Sunday, June 19, 2016 at 11:39AM
Drew Wolfe
Welcome To Mongolia's New Postal System: An Atlas of Random Words

"It is tough to be a postman in Mongolia."

"The country is among the world's most sparsely populated — twice the size of Texas with about one-tenth the state's population of about 27 million. Its roads, even in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, often lack well-known names, making navigation difficult and street addresses unreliable. To make matters even more complicated, about a quarter of the country's residents are nomadic, with no permanent homes."

"All of that means it can often be incredibly challenging for the Mongol Post to locate people."

"Things are looking up, though. The Mongolian government has partnered with a British startup called What3Words to overhaul its postal and address systems. Now, instead of an address — like, say, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. — each 9-square-meter plot in Mongolia will receive its own three-word identifier."

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