Bayan-Ovoo ( mn, Баян-Овоо, Rich

ovoo Ovoo, oboo, or obo ( mn, овоо, bua, обоо, kjh, обаа, Traditional Mongol: , "heap"; Chinese: 敖包 ''áobāo'', lit. "magnificent bundle .e. shrine) are sacred stone heaps used as altars or shrines in Mongolian folk religious pra ...

) is a sum (district) of

Ömnögovi Province Ömnögovi ( mn, Өмнөговь ''Ömnögovǐ'', ''South Gobi'') is an aimag (province) of Mongolia, located in the south of the country, in the Gobi Desert. Ömnögovi is Mongolia's largest aimag. The capital is Dalanzadgad. The province is r ...

in the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world. Geography The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...

of southern

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

. The seat lies at

Erdenetsogt Erdenetsogt ( mn, Эрдэнэцогт, Jewel tsogt) is a sum (district) of Bayankhongor Province in southern Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, ...

History

The sum was established on May 26, 1924.

Geography and climate

The sum is located in the

of southern Mongolia, by road southwest of the provincial capital of

Dalanzadgad Dalanzadgad ( mn, Даланзадгад; ) is the capital of Ömnögovi Aimag in Mongolia. It is located south of the national capital Ulaanbaatar. The altitude of the city center is 1,470 meters (4,823 feet). As of 2011, its population is 19,3 ...

,Google Maps
Google, Retrieved 4 June 2020. at an elevation ranging from 2200 to 2700 metres above sea level. It borders China to the south and the sums of Nomgon, Khankhongor, Tsogttsetsii,

Manlai Manlai () is a town in Yuanjiang Hani, Yi and Dai Autonomous County, Yunnan, China. As of the 2017 census it had a population of 31,580 and an area of . Administrative division As of 2016, the town is divided into one community and eleven villages ...

and Khanbogd in the northeast. The highest point of the district is Yamaat Uul (1926 m). The Ikh and Baga Khachi mountains are located in the north and Tsagaan Del mountain is in the south. The climate is generally warm, with little snow in the winter, and it is rare for it to rain during the summer months, with only 63.2-70.9 mm of precipitation falling annually. Dust storms are common in the spring.

Plants and animals

Ecologically, the district is in a transition zone, with the north of the district in the Eastern Gobi desert-steppe ecoregion, and the south in the

Alashan Plateau semi-desert The Alashan Plateau semi-desert'' ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1302) covers the south-western portion of the Gobi Desert where precipitation in the mountains is sufficient for a short part of the summer to support sparse plant life. The terrain is basin ...

ecoregion. Although technically in a

cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, the district has sufficient precipitation to support sparse plant life, particularly

xerophyte A xerophyte (from Ancient Greek language, Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or pl ...

s (species adapted to low moisture levels) in low-lying areas. Over 40 species of medicinal plants are found in the district. Shrubs found include red thorn, goat thistle, golden thistle, and

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

. There are 22 species of rodents, 14 species of mammals, including two types of

Mongolian gazelle The Mongolian gazelle (''Procapra gutturosa''), or dzeren (russian: Дзерэн), is a medium-sized antelope native to the semiarid Central Asian steppes of Mongolia, as well as some parts of Siberia and China. The name ''dzeren'' is Russian mis ...

, two species of insectivores and three species of amphibians found in Bayan-Ovoo. Birds found include sparrow,

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They a ...

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

, and

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

Economy and services

The economy is mainly based around livestock. There are reserves of silver, gold and copper in the sum, with silver deposits at Bolgon, gold at Alag Tolgoi and copper at Yamaat. Shale and coal found here are used for fuel. There is a secondary school with 280 students in the seat of the district, a kindergarten with 50 children, a 15-bed hospital and the Association of Meteorology.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayan-Ovoo, Omnogovi Districts of Ömnögovi Province 1924 establishments in Mongolia