U469  Mongolia:  Theocracy, Communism, Democracy
(formerly Mongols of the 20th Century)

Week 1:  Thursday

  1. Mongolian Climate, Geography and nomadic pastoralism
    1. Mongolian climate: very distinctive
      1. Sunny
        1. av. 2,900 hours of sun/year (200-500 more than elsewhere)
      2. Windy
        1. Winds steady, not too strong, from west and north
        2. Over dry areas, picks up dust, deposits it in N. China (loess)
      3. Dry
        1. 35-15 centimeters per year (30 cm necessary to farm)
      4. Continental (very cold winters, warm summers)
        1. January average 5 F to -31 F
        2. July average 60 F to 77 F
        3. Ranges of 80 to 100 degrees not uncommon
        4. Frost-free season: May/June to August/Sept.
    2. Problems for agriculture
      1. Precipitation low, sunniness means air very dry > evaporation
      2. Very short growing season
      3. Catch 22: where it’s warm it’s dry, where it’s wet it’s cold
      4. Seasonal distribution all wrong
        1. Winter and spring: winds from high pressure center in Uws
        2. Winds very dry, little snow, on plains 2-5 cm build up at most
        3. Little snow > soil cold (snow insulates), no spring runoff
        4. In summer Siberian/Uws high weakens, some southern winds
        5. 65-78% of precipitaion in three summer months
        6. Rain falls AFTER the sowing, not before
        7. Even wettest areas have ground humidity 60-70% of optimal
    3. Other ground water resources
      1. Small glaciers in Altai
      2. Permafrost: 10% of Mongolia, mountains and north
      3. Rivers and lakes: fed by spring mountain runoff, and summer rains
        1. Khöwsgöl-Selenge-Baikal system: drains into Arctic
          1. Baikal and Khöwsgöl: largest fresh lakes (by volume) on earth
          2. Selenge, Orkhon, Tuul largest rivers in Mongolia
        2. Onon-Kherlen-Khalkha system: drains to Amur into Pacific
          1. Smaller rivers, also Khölön (or Dalai) and Buir lakes
        3. Central Asian landlocked basin: 2/3 of Mongolia
          1. Many salt lakes, used commercially for salt, soda, etc.
  2. Regions of Mongolia
    1. Fundamental division: Gobi and Khangai
      1. Khangai is wet, cold, wooded mountain: north
      2. Gobi is dry, hot, desert plain: south
    2. Major topographic features
      1. Altai Mountains: highest, snow-covered, glaciers
      2. Great Lakes basin: between Altai and Khangai mts. >> dry, salt lakes
      3. Khangai: high mountains (peaks snow-covered), wooded slopes, valleys
      4. Khentii: low mountain (no permanent snow), khangai terrain
      5. Gobi: desert to semi-desert flat plain
      6. Steppe: between khangai and gobi, and in eastern plain: rolling, fine grass
      7. Selenge valley: best watered place in Mongolia, center of agriculture
  3. Pastoral nomadism
    1. The animals: Five snouts of animals (tawan khoshuu mal)
      1. Horse: riding (war and peace), milk, mane & tail for religious use
        1. In epics, horse is always hero’s best councilor
      2. Horned cattle: milk, some meat, draws carts
        1. In Khangai and Altai, yaks with fine hair
      3. Camels: milk, hair, best pack animal
      4. Sheep: vital for meat, wool ( >> felt), rarely milked
      5. Goats: leads sheep herds, fine hair (cashmere)
      6. Animal dung vital for fuel: esp. cattle dung, sheep for tinder
    2. The yurt (ger)
      1. Made of willow-wood framework, covered by felt
      2. Can be assembled and disassembled in an hour
      3. Structured space: right-male, left-female, back-high status, door-low
      4. Up to 1945, usually open fires, yurt very smoky, now closed stoves
    3. The annual cycle
      1. Migration depends on water supply, grass, snow cover, topography
      2. Also depends on population density--high density > short movements
      3. Seasonal issues
        1. Late spring, good water supply, needs to milk young
        2. Summer, good grass, water, needs to put on fat for the winter
        3. Autumn: like summer
        4. Winter: use best fodder areas (water not vital)
        5. early, mid-spring: animals weakest, danger of zud
    4. Improving productivity: key is improving water supply, spring grass supply
      1. Obvious answer is cutting fodder and storing it >> irrigation (?)
      2. Improved breeds also need more water >> wells >> less mobility