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Bactrian CamelOne of the highest countries in the world, Mongolia is a land of harsh extremes—snowy mountains, wide expanses of grassy steppe, and windswept desert. Though vast in area, Mongolia is home to just over three million people, many continuing a nomadic way of life as the country adjusts from Soviet rule to modern conveniences. Here, a boy ropes a Bactrian camel as he and his family prepare to move on from their camp. The only truly wild camels that still exist, these two-humped herbivores are still found in the Gobi desert in Mongolia and China but number less than a thousand.
Photograph by Bradley E. Clift

Mongolia Photos

See photos of Mongolia (including camels, gers, nomads, and more) in this travel photo gallery from National Geographic.

Published April 28, 2010