Camel Ride on Gobi
Since ancient times the word 'Gobi' meaning 'desert' in all Ural-Altaic languages was referred to in literature as shamo. It is on account of the fact that the word 'Gobi' is translated into many foreign languages as a desert. That foreigners often imagine the Gobi to a desert. However visitors to the Gobi are quickly persuaded that the word desert is a misnomer.
The Mongolian Gobi, a vast zone of desert and semi-desert occupying almost 30% of our country's vast territory, is a well-renowned place. The Gobi is often imagined to be place of unbearable heat and lifeless sand dunes, similar to the inhospitable and uninhabitable Sahara desert. Whereas the reality is quite the reverse. The Great Mongolian Gobi (the western part is located inside China, now) has high mountains, springs, forests, sands, steppe lands and rich animal kingdom, and has been inhabited since ancient times. To put it another way, the Mongolian Gobi has the vast plains of Europe, the majestic peaks and mountain ranges of Asia, the sand dunes and sandy valleys of Africa, and thus could be called the land of the three continents. You will see there an eternally clear sky, blue mirages, golden sands and boundlessly expansive steppe lands.
Furthermore, the Mongolian Gobi is not a single notion. There are no less than 33 different types of Gobi in Mongolia, of which sandy desert occupies only three percent of the total area. The Gobi is situated in the southern part of the country and it covers the provinces of East Gobi, Middle Gobi, South Gobi, and Gobi Altai, all sharing the name of Gobi. One of these four Gobi, the South Gobi occupies the biggest and southern most area, belong to the territory of the South Gobi aimak.
The Gobi houses enormous wealth including numerous rare animal species as for example the mountain sheep (argali), ibex, snow leopard, lynx, wild ass (khulan), gazelles, saiga, khavtgai (wild camel, ancestor of the bactrian camel), mazaalai (gobi bear), fox, wolf, steppe fox, as well as different trees and plants: khargana, tamarisk, red trees, and wild thyme to name but few. Equally there are a wealth of precious and semi-precious stones including turquoise, jasper, agate and crystal.
--- Khubilai.tripod.com
Camel Ride on Gobi
Since ancient times the word 'Gobi' meaning 'desert' in all Ural-Altaic languages was referred to in literature as shamo. It is on account of the fact that the word 'Gobi' is translated into many foreign languages as a desert. That foreigners often imagine the Gobi to a desert. However visitors to the Gobi are quickly persuaded that the word desert is a misnomer.
The Mongolian Gobi, a vast zone of desert and semi-desert occupying almost 30% of our country's vast territory, is a well-renowned place. The Gobi is often imagined to be place of unbearable heat and lifeless sand dunes, similar to the inhospitable and uninhabitable Sahara desert. Whereas the reality is quite the reverse. The Great Mongolian Gobi (the western part is located inside China, now) has high mountains, springs, forests, sands, steppe lands and rich animal kingdom, and has been inhabited since ancient times. To put it another way, the Mongolian Gobi has the vast plains of Europe, the majestic peaks and mountain ranges of Asia, the sand dunes and sandy valleys of Africa, and thus could be called the land of the three continents. You will see there an eternally clear sky, blue mirages, golden sands and boundlessly expansive steppe lands.
Furthermore, the Mongolian Gobi is not a single notion. There are no less than 33 different types of Gobi in Mongolia, of which sandy desert occupies only three percent of the total area. The Gobi is situated in the southern part of the country and it covers the provinces of East Gobi, Middle Gobi, South Gobi, and Gobi Altai, all sharing the name of Gobi. One of these four Gobi, the South Gobi occupies the biggest and southern most area, belong to the territory of the South Gobi aimak.
The Gobi houses enormous wealth including numerous rare animal species as for example the mountain sheep (argali), ibex, snow leopard, lynx, wild ass (khulan), gazelles, saiga, khavtgai (wild camel, ancestor of the bactrian camel), mazaalai (gobi bear), fox, wolf, steppe fox, as well as different trees and plants: khargana, tamarisk, red trees, and wild thyme to name but few. Equally there are a wealth of precious and semi-precious stones including turquoise, jasper, agate and crystal.
--- Khubilai.tripod.com