What Is the Capital of Mongolia? Ulaanbaatar Explained

Q: What is the capital of Mongolia?

The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar (also spelled Ulan Bator), meaning “Red Hero.” It’s home to about 1.6 million people, nearly half of Mongolia’s population. With an average yearly temperature around −1 °C (30 °F), it’s often called the coldest national capital in the world.

A city that moved

Ulaanbaatar began in 1639 as Örgöö, a traveling Buddhist monastery of felt tents that moved along rivers. It settled at its current site in 1778. Later known as Urga, it was renamed Ulaanbaatar in 1924, when Mongolia became a communist state, honoring revolutionary hero Damdin Sükhbaatar.

Coldest capital

City	Average yearly temperature (approx.)
Ulaanbaatar	−1 °C
Astana, Kazakhstan	3 °C
Moscow, Russia	6 °C
Ottawa, Canada	6 °C

Winter temperatures often fall below −30 °C. The city sits high on a plateau, far from any ocean.

Ger districts

Around the modern center, hundreds of thousands of people live in ger districts, neighborhoods of traditional round felt tents (gers, known in Russian as yurts) and simple houses. Many families moved here from the countryside after harsh winters killed their livestock. Burning coal for heat makes the city’s winter air pollution among the worst in the world.

Mongolia at a glance


Area	About 1.56 million km², the world’s second-largest landlocked country
Population	About 3.5 million
Population density	One of the lowest of any country
Famous figure	Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire (1206)

Mongolia is second only to Kazakhstan among landlocked countries; see the largest landlocked country. Its south is covered by the Gobi Desert.

Genghis Khan everywhere

A 40 m stainless-steel statue of Genghis Khan on horseback stands about 54 km east of the city, one of the largest equestrian statues in the world. The main airport and the central square’s statue also honor him.