Ulaanbaatar, The Capital of Mongolia

The Modern Mongolian capital city, Ulaanbaatar , is a city with a history over year. When the Mongol Empire’s capital Kharakhorum was abandoned, Urguu city for the the first religious leader of Mongols, Bogd Zanabaar, was founded in 1639 by the Khakkh nobility, assigning out some of their subordinate people as the Bogd’s disciples for establishing the Khuree city.

The first Bogd’s Urguu city was established firstly along the valleys of Orkhon, Selenge and Tuul rivers since 1778 and ceased moving from place to place to be settled down amidst the four mountains, Khatan Tuul river’s banks, Selbe river’s terraces, Bayanzurkh, Songinokhairkhan and Chingeltei mountains. Since then, it began to be called the Ikh Khuree.

The Ikh Khuree of the Khalkh Mongols, apart from being primarily its religious center also turned into the country’s cultural state, economic and spiritual center. The capital city of Khuree of Bogd Khaan’s Mongolia set up as a result of the struggle for Mongolia ’s independence and national freedom, by the first Great State Khural held in 1924, was proclaimed as having the legal status of the capital city of the Mongolian People’s Republic and was renamed as Ulaanbaatar city.

The first master plan for developing Ulaanbaatar on a scientific basis was developed and implemented in the 1950s and since the 1960s, the present-day urbanization policy plans have been worked out, activities associated with the city’s urbanization, the planting of gardens, and trees and the providing of municipal improvement have begun to be carried out. Major part of the capital city Ulaanbaatar ’s current appearance is a result of the large-scale construction activities launched from 1960 to 1985 in the metropolis. At present, the master plan for developing the capital city of Ulaanbaatar has been updated and the plan for the city’s development up to 2020 has been passed and begun to carry out. The city of Ulaanbaatar is a unique city that manages with its prevailing modern buildings and structures to still preserve the places of historical and cultural value, turning most of them into museums and sightseeing places.

As part of the Year of Investment and Creative works, the Ulaanbaatar City Council will spend 94 billion tugrugs on construction. Projects include the completion of an eight-lane highway and improvement of community services for ger district.

Within the framework of the project, the city Department of Planning and Investment has decided to pave the Sukhbaatar Square with granite slabs. It is 31068 square meters’

The city, of which the population was just 50,000 people only nine years ago, now at the beginning of the century makes up about 850,000 and with long and short- term transit, foreign and national visitors increases its population figure to nearly one million. Such a sharp rise in the population of the metropolis is associated with an increasing migration of rural residents to Ulaanbaatar . The majority of those migrating to the capital from the western provinces have to choose the settled way of life due to hardships of life, unemployment, impoverishment, etc.

In accordance with the law on the capital city’s legal status enacted by the State Ikh Khural in1994, the capital city now has its own banner, coat of arms and emblem.

The capital city of Ulaanbaatar has its own boundaries approved by the State Ikh Khural, its area constituting 4,704 thousand square kilometers, with 9 districts and 115 khoroos (administrative unit). The capital city’s municipal administration system is the Capital City Khural of citizen’s Representatives, nine chairpersons, permanent head, secretary and offices. The capital city’s nine districts nave their Citizen’s Representatives Khurals as well. The capital city’s highest executive power is vested in the Capital city Governor appointed from the Capital City Citizen’s Representatives Khural, and Ulaanbaatar city’s mayor, his Office and departments. According to the Constitution of Mongolia, the city of Ulaanbaatar is specified as ‘a city with specific functions, its power management, territory, economic and social complex, and special status set forth by the law’.

The Capital city today produces 40 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, which can be broken down as 53,4 percent of industrial production, 87,1 percent of construction, 56,3 percent of trade, 80 percent of energy and 98 percent of transport and communication.

The city of Ulaanbaatar has established and maintains friendly relationships with many cities of the world, including Seoul , Florence , Moscow and Denver . Among the world's capital cities, Ulaanbaatar is notable as the capital city located at the highest altitude with the coldest climatic conditions.