Hope Eubanks, age 13, of Concord, N.H., for her question:

WHO ARE THE MONGOLS?

Mongols are pastoral people now found in east central Asia, including parts of China and the Soviet Union, who speak one of the Altaic languages. Their written language, Mongolian, dates from at least as early as the 11th century.

The Mongols are thought to have been a loose confederation of tribes until the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan united them into one powerful nation in the early 13th century. Under his leadership, they developed a powerful army that swept west into Europe and east into China, conquering the lands and the people and eventually forming a widespread Eurasian empire.

The descendants of Genghis Khan ruled large areas of China, East Asia, Russia, Iran and Turkey for long periods of time.  The Mongols were eventually overcome and they returned to  relative political obscurity.

The Mongols now number approximately 1 million, with most of the population practicing Buddhism and the remainder embracing shamanism. The Mongols are of medium stature. They have dark hair,yellow to brown skin and dark, deep set eyes. They are largely a nomadic people and their wealth consists of sheep, horses, cattle, camels and goats.