeneous, with Mongol-speaking people constituting 95% of the total; the largest subgroup is the Khalkha, accounting for over 75 % of the total population. The only substantial non-Mongol group, representing over 5% of the population, is the Kazaks, a Turkish-speaking people dwelling in the far West. A Chinese minority lives in Ulaanbaatar.
Most of Mongolia's large geographic area is very scarcely populated. The average population density is 1.5 per square kilometer, in the southern Gobi it is as scarce as 0.3 per square kilometer.

Ulaanbaatar has a population of about 609,900 and a population density of approximately 305 inhabitants per square kilometer, accounting for about one fourth of the country's population. It is also the political, economic and cultural center of Mongolia. During the last two decades, migration from the rural areas has accelerated, with the proportion of the population living in urban areas rising to 54%.

The official language, Mongolian, is spoken and understood throughout the country. Mongolian is written in Cyrillic, with two additional letters, but the traditional Mongolian script, which is written from the top downwards is gradually reappearing, mainly in signs and logos. Russian is the other major language used. However, other foreign languages, primarily English, are becoming more popular.