Mongolia

Mongolia

History of Relations

South Africa and Mongolia established diplomatic relations on 25 May 1994.

Diplomatic Representation

South African Representation in Mongolia

Representation accredited from South African Embassy, Beijing, China.

Chargé d’Affaires a.i.
Ms D Balatseng

South African Embassy

Mongolian Representation in South Africa

Mongolia has no resident Ambassador in South Africa. Mongolia's Ambassador to Cairo, Egypt is accredited to South Africa.

H E Mr C Bayarmunkh
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Tel: + 20 (2) 235 86012
Fax: + 20 (2) 235 91670

E-mail: cairo@mfa.gov.mn

Travel Info

Visa Requirements for South Africans

(X) Yes

For more information see list of Mongolian Embassies at http://www.mol.mn/mer/Addrem~1.htm

Every tourist must be in possession of a valid passport, entry and exit visa. Visas can be applied for at any Mongolian Embassy.

Requirements:

· valid passport

· two photographs

· completed visa application form

· statement of travel dates

· authorisation from tour operator (list of tour operators available at www.undp.org/mission/mongolia/travel.htm)

Since Beijing is a natural gateway to Ulaanbaatar (offering return flights between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar) visitors may want to consider combining a visit to Mongolia with a visit to China.

Address of the Embassy of Mongolia in Beijing:

No 2 Xiu Shui Bei Jie,
Jianguomenwai
Beijing 100600
People's Republic of China
Tel: (8610) 65321203 / 65321810
Fax: (8610) 65325045

Health Requirements

For further information go to Travelers' Health.

Climate Info

Mongolia is high, cold and dry. It has an extreme continental climate with long, cold winters and short summers, during which most precipitation falls. The country averages 257 cloudless days a year and it is usually at the centre of a region of high atmospheric pressure. Precipitation is highest in the north, which averages 20 to 35 centimetres per year and lowest in the south, which receives 10 to 20 centimetres.

The extreme south is the Gobi, and some of its regions receive no precipitation at all in most years. The name Gobi is a Mongol name meaning desert, depression, salt marsh or steppe, but which usually refers to a category of arid rangelands with insufficient vegetation to support marmots but with enough to support camels. Mongols distinguish gobi from desert proper, although the distinction is not always apparent to outsiders unfamiliar with the Mongolian landscape. Gobi rangelands are fragile and are easily destroyed by overgrazing, which results in expansion of the true desert, a stony waste where not even Bactrian camels can survive.

Average temperatures over most of the country are below freezing from November through to March and are about 0 degrees Celsius in April and October. January and February averages of -20 degrees Celsius are common, with winter nights of -40 degrees Celsius most of the time. More than half the country is covered by permafrost, which makes construction, road building and mining difficult. All rivers and fresh water lakes freeze over in the winter and smaller streams commonly freeze to the bottom. Ulaanbaatar lies at 1,351 meters above sea level in the valley of the Tuul Gol river. Located in the relatively well-watered north, it receives an annual average of 31 centimetres of precipitation, most of which occurs in July and August. Ulaanbaatar has an average annual temperature of 2.9 degrees Celsius and a frost-free period extending on the average from mid-June to late August. (Source: Mongolia: A country study at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mntoc.html)

(Also see www.undp.org/missions/mongolia/travel.htm for comparative table of temperatures, humidity and precipitation)

For up-to-date weather information click here.

Currency Info

The monetary unit is the Tugrug. The symbol for Tugrug is MNT.

For current exchange rates click here.

State and Official Visits / Bilateral Meetings

No Information

Bilateral Agreements

If you have any queries with regard to treaties please contact the Treaty Section of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) at 012 351 1000.

Trade Statistics

Trade is negligible.

For current information on trade statistics between South Africa and Mongolia, visit the website of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa.

Interest Groups and Information

No Information