Alag-Erdene ( mn, Алаг-Эрдэнэ, translation=variegated gem) is a
sum (district) of
Khövsgöl aimag (province). The area is about 4,500 km², of which 1,460 km² are forest, and 2,760 km² are pasture. In 2005, the sum had 2992 inhabitants, including some
Darkhad
The Darkhad, Darqads,. Dalhut, or Darhut ( Mongolian for "Untouchables", "Protected Ones", or "Workmen of Darkhan"; Chinese: 达尔扈特, pinyin: Dá'ěrhùtè) are a subgroup of Mongol people living mainly in northern Mongolia, in the Bayanz ...
,
Khotogoid
Khotogoid ( Mongolian: Хотгойд, transliteration: ) is a subgroup of Mongol people in northwestern Mongolia. The Khotogoid people live roughly between Uvs Lake to the west and the Delgermörön river to the east. The Khotogoids belong to n ...
, and
Uriankhai
Uriankhai ( traditional Mongolian: , Mongolian Cyrillic: урианхай; sah, урааҥхай; zh, t=烏梁海, s=乌梁海, p=Wūliánghǎi), Uriankhan (, урианхан) or Uriankhat (, урианхад), is a term of address applie ...
. The center, officially named ''Mankhan'' ( mn, Манхан) is situated close to the road from
Mörön
Mörön ( mn, Мөрөн;, lit=river), also spelled Murun, is the administrative center of Khövsgöl Aimag (province) in northern Mongolia. Before 1933, Khatgal had been the aimag capital.
It has 12,286 families and a population of 46,918, an ...
to
Khatgal, 62 km north of
Mörön
Mörön ( mn, Мөрөн;, lit=river), also spelled Murun, is the administrative center of Khövsgöl Aimag (province) in northern Mongolia. Before 1933, Khatgal had been the aimag capital.
It has 12,286 families and a population of 46,918, an ...
and 733 kilometers from
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...
.
History
The Alag-Erdene sum was founded, together with the whole Khövsgöl aimag, in 1931. In 1933, it had about 3,400 inhabitants in 1006 households, and about 82,000 heads of livestock. In 1942, two bags were transferred to
Renchinlkhümbe
Renchinlkhümbe ( mn, Рэнчинлхүмбэ) is a '' sum'' of Khövsgöl Province in Mongolia. The area is about , of which are pasture and 35% are forest. In 2000, the ''sum'' had 4284 inhabitants, mainly Darkhad. The ''sum'' center, official ...
, in 1952 two other bags became part of
Tünel sum. In 1956, three bags were transferred from Büren sum, together with the Khögjil
negdel Negdel ( mn, Нэгдэл, "union, association") is the common term for the agricultural cooperatives in the Mongolian People's Republic. The full name is Khödöö aj akhuin negdel ( mn, Хөдөө аж ахуйн нэгдэл = ''Agricultural as ...
.
Economy
In 2004, there were roughly 76,000 heads of livestock, among them 26,000
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
, 36,000
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
s, 11,500
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
and
yak
The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin Sta ...
s, 6,400
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s, and 33
camels
A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
.
National Statistical Office: Livestock count 2004 (in Mongolian), p.111
During the 1980s, Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
geologists conducted large-scale exploration projects for phosphorite
Phosphorite, phosphate rock or rock phosphate is a non-detrital sedimentary rock that contains high amounts of phosphate minerals. The phosphate content of phosphorite (or grade of phosphate rock) varies greatly, from 4% to 20% phosphorus pentoxi ...
in the area, but these projects were discontinued in the early 1990s, due to both the general political/economic situation after the end of socialism, and the discontent of the local population. Other commodities include black coal
Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the seams. It ...
, graphite
Graphite () is a crystalline form of the element carbon. It consists of stacked layers of graphene. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on large ...
, and quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
Miscellaneous
Lake Khövsgöl
Lake Khövsgöl is the largest freshwater lake in Mongolia by volume and second largest by area. It is located near the northern border of Mongolia, about 200 km (124 mi) west of the southern end of Lake Baikal. It is nicknamed the "Younger siste ...
borders the sum to the north. Erkhel nuur was the site of an avian influenza
Avian influenza, known informally as avian flu or bird flu, is a variety of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds. outbreak in 2005.
Literature
M.Nyamaa, ''Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli'', Ulaanbaatar 2001, p. 14f
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alag-Erdene, Khovsgol
Districts of Khövsgöl Province