Khövsgöl Province

Khövsgöl (Mongolian: Хөвсгөл) is the northernmost of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. The name is derived from Lake Khövsgöl.

Khövsgöl Province
Хөвсгөл аймаг
ᠬᠥᠪᠰᠦᠭᠦᠯᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ
Scenery in the Khövsgöl Province
Scenery in the Khövsgöl Province
Flag of Khövsgöl Province
Coat of arms of Khövsgöl Province
Coordinates: 49°38′N 100°10′E
CountryMongolia
Established1931 (1931)
CapitalMörön
Area
  Total100,628.82 km2 (38,853.00 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)
  Total132,146
  Density1.3/km2 (3.4/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8
Area code+976 138
ISO 3166 codeMN-041
Vehicle registrationХӨ_
Websitekhovsgol.gov.mn

Geography and history

The round-topped Tarvagatai, Bulnain and Erchim sub-ranges of the Khangai massif dominate the south and southwest of the largely mountainous province, and north and west of Lake Khövsgöl, lie the alpine Khoridol Saridag, Ulaan Taiga, and Mönkh Saridag mountains. The center and eastern parts of the province are less mountainous, but still hilly.

The region is well known in Mongolia for its natural environment, and Lake Khövsgöl is one of the country's major tourist attractions. The largest forests of Mongolia are located around and to the north of the lake, extending the South Siberian taiga.

The aimag was founded in 1931. Khatgal was the administrative center until 1933; since then it has been Mörön.

Population

The region is home to many ethnic minority groups: Darkhad, Khotgoid, Uriankhai, Buriad, and Tsaatan. Both the Darkhad and Tsaatan are famous for their practice of shamanism.

Ethnic minority groups in Khövsgöl (self-identification), 2000 census[1]
GroupPopulationPercentage
Darkhad16,26813.8%
Khotgoid62295.3%
Uriankhai30362.6%
Buriad9960.84%
Tsaatan2690.23%
Total population117914100%
Khövsgöl aimag population[2][3][4][5][6]
1956
census
1960
est.
1963
census
1969
census
1975
est.
1979
census
1981
est.
1989
census
1992
est.
1996
est.
1998
est.
2000
census
2003
est.
2005
est.
2007
est.
58,20064,00063,70074,80082,30088,20091,100101,800119,133113,312117,123117,914124,126123,416123,275

Famous Khövsgölians

Famous people from Khövsgöl include:

Henning Haslund-Christensen, a Danish traveller and explorer, spent one or two years in a place that today is in Erdenebulgan sum in the early 1920s. Some locals believe that Alan Gua, a female ancestor of Genghis Khan, hails from what is now Chandmani-Öndör.

Livestock

In 2007, the aimag was home to about 3.43 million heads of livestock, among them about 1,510,000 goats, 1,442,000 sheep, 322,000 cattle and yaks, 150,000 horses, 2,350 camels, and 652 reindeer.[6]

Transportation

The Mörön Airport (ZMMN/MXV) has one paved runway. It offers regular flights from and to Ulaanbaatar, and also serves as intermediate stop into the western Aimags.

The Khatgal Airport (HTM) only runs scheduled flights from and to Ulaanbaatar in summer, offering a more direct approach to Lake Khövsgöl for the tourists.

The road distance from Mörön to Ulaanbaatar is 690 km. A new paved road finished in fall 2012 now connects Mörön to Khatgal on Lake Khövsgöl.

Administrative subdivisions

Sums of Khövsgöl
Lake Khövsgöl
The Sums of Khövsgöl Aimag
Sum Mongolian Population
1987
(approx.)[7]
Population
1994
[8]
Population
2000[9]
Population 2005[10] Population
2009[11]
Sum centre
population
(2009)[11]
Area
(km²)[6]
Density
(/km²)
Alag-Erdene
Khatgal
Алаг-Эрдэнэ
Хатгал
2,300
7,000[12]
2,809
3,756
2,825
2,498
2,992
2,831
2,980
2,952
744
2,952
3,591.5
911,4
0.83
3.24
ArbulagАрбулаг3,1004,2724,4874,1643,9897283,529.211.13
BayanzürkhБаянзүрх3,3004,1804,2023,8633,9647424,299.140.92
BürentogtokhБүрэнтогтох3,8005,0434,6784,2514,2457353,768.601.12
Chandmani-ÖndörЧандмань-Өндөр2,1002,8913,0632,9443,0061,0184,487.540.67
ErdenebulganЭрдэнэбулган2,3003,0862,7392,8492,7631,0604,694.380.59
GaltГалт4,4005,5735,3284,8765,1327773,596.831.43
Ikh-UulИх-Уул3,2003,7673,9594,1264,1701,3872,023.822.06
JargalantЖаргалант3,7004,8665,0865,1095,1831,3152,549.282.03
KhankhХанхn.a.2,2272,1402,3462,4601,4225,498.710.45
MörönМөрөнn.a.27,23028,14735,87236,08236,072102.90350.55
RashaantРашаант2,5003,1953,2803,5593,5019871,982.521.77
RenchinlkhümbeРэнчинлхүмбэ3,900[13]4,0404,2844,6144,7408258,448.340.56
Shine-IderШинэ-Идэр3,9004,6164,3484,0683,8241,7182,053.561.86
TarialanТариалан4,8006,1226,0705,9366,0853,2723,430.671.77
TömörbulagТөмөрбулаг3,1004,0844,1714,3534,1746132,521.721.66
TosontsengelТосонцэнгэл2,8003,6834,1613,6154,1441,1662,042.232,03
TsagaannuurЦагааннуур9001,2481,3171,4051,5477085,408.300.29
Tsagaan-UulЦагаан-Уул4,3005,5475,6965,1455,3329405,866.30.91
Tsagaan-ÜürЦагаан-Үүр2,0002,5902,4212,4422,4599468,735.330.28
TsetserlegЦэцэрлэг4,4005,5915,8764,6934,7668077,451.620.64
TünelТүнэл2,9003,5793,5563,4653,5281,1053,577.330.99
Ulaan-UulУлаан-Уул2,7003,3963,7263,8984,1181,38610,057.520.41

Notes and references

  1. M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli, Ulaanbaatar 2001, p. 7, 35, 68, 148, 166, 190
  2. Statoids (Gwillim Law) web page
  3. National Statistical Office Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
  4. National Economy of the Mongolian People's Republic (1921 - 1981), Ulaanbaatar 1981
  5. , GeoHive: Global Statistics
  6. Khövsgöl Aimag Statistical Yearbook 2007
  7. Khövsgöl Aimgiin Atlas, Ulaanbaatar 1988,p.6
  8. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20070705123128/http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/oxfamannex1-4.pdf
  9. M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli, Ulaanbaatar 2001,passim
  10. Rural Poverty Reduction Programme: official site Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Khövsgöl Aimak Statistical Yearbook 2009
  12. population in 1990, acc. to M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli
  13. incl. parts of Khankh
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