The Arats ( mn, ард — labourer, folk) are a social ethnic community of Mongolian herdsmen. They reside in
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
and
China. The Arats' main activity is cattle herding. Before the
Revolution of 1921, the Arats composed 92.5% of Mongolia's population and possessed 50.5% of the nation's livestock. The Arats of
China are considered a part of the population of
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces. Some peasants of the
Tyva Republic
Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...
in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
are also called Arats.
References
* Владимиров Б.Я. Общественный строй монголов. Ленинград, 1934.
* Нацокдоржи Ш. Из истории аратского движения во Внешней Монголии, Москва, 1958.
{{mongolia-stub
Mongolian tribes and clans