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 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 49°38′N 100°10′E | |
| Country | Mongolia |
| Established | 1931 |
| Capital | Mörön |
| Area | |
| • Total | 100,628.82 km2 (38,853.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 132,146 |
| • Density | 1.3/km2 (3.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 |
| Area code | +976 138 |
| ISO 3166 code | MN-041 |
| Vehicle registration | ХӨ_ |
| Website | khovsgol |
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] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group | Population | Percentage |
| Darkhad | 16,268 | 13.8% |
| Khotgoid | 6229 | 5.3% |
| Uriankhai | 3036 | 2.6% |
| Buriad | 996 | 0.84% |
| Tsaatan | 269 | 0.23% |
| Total population | 117914 | 100% |
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58,200 | 64,000 | 63,700 | 74,800 | 82,300 | 88,200 | 91,100 | 101,800 | 119,133 | 113,312 | 117,123 | 117,914 | 124,126 | 123,416 | 123,275 |
Famous Khövsgölians
Famous people from Khövsgöl include:
- Chingünjav, leader of an anti-Manchu rebellion in 1756/57,
- Öndör Gongor, was a very tall man in early-20th century Mongolia,
- Jalkhanz Khutagt Damdinbazar, a prime minister of Mongolia in the early 1920s,
- Gelenkhüü, an inventor and hero of local folklore.
- Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, activist, first Mongolian to graduate from Stanford
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
| 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 |
| Arbulag | Арбулаг | 3,100 | 4,272 | 4,487 | 4,164 | 3,989 | 728 | 3,529.21 | 1.13 |
| Bayanzürkh | Баянзүрх | 3,300 | 4,180 | 4,202 | 3,863 | 3,964 | 742 | 4,299.14 | 0.92 |
| Bürentogtokh | Бүрэнтогтох | 3,800 | 5,043 | 4,678 | 4,251 | 4,245 | 735 | 3,768.60 | 1.12 |
| Chandmani-Öndör | Чандмань-Өндөр | 2,100 | 2,891 | 3,063 | 2,944 | 3,006 | 1,018 | 4,487.54 | 0.67 |
| Erdenebulgan | Эрдэнэбулган | 2,300 | 3,086 | 2,739 | 2,849 | 2,763 | 1,060 | 4,694.38 | 0.59 |
| Galt | Галт | 4,400 | 5,573 | 5,328 | 4,876 | 5,132 | 777 | 3,596.83 | 1.43 |
| Ikh-Uul | Их-Уул | 3,200 | 3,767 | 3,959 | 4,126 | 4,170 | 1,387 | 2,023.82 | 2.06 |
| Jargalant | Жаргалант | 3,700 | 4,866 | 5,086 | 5,109 | 5,183 | 1,315 | 2,549.28 | 2.03 |
| Khankh | Ханх | n.a. | 2,227 | 2,140 | 2,346 | 2,460 | 1,422 | 5,498.71 | 0.45 |
| Mörön | Мөрөн | n.a. | 27,230 | 28,147 | 35,872 | 36,082 | 36,072 | 102.90 | 350.55 |
| Rashaant | Рашаант | 2,500 | 3,195 | 3,280 | 3,559 | 3,501 | 987 | 1,982.52 | 1.77 |
| Renchinlkhümbe | Рэнчинлхүмбэ | 3,900[13] | 4,040 | 4,284 | 4,614 | 4,740 | 825 | 8,448.34 | 0.56 |
| Shine-Ider | Шинэ-Идэр | 3,900 | 4,616 | 4,348 | 4,068 | 3,824 | 1,718 | 2,053.56 | 1.86 |
| Tarialan | Тариалан | 4,800 | 6,122 | 6,070 | 5,936 | 6,085 | 3,272 | 3,430.67 | 1.77 |
| Tömörbulag | Төмөрбулаг | 3,100 | 4,084 | 4,171 | 4,353 | 4,174 | 613 | 2,521.72 | 1.66 |
| Tosontsengel | Тосонцэнгэл | 2,800 | 3,683 | 4,161 | 3,615 | 4,144 | 1,166 | 2,042.23 | 2,03 |
| Tsagaannuur | Цагааннуур | 900 | 1,248 | 1,317 | 1,405 | 1,547 | 708 | 5,408.30 | 0.29 |
| Tsagaan-Uul | Цагаан-Уул | 4,300 | 5,547 | 5,696 | 5,145 | 5,332 | 940 | 5,866.3 | 0.91 |
| Tsagaan-Üür | Цагаан-Үүр | 2,000 | 2,590 | 2,421 | 2,442 | 2,459 | 946 | 8,735.33 | 0.28 |
| Tsetserleg | Цэцэрлэг | 4,400 | 5,591 | 5,876 | 4,693 | 4,766 | 807 | 7,451.62 | 0.64 |
| Tünel | Түнэл | 2,900 | 3,579 | 3,556 | 3,465 | 3,528 | 1,105 | 3,577.33 | 0.99 |
| Ulaan-Uul | Улаан-Уул | 2,700 | 3,396 | 3,726 | 3,898 | 4,118 | 1,386 | 10,057.52 | 0.41 |
Gallery
Landscape of Hubsugul province
Steppe flora of the province
Yurt locals
Nomadic cattle
Notes and references
- M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli, Ulaanbaatar 2001, p. 7, 35, 68, 148, 166, 190
- Statoids (Gwillim Law) web page
- National Statistical Office Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
- National Economy of the Mongolian People's Republic (1921 - 1981), Ulaanbaatar 1981
- , GeoHive: Global Statistics
- Khövsgöl Aimag Statistical Yearbook 2007
- Khövsgöl Aimgiin Atlas, Ulaanbaatar 1988,p.6
- https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20070705123128/http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/oxfamannex1-4.pdf
- M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli, Ulaanbaatar 2001,passim
- Rural Poverty Reduction Programme: official site Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Khövsgöl Aimak Statistical Yearbook 2009
- population in 1990, acc. to M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli
- incl. parts of Khankh
External links
Places adjacent to Khövsgöl Province | |
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