Outer Mongolia

This article is about a historical region of the Qing dynasty. For the present day country, see Mongolia. For the former communist state often referred to as Outer Mongolia, see Mongolian People's Republic.

Not to be confused with Tannu Uriankhai, Uryankhay Krai, or Tuva.

Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia within the Qing dynasty.

Location of Mongolia Area in the Republic of China

Map of the Republic of China in 1914

After the Treaty of Kyakhta (North) Mongolia in 1915

Outer Mongolia (Mongolian script: ᠭᠠᠳᠠᠭᠠᠳᠤ
ᠮᠣᠩᠭ᠋ᠣᠯ oder ᠠᠷᠤ
ᠮᠣᠩᠭ᠋ᠣᠯ ， Mongolian Cyrillic: Гадаад Монгол oder Ар Монгол, romanization: Gadaad Mongol oder Alr Mongol; Manchu: ᡨᡠᠯᡝᡵᡤᡳ
ᠮᠣᠩᡤᠣ Tülergi Monggo; Chinese: 外蒙古; pinyin: Wài Měnggǔ) is the name of a historical territory that consists of the modern state of Mongolei, sometimes called "Outer Mongolia" in China today, and the Russian republic of Tuva. From 1691 to 1911, Outer Mongolia was under the Qing dynasty.

While the administrative Outer Mongolia only consisted of the four Khalkha aimags (Setsen Khan Aimag, Tüsheet Khan Aimag, Sain Noyon Khan Aimag, and Zasagt Khan Aimag), in the late Qing period "Outer Mongolia" was also used to refer to Khalkha plus Oirat areas Khovd and the directly ruled Tannu Uriankhai.

Names

The name "Outer Mongolia" is contrasted with Inner Mongolia, which corresponds to the region of Inner Mongolia in China. Inner Mongolia was given its name because it was more directly administered by the Qing court; Outer Mongolia (which is further from the capital Beijing) had a greater degree of autonomy within the Qing empire.

There are three alternate terms including Ar Mongol, Mobei Mongol, and Outer Mongolia.

Ar Mongol

The term ar mongol or Mobei Mongol (Chinese: 漠北蒙古; pinyin: Mòběi Měnggǔ; lit. 'North-of-the-Desert Mongolia') is sometimes used in Mongolian (or Chinese) language to refer to North Mongolia when making a distinction with South Mongolia, so as to elide the history of Qing rule and rather imply a geographic unity or distinction of regions inhabited by Mongols in the Mongolian Plateau. There also exists an English term Northern Mongolia.

Ar Mongol can also be used to refer to Mongolia synchronically, during that time period. In the Mongolian language, the word ar refers to the back side of something, which has been extended to mean the northern side of any spatial entity, e.g. a mountain or a yurt. The word öbür refers to the south (and thus protected) side of a mountain. So the difference between South Mongolia and the Mongolian state is conceived as the metaphor of the backward northern side and the south side of a mountain.

In contrast to Mobei Mongol (Chinese: 漠北蒙古), there is also Monan Mongol (Chinese: 漠南蒙古; pinyin: Mònán Měnggǔ; lit. 'South of the Desert Mongolia'), roughly referring to the region now known as South Mongolia.

Modern usage

Today, "Outer Mongolia" is sometimes still informally used to refer to Mongolia. To avoid confusion between the nation of Mongolia and China's Inner Mongolia, media in China generally refer to the former as "State of Mongolia" (Chinese: 蒙古国; pinyin: Ménggǔ Guó); that is, the translation of the official name in Mongolian, Монгол Улс/Mongol Uls, instead of just "Mongolia" (Chinese: 蒙古; pinyin: Ménggǔ), which could refer to the whole Mongolian area.

See also

• Mongolia under Qing rule
• Southern Mongolia
• Tannu Uriankhai
• Dzungaria
• Outer Northwest China
• Outer Manchuria
• Inner Mongolia
• Mongolei