Workers brush cashmere goats in South Gobi on Bat-Erdene Badam's family farm. Cashmere wool, milk and meat are the main commodities for Mongolia's herders. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption
Mongolia Booms: Gold And Other Minerals Are Set To Transform The Country Mongolia is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, the Central Asia country is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The changes both excite and unnerve many Mongolians.
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Mongolia Booms
Rich in coal, gold and copper, Mongolia is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade.
Tseren-ochir is a superintendent at Oyu Tolgoi mine who goes by the name "Augie" because it's easier for the foreigners he works with to pronounce. He is overseeing workers digging a nearly 5,000-foot-deep shaft down to reach the copper ore. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption
Herder Bat-Erdene Badam's mother. Khishigdelger Adiya, surveys the land around her home. She stands near what she described as a "sacred well" that has recently gone dry. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption
The mine at Oyu Tolgoi, Turquoise Hill in Mongolian, will be one of the world's largest copper mines in about five years. An employee holds up a small sample of the oxidized copper that gave the mine its name. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption