Geography & Nature.
True or False: The Gobi Desert is mostly made of sand dunes.
False — it’s mostly gravel, rock, and dry grassland.
True or False: The Przewalski horse (Takhi) once went completely extinct in the wild.
True.
True or False: Genghis Khan united all Mongol tribes in one year.
False: Unification took many years of battles and alliances.
True or False: Traditionally, people enter a ger by stepping on the threshold.
False — it’s disrespectful to step on it.
True or False: Traditional Mongolian script can be written using a standard keyboard without modification.
False — it requires special input systems.
True or False: Mongolia has more than 250 sunny days per year.
True — it’s known as “The Land of the Eternal Blue Sky.”
True or False: Mongolia is one of the only countries where wild Bactrian camels still exist.
True.
True or False: Kublai Khan moved the capital of the empire to present-day Beijing.
True.
True or False: Turning your back toward the family altar inside a ger is considered polite.
False.
True or False: The Cyrillic letter “Ө” existed in the Russian alphabet before being used in Mongolian.
False — it was introduced because of Mongolian needs.
True or False: The lowest point in Mongolia is lower than the highest point in Ulaanbaatar.
True — Mongolia is one of the highest countries on Earth.
True or False: Mongolia has more reindeer than sheep.
False — the Tsaatan have reindeer, but Mongolia has millions of sheep.
True or False: The Mongol Empire never lost a major battle during Genghis Khan’s lifetime.
False — there were losses, especially early on.
True or False: Naadam originally had five “manly games.”
False — the classic three are wrestling, archery, and horse racing.
True or False: In traditional Mongolian script, words are written top-to-bottom and columns go left-to-right.
Answer: True.
True or False: Lake Khövsgöl holds about 70% of Mongolia’s freshwater.
Answer: True.
True or False: Snow leopards can be found on every mountain range in Mongolia.
False — they live only in specific high-altitude regions.
.
The world’s oldest surviving printed book was created during the Mongol Empire.
True: The “Jikji” (Korea, under Mongol rule).
True or False: Airag becomes stronger (more alcoholic) the longer it is stored.
True — fermentation increases alcohol content.
True or False: Classical Mongolian has more vowel sounds than modern Mongolian.
True — historical Mongolian had a more complex vowel harmony.
True or False: The geographic center of Asia is located inside Mongolia.
True — near Övörkhangai aimag (though other countries dispute).
True or False: Mongolia is home to the world’s last truly wild two-humped camel species.
True (the wild Bactrian camel is genetically distinct).
True or False: The Yuan Dynasty fell before the Golden Horde collapsed.
True — the Yuan ended in 1368; the Horde lasted longer.
True or False: Chinggis Khaan vodka is actually made using ingredients grown in Mongolia.
False — many versions are produced partly using imported ingredients.
True or False: The name “Ulaanbaatar” has always been the name of the city.
False — it had many names (e.g., Örgöö, Niislel Khüree).