Mongolian ethnic groups

Over 90 percent of the country's population constitutes Mongolian nationalities. The core Mongolian nationality, being Khalkha distributed all along the territory of the country, makes up 80 per cent of its population. The other major group, the Kazakhs, makes up about 6 percent of the population and lives in western Mongolia , mainly in Bayan-Ulgii aimag. Many Kazakhs immigrated to Kazakhstan in the early 1990s, but many have since returned. As for the linguistic reference of the Mongolian population, it relates to the Mongolian group of the Altaic family except for Kazakhs. This group is composed of Khalkh, Durvud, Buryad, Bayad, Uriankhai, Zakhchin, Darkhad, Torguud, Uuld, Myangad, Barga and Uzemchin dialects.

The Mongolian ethnic groups stemmed from the ancient Mongolian people and Mongolian tribes being parts of the Mongol Empire founded in 1206 by Chinggis Khan. The ancient Mongolian tribes comprised the medieval Aimag (principality) of Mongolian tribes. The current aimag of Mongolia means its administrative and territorial unit. That is why the dominant tribes and nationalities that used to comprise the ancient Mongolian group are now spread along all the aimags (provinces) of Mongolia . However, the traditional settlement patterns of the dominant tribes and nationalities of the ancient Mongolian principality still can be easily traced back even now.

Barga. Originally, from the Lake Baigali region of Siberia , they number 1560 and live in remote pockets of Dornod and Tuv aimags.

Bayad. Descendants of Oirad Mongols; about 40,000 live in Malchin, Khyargas and Zuungovi district in Uvs aimag.

Buryat. Also found in Siberia , they number about 47,500 and congregate in the northern aimags of Bulgan, Dornod, Hentii, and Selenge.

Dariganga. About 32,300 live in southern Sukhbaatar. 

Durvud. About 55,000 in Uvs and Khovd aimags. 

Darkhad. Descended from Turkic people; they are about 15,000 in Khuvsgul. 

Khoton. Of Turkic descent, about 6000 live in Uvs aimag 

Myangad. Also of Turkic descent, about 5000 live in Khovd aimag. 

Uuld. About 11,400 live in Khovd and Arkhangai aimags. 

Torguud. About 10.500 live in Khovd aimag. 

Tsaatan. Also known as the "reindeer people", they are perhaps the smallest ethnic group; only about 200 live in the northern Khuvsgul aimags.

Uriankhai. Also known as Tuvans; about 21,000 live in the Mongol Altai Nuruu mountain in Khovd and Bayan-Ulgii aimags.

Uzemchin. Only about 200 live in Dornod and Sukhbaatar, sharing similarities with the ethnic Mongolians of Inner Mongolia.

Zakhchin. About 24,700 live in Khovd aimag. 

The other major group, the Kazakhs, makes up about 6 percent of the population and lives in western Mongolia , mainly in Bayan-Ulgii aimag.

Thus, Mongolia viewed as the hearth of the Mongolian race, spreading worldwide Mongols who comprise one single family developed from common ethnic origin.