(Redirected from Mongol)
:''This article is about an ethnic group. For the Mongols Motorcycle Club, see
Mongols (motorcycle club).''
The name 'Mongols' (
Mongolian: Монгол ''Mongol'') specifies one or several
ethnic groups largely located now in
Mongolia,
China, and
Russia. A narrow definition includes the Mongols proper (self-designation ''Monggol''), which can be roughly divided into eastern and western Mongols. In a wider sense, the 'Mongol peoples' includes all people who speak a
Mongolic language, such as the
Kalmyks of eastern Europe.
The name ''Monggol'' appeared first in 8th century records of the Chinese
Tang dynasty, but then only resurfaced in the 11th century during the rule of the
Khitan.
[1] At first it was applied to some small and still insignificant tribes in the area of the
Onon River. In the 13th century, it grew into an umbrella term for a large group of Mongolic and
Turkic tribes united under the rule of
Genghis Khan.
The specific origin of the Mongolic languages and associated tribes is unclear. Some researchers have proposed that they developed from a
Tungusic splinter group; others suspect
Paleosiberian influences.
1
Geographic distribution
Today, people of Mongol origin live in
Mongolia,
China (
Inner Mongolia),
Russia, and a few other
central Asian countries.
The differentiation between tribes and peoples (nationalities) is handled differently depending on the country. The
Tumed,
Chahar,
Ordos,
Bargut (or Barga),
Buryats,
Dörböds,
Torguud,
Dariganga,
Üzemchin (or Üzümchin),
Bayid,
Khoton,
Mingad,
Zakchin,
Darkhad, and
Oirats (or Öölds or Ölöts) are all counted as tribes of the Mongols.
Other geographically dispersed Mongol peoples include the
Moghol,
Hazara, and
Aimak in
Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
Mongolia
The population of Mongolia consists of 85% Mongols, numbering approximately 2.5 million. Among those, the
Khalkha,
Uriankhai and
Buryats are counted as eastern Mongols. The
Oirats, living mainly in the
Altay region, belong to the western Mongols.
China
Main articles: Ethnic Mongols in China
The Chinese census of 2000 counted 5.8 million Mongols (according to the narrow definition above). Most of them live in the
Inner Mongolia autonomous region, followed by
Liaoning province. Small numbers can also be found in provinces near those two.
Other peoples speaking Mongolic languages are the
Daur,
Monguor,
Dongxiang,
Bonan, and parts of the
Yugur. Those do not officially count as part of the Mongol nationality, but are recognized as nationalities of their own.
Russia
In Russia, the
Buryats belong to the eastern Mongols. The western Mongols include the
Oirats in the Russian Altay and the
Kalmyks at the northern side of the
Caspian Sea. Together they amount to roughly half a million people.
See also
★
Mongol Empire
★
History of Mongolia
References
1. Mongolia: Ethnography of Mongolia
External links
★
Ethnic groups of Mongolia
★
Ethnic map of Mongolia