Mongolia vs Kazakhstan
Mongolia
Kazakhstan
| Metric | Mongolia | Kazakhstan |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Ulaanbaatar | Astana |
| Population | 3,517,100 | 20,843,754 |
| Area (km²) | 1,564,116 | 2,724,900 |
| Population density (/km²) | 2 | 8 |
| GDP per capita (USD) | $7,100 | $14,700 |
| Region | Eastern Asia | Central Asia |
| Currency | MNT | KZT |
| Languages | Mongolian | Kazakh, Russian |
| Main religions | Buddhism | Islam, Christianity |
| Time zone | UTC+8 & UTC+7 | UTC+5 |
Green highlights the higher value (or higher GDP per capita). Figures are approximate.
At a glance
Mongolia and Kazakhstan are both located in Asia (Eastern Asia and Central Asia respectively). Kazakhstan has the larger population — about 5.9× the population of Mongolia, while Kazakhstan covers more land area.
For full geographic detail, see the Mongolia map and the Kazakhstan map.
The two biggest landlocked countries
Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world and Mongolia is the second. Kazakhstan is a little under twice Mongolia's size and has around six times its population, but both are among the most thinly populated countries on Earth. They do not share a border: at their closest, in the Altai Mountains, they are separated by a strip of Russian and Chinese territory only a few dozen kilometres wide.
Nomads of the steppe
Both countries grew from the pastoral nomadic cultures of the Eurasian steppe, built around horses, herds and felt yurts (a ger in Mongolia, a kiiz uy in Kazakhstan). The Mongol Empire of the 13th century ruled the lands that are now Kazakhstan, and later Kazakh khanates emerged from its successor states. Herding remains far more central to daily life in Mongolia, where a large share of the population still raises livestock; Kazakhstan is more urbanised and industrial.
Soviet legacies
Kazakhstan was a Soviet republic until independence in 1991; Mongolia was formally independent but a close Soviet ally from the 1920s until 1990, when it held multiparty elections. Both write their national language in Cyrillic, although Kazakhstan is in the process of switching to a Latin alphabet. Russian is still widely spoken in Kazakhstan. The languages differ: Kazakh is Turkic, while Mongolian belongs to the Mongolic family. Mongolia's westernmost province, Bayan-Ölgii, is home to an ethnic Kazakh majority, famous for its eagle hunters.
Resources and neighbours
Both economies depend heavily on mining. Kazakhstan is a major oil producer and the world's largest producer of uranium; Mongolia exports coal and copper, mostly to China. Both are squeezed between Russia and China, and Mongolia pursues a "third neighbour" policy of building ties with distant partners. Climates are sharply continental in both, and Ulaanbaatar is often called the world's coldest capital.
Frequently asked questions
- Do Mongolia and Kazakhstan share a border?
- No. At their closest point, in the Altai Mountains, they are separated by a narrow strip of Russian and Chinese territory.
- Which is bigger, Mongolia or Kazakhstan?
- Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked country, is a little under twice the size of Mongolia, which is the second largest.