Khalkha Mongols

The Khalkha (Halh) Mongols number just over 2 million and account for some 81.5% of the total population. They live all over Mongolia and their language (Khalkha) is the state language.

The 56,573 Bayat, mostly now inhabiting the far western Uvs Aimag, but who may have come originally from the Selenge Valley in central Mongolia, and the 27,412 Dariganga, who live in Dariganga district of Sukhbaatar Aimag in southeastern Mongolia, also speak dialects of Khalkha.

Northern Mongols

The 45,085 Buryat people that inhabit the northern border areas of Dornod, Khentii, Selenge and Khovsgol aimags are related to the Buryats of the Buryat Republic and adjacent regions of the Russian Federation. Mongolia’s Buryats arrived from Russia in the 20th century, mostly as political refugees from tsarism or communism. Their northern Mongol dialect has its own strong literary tradition in the Buryat Republic.

Some 2500 Barga belong to a tribe related to the Buryat; they live in Dornod Aimag on the border with China. There are over 70,000 Barga living in Hulun Buir league of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, where their territory was once also called Barga.

Southern Mongols

Small groups of Mongols like the Chakhar (Qahar) and Kharachin live near the border with China in the south and are related to the tribes of the same name in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where they are much more numerous.

Altai Mongols

The 26,654 Altai Uriankhai Mongols inhabit upland areas of Khovd and Bayan-Ulgii aimags.

Oirat Mongol

The Oirats of western Mongolia are descendants of the tribes of the Jungarian Khanate who survived slaughter by the army of the Manchu Qing dynasty in the 18th century. The 72,403 Derbet found in Uvs and Bayan-Ulgii aimags in far western Mongolia constitute the largest Oirat tribe. The 28,450 Zakhchin, another Oirat tribe, live in Khovd Aimag, southwestern Mongolia. Other minorities are the 14,176 Torgut concentrated in Bulgan district of Khovd Aimag and on the border with China's Xinjiang region. The Uuld or Eleuth live in Khovd and Bayan-Ulgii aimags, and the Mingat live in Myangat district of Khovd Aimag.

Mongolia’s Turks

Mongolia’s 101,526 Kazakh form the largest minority nation and live mostly in western Mongolia’s Bayan-Ulgii and Khovd aimags, with concentrations in industrial towns elsewhere. There have been several migrations, including the arrival of Kazakhs from Xinjiang in the 1880s and in recent years the departure of Kazakhs from Bayan-Ulgii in large numbers to work in Kazakhstan. The Kazakhs are herdsmen who hunt with eagles and live in ger similar to Mongolian ger. The crops grown by settled communities include melons. The Kazakhs are traditionally Sunnis, and mosques that were destroyed during Mongolia’s anti-religious campaigns have been rebuilt.

The 9000 Khoton who live in the far western Uvs Aimag speak Oirat (western Mongol) dialect, while the 21,558 Darkhad who live in Northern Mongolia’s Khovsgol Aimag are also Mongolised Turks but speak Khalkha.

Other Nationalities

There are many Russian and Chinese traders and other visitors and their numbers are hard to verify. Among the tribes of very limited numbers are the Khamnigan, an Evenki people, who are members of Tungusic tribe in Khentii and Dornod aimags, and most of whom speak Buryat, the language of neighbouring southern Siberian Buryats. There are also some 282 Tsaatan, the reindeer people who live near Lake Khovsgol.

Mongolians outside Mongolia

Not all Mongols live in Mongolia proper, nor are they the majority of Mongols. Most numerous are the Mongolians who live in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Autonomous Regions of China, south of the Gobi Desert, above and along the Silk Road.

The Hazara of Afghanistan

There are three types of Mongols living in Afghanistan, collectively known as Hazara and Hasarajar. These tribal people, living in the high mountainous central plateau of Afghanistan, are said to be the descendants of Genghis Khan’s grandsons, whose armies crossed through this country, in bands of 1000 horsemen known as hazara. The Mongols withdrew leaving a remnant trapped in this inhospitable terrain, where they have remained ever since. The Hazara resemble Mongols and are distinguished from other Afghans by their facial features – high cheekbones, broad, flat faces and almond eyes. They are also nomadic people. The western Hazara in Afghanistan are Sunni and they speak Dari (an Afghan/Persian language). The eastern Hazara who live in Iran are Shi’i (Shi’ite) and their language contains a sprinkling of old Turkic and Mongol words. Fascinating recent genetic studies show that the Hazara people are indeed related to Genghis Khan and carry evidence of this in their genes.