Bayan-Ölgii ( ) is the westernmost of the 21 aimags (provinces) of

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. The country's only

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and Kazakh-majority aimag, it was established in August 1940. Its capital is Ölgii.

Geography

The aimag is located in the extreme west of the country, and shares borders with both

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The border between the two neighbouring countries is very short here, though, and ends after about 40 km at the eastern end of

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. Within Mongolia, the neighbouring aimags are Uvs in the north east and Khovd in the south east. Mongolia Lago Buzau

Bayan-Ölgii is the highest Mongolian aimag. For the most part it is located in the Mongolian Altay, at the transition point to the Russian Altay. About 10% of the territory is covered by forests, consisting primarily of

Siberian Larch ''Larix sibirica'', the Siberian larch or Russian larch, is a frost-hardy tree native to western Russia, from close to the Finnish border east to the Yenisei valley in central Siberia, where it hybridises with the Dahurian larch ''L. gmelinii ...

. The Nairamdal Peak (also ''Friendship Peak'', Chinese: ''Youyi Feng'') of the Altai Tavan Bogd (''five saints mountain'') massif mountain marks the corner between the three neighbouring countries. About 2.5 km further south on the Mongolian-Chinese border, the Khüiten Peak is the highest point of Mongolia at a height of 4,374 m. The massif includes several glaciers, such as the 19 km Potanin Glacier, and is only accessible to experienced climbers with local guidance. The Khovd River (the longest in the western Mongolian

Great Lakes Depression The Great Lakes Depression, also called the Great Lakes Hollow, is a large semi-arid Depression (geology), depression in Mongolia that covers parts of the Uvs Province, Uvs, Khovd Province, Khovd, Bayan-Ölgii Province, Bayan-Ölgii, Zavkhan Prov ...

) has its origin in this aimag. It is fed by the three lakes ''Khoton'', ''Khurgan'', and ''Dayan'', and in turn feeds the lake Khar-Us in the Khovd Aimag. The Tolbo Lake is a large saline lake about 50 km south of the aimag capital. It features clear and cold water on an elevation of 2,080 m.

National parks

The '' Altai Tavan Bogd National Park'' covers 6,362 km² and is located south of the highest mountain of Mongolia. It includes the lakes ''Khoton'', ''Khurgan'', and ''Dayan''. The protected area offers a home for many species of alpine animal, such as the

Argali The argali (''Ovis ammon''), also known as the mountain sheep, is a wild ovis, sheep native to the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains. Description The name 'argali' is the Mongolian language, Mongolian ...

sheep,

Ibex An ibex ( : ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. T ...

Red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

, Beech marten,

Moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...

, Snow cock, and

Golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

. The ''Khökh Serkhiin Nuruu Protected Area'' (659 km²) and the ''Siilkhemiin Nuruu National Park'' (1,428 km²) are of similar character. The ''Develiin Aral Natural Reserve'' (103 km²) is established around ''Develiin Island'' at the confluence of the rivers ''Lsan Khooloi'' and ''Khovd''. Since 2000 it has provided protection for various birds and animals including

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

s, and

beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

s. The '' Tsambagarav Uul National Park'' includes 1,115 km² of land around the glaciers near the Khovd aimag and protects the

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because ...

s living there, among others.

Demographics

Most inhabitants of Bayan-Ölgii are

Kazakhs The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...

(93%). The rest of the population is composed of

Uriankhai Uriankhai is a term of address applied by the Mongols to a group of forest peoples of the North, who include the Turkic-speaking Tuvans and Yakuts, while sometimes it is also applied to the Mongolian-speaking Altai Uriankhai. The Uria ...

, Dörvöd,

Khalkha The Khalkha (; ) have been the largest subgroup of the Mongols in modern Mongolia since the 15th century. The Khalkha, together with Chahars, Ordos Mongols, Ordos and Tumed, were directly ruled by Borjigin khans until the 20th century. In cont ...

, Tsengel

Tuvans The Tuvans (from Russian ) or Tyvans (from Tuvan ) are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Siberia that live in Tuva, Mongolia, and China. They speak the Tuvan language, a Siberian Turkic language. In Mongolia, they are regarded as one ...

, and Khoshuud. A significant portion of the population speaks Kazakh as their mother tongue and the

Mongolian language Mongolian is the Prestige (sociolinguistics), principal language of the Mongolic languages, Mongolic language family that originated in the Mongolian Plateau. It is spoken by ethnic Mongols and other closely related Mongolic peoples who are nati ...

only as a second language, if at all. After democratization, many inhabitants moved to their historical homeland,

, assuming they would find a better future there. The result was a noticeable loss of population in 1991–1993, when approximately 80 thousand repatriated to Kazakhstan. A noticeable number of former immigrants have been returning, so that the population has risen again.

Culture

The culture of the Kazakh majority is strongly influenced by Islamic traditions. The Ulgii Central Mosque also houses the Islamic Center of Mongolia. It is placed at an unusual angle within the fabric of the city, because the building was oriented exactly towards

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. There is also a ''

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning ...

'' (Islamic school) at the same place. The aimag is famous for the traditional practice of hunting with trained eagles. The captive eagles work in a similar way as hunting falcons do. While eagles are used for hunting in other parts of the world, particularly

and

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, the practice is most common in Bayan-Ölgii, where an estimated 80 percent of the world's eagle hunters live. The annual Golden Eagle Festival is held in Ölgii every October to display the skill of eagle hunters, with about 70 hunters participating per year.

Administrative subdivisions

^* – Tsagaannuur including

Economy

The main economy activity of the province is

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

. In 2022, there were 2.3 million head of livestock in the province. In 2010, the GDP of the province is divided into agriculture (45%), services (40.2%) and industry (14.8%). In 2018, the province contributed to 1.15% of the total national GDP of Mongolia.

Governors

First secretaries # Şymşyrūly Noğai (; 1940–1942) # Düzelbaiūly Jeñıshan (; 1942) # Ş. Vançinhű Arslan (; 1943) # Mälıkūly Qaşqynbai (; 1943–1952) # Mūhamädiūly Qūrmanhan (; 1952–1953) # Juanğanūly Rym (; 1953–1954) # Mälıkūly Qaşqynbai (; 1954–1957) # Qamatjanūly Mūsahan (; 1958–1962) # B. Dulamragçá (; 1962–1966) # B. Dejid (; 1966–1970) # Ya Jigjid (; 1970–1976) # L. Hürlé (; 1976–1980) # Baitazaūly Qūrmetbek (; 1980–1999) Chairmen of executive committee # Bäjıūly Qabi (; 1940–1942) # A. Begzjav (; 1942–1943) # Düzelbaiūly Jeñıshan (; 1943–1950) # Mūhamädiūly Qūrmanham (; 1950–1952) # Ç. Şagdar (; 1952–1953) # Mūhamädiūly Qūrmanham (; 1954–1955) # Şäbıūly Qabdyl (; 1955–1958) # Juanğanūly Rym (; 1959–1970) # Asqanbaiūly Sarai (; 1970–1978) # Qūsbekūly Qyzyrhan (; 1978–1989) # T. Davájav (; 1989–1990) After 1991 # Küntuğanūly Mizamhan (; 1990–1996) # Qadyrūly Meiram (; 1996–2000) # Qabdysılämūly Bädelhan (; 2000–2004) # Omarūly Ğabsattar (; 2004–2007) # Säkeiūly Qabyl (; 2007–2012) # Qūzkeiūly Därmen (; 2012–2016) # Aiypūly Ğylymhan (; 2016–2020) # Dalelūly Bauyrjan (; 2020-2023) # Ahmediaūly Kameliat (; 2023-present)

Transportation

The Ölgii Airport (ULG/ZMUL) has one runway, unpaved until 2011. It offers regular flights to

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

and irregular flights to Ulaangom and Mörön in Mongolia and

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

. A road connecting to Russia starts in Tsagaannuur. The border with China is open only for a short time in the summer.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayan-Olgii Province Bayan-Ölgii Province, Provinces of Mongolia States and territories established in 1940 1940 establishments in Mongolia