Welcome to Ulaanbaatar!
Ulaanbaatar (Улаанбаатар), also Ulan Bator, UB, or in the local language, Khot ("the city"), is the capital and the largest city in Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar is disproportionately larger than all other cities in the country: with a population of 1.34 million as of January 2016, approximately 44% of the country lives here. It is located just east of the center of the country in the forest-steppe region close to the birthplace of Genghis Khan. Ulaanbaatar is a city where authentic Mongol culture thrives in an urban setting, which has made it a destination in its own right.
After stagnating in the 1990s, the economic situation in Ulaanbaatar has improved — nowadays the city center is clean and developed, with modern skyscrapers, hotels, and malls showcasing local and international brands. The city is known for its impressive museums, old monasteries, high-quality restaurants, cinemas, theatres, and proximity to scenic natural spots. In 2016, after extensive preparations, the city hosted the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting.
Ulaanbaatar (Mongolian: Улаанбаатар, lit. "Red Hero"), anglicised as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. The municipality is located in north central Mongolia at an elevation of about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in a valley on the Tuul River. The city was originally founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic centre, changing location 28 times, and was permanently settled at its current location in 1778.
During its early years, as Örgöö (anglicised as Urga), it became Mongolia's preeminent religious centre and seat of the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the spiritual head of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia. Following the regulation of Qing-Russian trade by the Treaty of Kyakhta in 1727, a caravan route between Beijing and Kyakhta opened up, along which the city was eventually settled. With the collapse of the Qing Empire in 1911, the city was a focal point for independence efforts, leading to the proclamation of the Bogd Khanate in 1911 led by the 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, and again during the communist revolution of 1921. With the proclamation of the Mongolian People's Republic in 1924, the city was officially renamed Ulaanbaatar and declared the country's capital. Modern urban planning began in the 1950s, with most of the old ger districts replaced by Soviet-style flats. In 1990, Ulaanbaatar was a major site of demonstrations that led to Mongolia's transition to democracy and a market economy. Since 1990, an influx of migrants from the rest of the country has led to an explosive growth in its population, a major portion of which live in ger districts, which has led to harmful air pollution in winter.
Governed as an independent municipality, Ulaanbaatar is surrounded by Töv Province, whose capital Zuunmod lies 43 kilometres south of the city. With a population of just under 1.5 million as of 2020, it contains almost half of the country's total population. It is the country's cultural, industrial and financial heart, the centre of Mongolia's transport network and connected by rail to both the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia and the Chinese railway system.