Ulaanbaatar is the capital city of Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country.
Ulaanbaatar stands in the Tuul River valley in north-central Mongolia, surrounded by the Bogd Khan Uul mountains. It began as a mobile monastic settlement in 1639 and moved repeatedly before settling at its present location in 1778. Its name means “Red Hero.”
The city developed into Mongolia’s political, cultural and economic centre. It contains the national government, major universities, museums and the country’s principal transport connections. Although Mongolia is famous for vast grasslands and nomadic traditions, a large share of its population now lives in Ulaanbaatar.
The city is also known for severe winter air pollution, caused partly by coal-burning in the ger districts surrounding the central urban area. Ulaanbaatar is sometimes confused with Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, but the two cities belong to different countries and Central Asian regions.