UlaanbaatarCapital
Mongolia · Country profile
Ulaanbaatar is the high, cold capital of Mongolia, the huge and energetic city of the steppe that spreads its Soviet-era blocks, its gleaming new towers, its encampment districts and its vast squares across a wide valley of the mountain-ringed plateau, at almost thirteen hundred metres, between the great river and the sacred mountain. Founded as a monastic camp on the move more than three centuries ago, it grew into the political, economic and cultural capital of the nation, and today nearly half of all Mongolians live in its fast-modernising sprawl. The great square with its echoing parade ground, the national museum and the monasteries, the winter palace and the markets of the town anchor the essential visits, while the grasslands, the national parks and the enormous emptiness of the rest of the country spread beyond the capital. Monumental, stark and ceaselessly ambitious, Ulaanbaatar is the surprising megacity of the last great steppe nation.
About Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia. The city's documented population is around 1,600,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Mongolian Tögrög (MNT) and Mongolian is spoken; the dialling code is +976.
The Square of the Genghis and the Palace of the Government
The capital is a vast, extreme metropolis where the essential days move between the great square, the museums and the monasteries, with the markets and the viewpoints distributing the cold-weather rhythm. The central square with its colossal statue and its government palace, the national museum of the history and the winter palace of the last rulers anchor the classic stops, while the great monastery of the capital with its chanting monks and its giant statue, and the great market of the town filled with the furs, the saddles and the cashmere, carry the deep culture of the nomads. The sacred mountain and the national parks of the region, and the legendary steppe, the lakes and the ruins of the countryside beyond the city, fill the wider journeys of the country.
The Monastery of the Gandan and the Museum of the History
The climate of the city is among the most extreme of the capitals of the world, with the searing long winter that can fall below the minus thirty, the short warm summer, and the sudden swings of the spring and the autumn, so the layers and the timing of the year matter enormously. The tughrik is the currency, the Mongolian the language and some English and Russian known in the capital. The centre, the monasteries and the museum circuit make the core visits, and the whole rest of the country lies beyond the capital by the roads and the flights of the nation. Serious winter gear, layers and sun protection for the high bright summer, and warm boots for the cold months complete the essential preparation for the extreme capital.
The Bogd of the Mountain and the Camps of the Felt
The great square of the capital, the enormous paved square with the seated bronze statue of the conqueror flanking the white government palace, is the ceremonial axis of the nation, where the festivals, the parades and the horses of the year assemble, while the monastery of the capital, the great active monastery with its golden-roofed temples and its chanting halls around the enormous sculpture of the future Buddha, preserves the religious heart of the city, and the museum of the national history, with the treasures of the steppe empires, tells the deep saga of the land. The winter palace of the last theocratic ruler, the great market with its cashmere, its furs and its folk crafts, and the cable car of the sacred mountain with its view over the sprawling valley city, complete the essential circuit of the capital, while the encampments and the steppe beyond the ring road remind the traveller of the nomadic world the city grew from. Cold, colossal and endlessly surprising, Ulaanbaatar is the beating heart of Mongolia.
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- Country
- Mongolia
- Population
- 1,600,000
- Capital
- Ulaanbaatar
- Region
- Asia
- Currency
- Mongolian Tögrög (MNT)
- Languages
- Mongolian
- Calling code
- +976
- Country code
- MN
Frequently asked questions
Is Ulaanbaatar the capital of Mongolia?
Yes — Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia.
What currency do I need in Ulaanbaatar?
The local currency is the Mongolian Tögrög (MNT). Languages spoken in Mongolia include Mongolian.
What is the dialling code for Mongolia?
The international dialling code for Mongolia is +976.
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