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Landlocked between Siberia and China's Mongolian provinces, Mongolia rises from the semiarid Gobi Desert to mountainous steppe. The traditionally nomadic Mongols were first unified by Genghis Khan in 1206. "Outer" Mongolia achieved independence from China as a communist state in 1924 and was officially aligned with the USSR from 1936. In 1990, it abandoned communist rule; widespread poverty ensued. Extremely harsh winters in 1999–2001 devastated the rural economy.