Mongolia is high, cold, and dry. It has an extreme continental climate with long, cold winters and short summers, during which most precipitation falls. The country averages 257 cloudless days a year, and it is usually at the center of a region of high atmospheric pressure.
Mongolian culture and history has been formed in large part by the dynamic forces of nature and struggle that are embodied in the ancient nomadic existance of the Mongol peoples.
Naadam is a traditional type of festival in Mongolia. The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" - "the three games of men". The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery and are held throughout the country during the midsummer holidays.