Camel ride on our Mongolia trip – “Mongolia: In Search of Dragons and Eagles”
Here are some “fun facts” about Mongolia which we learned while on our Mongolia adventure vacation for women “In Search of Dragons and Eagles”:
- Mongolia has the oldest National Park in the world. Lying just south of ULanbaatar, the Bogd Khan National Park dates its origin to 1778.
- Roy Chapman Andrews made the first discovery of dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert. His exploits inspired the creation of Indiana Jones.
- The Gobi Desert was once a sea – which explains the marine fossils!
- A 131 foot statue of Genghis Khan sits on the steppe about an hours drive from Ulanbaatar. He sits on the worlds tallest statue of a horse.
- Genghis Khan was just a title. His real name was Temujin.
- Ulanbataar used to move three times a year – a truly nomadic city!
- Ulaanbaatar means “Red Hero”.
- Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai, united China for the first time. His dynasty became known as the Yuan dynasty.
- A quarter of the world’s population lives in Mongolia.
- Snow leopards are native to Mongolia but a snow leopard cannot purr nor roar.
- Mongolia’s nomads keep eagles as pets. The Kazakh minority hunt with them.
