Ulan Bator

Ulan Bator

Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar, in English: The Red Hero), is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. The city is an independent municipality not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is just over 1 million.

Located in the north central part of the country, the city lies at an elevation of about 1,310 meters (4,300 ft) in a valley on the Tuul River. It is the cultural, industrial, and financial heart of the country. It is also the center of Mongolia's road network, and connected by rail to the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Chinese railway network.

The city was founded in 1639 as an initially nomadic Buddhist monastic center. In 1778 it settled permanently at its present location, the junction of the Tuul and Selbe rivers. Before that it had changed location 28 times, with each location being chosen ceremonially. In the 20th century, Ulan Bator grew into a major manufacturing center.