Tourism - Mongolia

Language
The official language is Mongol. Mongolian language is a blend of various Ataic languages, with a grammar and syntax that closely resemble that of Turkic. There are two main dialects: Oriat in the West, and Khalkh dialects in the east. The latter is the dominant one, being the language of the Khalkh Mongols, who represent 79% of the total population. The rest of the population is divided into twenty or so ethnic groups of Mongolian and Turkic origin.

It should also be noted that more than 4 million Mongols live in Inner Mongolia (China), and another 500 000 Mongols live in Russia, mostly in small towns in Siberia and the Khalimags.

Traditional written Mongol reads vertically from left to right. In 1946, the Cyrillic alphabet was declared the official way of writing Mongol and imposed on the population, while traditional handwriting was forbidden.