Karen Poland - Peace Corps Volunteer
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
I joined the Peace Corps because I wanted to travel and see exotic lands and animals. I also felt that I could help a developing country do so responsibly. In Mongolia, responsible development means poverty alleviation but at the same time not sacrificing the natural heritage of Mongolia for the allmighty dollar. The people of Mongolia are descendants of one of the greatest warriors in history.
Mongolia consists of several types of terrain: high mountains (5%), Taiga forest (5%), mountain forest steppe (25%), steppe (>20%), desert steppe (>20%), and desert zones. Its lakes include the saltwater Uvs, which is Mongolia's largest at 335,000 hectares, and Lake Hovsgal which contains 2% of the world's fresh water. Mongolia is also home to such charismatic mega vertebrates as the Snow Leopard (Panthers uncia), Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus), Przewalskis horse(Equus przewalski poliakov), wild ass(Equus hemionus), Argali (Ouis ammon), Ibex (Capra sibirica), and Gazzelle (Procapra gutturosa).
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