Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial
courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are
nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the
president)
Political parties and leaders:
Citizens' Will Republican Party or CWRP (also called Civil Courage
Republican Party or CCRP) [Sanjaasurengiin OYUN]; Democratic Party
or DP [R. GONCHIKDORJ]; Motherland-Mongolian New Socialist
Democratic Party or M-MNSDP [B. ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian People's
Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR]; Mongolian
Republican Party or MRP [B. JARGALSAIKHAN]
note: DP and M-MNSDP formed Motherland-Democracy Coalition (MDC) in
2003 and with CWRP contested June 2004 elections as single party;
MDC's leadership dissolved coalition in December 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ARF, AsDB, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU,
MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SCO (observer), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ravdangiyn BOLD
chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227
telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela J. SLUTZ
embassy: Micro Region 11, Big Ring Road, C.P.O. 1021, Ulaanbaatar 13
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [976] (11) 329095
FAX: [976] (11) 320776
Flag description:
three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red;
centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem
("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric
representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang
symbol)
Economy Mongolia
Economy - overview:
Economic activity traditionally has been based on agriculture and
breeding of livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits;
copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a
large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its
height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990-91 at
the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. Mongolia was driven into
deep recession, prolonged by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary
Party's (MPRP) reluctance to undertake serious economic reform. The
Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) government embraced free-market
economics, eased price controls, liberalized domestic and
international trade, and attempted to restructure the banking system
and the energy sector. Major domestic privatization programs were
undertaken, as well as the fostering of foreign investment through
international tender of the oil distribution company, a leading
cashmere company, and banks. Reform was held back by the
ex-Communist MPRP opposition and by the political instability
brought about through four successive governments under the DUC.
Economic growth picked up in 1997-99 after stalling in 1996 due to a
series of natural disasters and declines in world prices of copper
and cashmere. In August and September 1999, the economy suffered
from a temporary Russian ban on exports of oil and oil products, and
Mongolia remains vulnerable in this sector. Mongolia joined the
World Trade Organization (WTrO) in 1997. The international donor
community pledged over $300 million per year at the Consultative
Group Meeting, held in Ulaanbaatar in June 1999. The MPRP
government, elected in July 2000, was anxious to improve the
investment climate; it also had to deal with a heavy burden of
external debt. Falling prices for Mongolia's mainly primary sector
exports, widespread opposition to privatization, and adverse effects
of weather on agriculture in early 2000 and 2001 restrained real GDP
growth. Despite drought problems in 2002, GDP rose 4.0%, followed by
a solid 5.0% increase in 2003. The first applications under the land
privatization law have been marked by a number of disputes over
particular sites. Russia claims Mongolia owes it $11 billion from
the Soviet period; any settlement could substantially increase
Mongolia's foreign debt burden.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $4.882 billion (2003 est.)