The Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China, as well as Buryatia and Kalmykia of Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of Mongolic peoples. The Oirats in Western Mongolia as well as the Buryats and Kalmyks of Russia are classified either as distinct ethno-linguistic groups or subgroups of Mongols.
Yuan dynasty Mongol rider
A portrait of Kublai Khan by Araniko (1245–1306)
Mongol huntsmen, Ming dynasty
A Dzungar soldier called Ayusi from the high Qing era, by Giuseppe Castiglione, 1755
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of 1,564,116 square kilometres, with a population of just 3.3 million, making it the world's most sparsely populated sovereign state. Mongolia is the world's largest landlocked country that does not border a closed sea, and much of its area is covered by grassy steppe, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city, is home to roughly half of the country's population.
7th-century artifacts found 180 km (112 mi) from Ulaanbaatar
1236–1242 Mongol invasions of Europe
Genghis Khan, the first Mongol Emperor
The eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, Bogd Khaan