Tosontsengel (, meaning 'Oil happiness') is a
sum of
Zavkhan Province (aimag) in western
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 ...
. It is the largest sum and sum centre in Zavkhan aimag after its capital, Uliastai.
Geography
Founded in 1923, Tosontsengel sum is located in the northeastern part of Zavkhan province. It is bordered by Ider,
Ikh-Uul,
Otgon, and
Telmen sums of Zavkhan province;
Tsetserleg sum of Khuvsgul province; and
Tsakhir sum of Arkhangai province.
The
Ider River divides Tosontsengel into two parts. The southern part of the sum is located at the head of the Tarvagatai mountain range, a branch of the
Khangai Mountains
The Khangai Mountains form a mountain range, range in central Mongolia, some west of Ulaanbaatar.
Name
Two provinces of Mongolia are named after the Khangai mountains: Arkhangai (North Khangai) and Ovorkhangai (South Khangai). The mild climat ...
, which belongs to the forest steppe and steppe zone. The main part of the Khangai Mountains occupies most of the sum.
Administrative divisions
The district is divided into seven
bags
A bag, also known regionally as a sack, is a common tool in the form of a floppy container, typically made of cloth, leather, bamboo, paper, or plastic. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being lengths of animal s ...
, which are:
* Bayan-Ulaan
* Darkhan-Uul
* Ider
* Khairkhan
* Orgikh
* Rashaant
* Ulaantolgoi
Climate
Tosontsengel has a
subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Dwc'') with mild summers and bitterly cold winters. The average minimum temperature in January is , and temperatures as low as have been recorded. Most precipitation falls in the summer as rain, with some snow in the adjacent months of May and September. Winters are very dry. The wind causes the snow to drift, making it difficult for the nomadic herders to keep their animals alive.
Barometric pressure record
The highest barometric pressure ever recorded on Earth was , measured in Tosontsengel on 19 December 2001. The actual reading was 846.5 millibars, before adjustment to sea level
Population
The population of Tosontsengel is about 9,000. The population of the sum center is about 920 families (about 5,000 people) in winter and about 680 in summer. There are two schools (elementary through high school), a trade school, and a hospital in the sum center. Outside of the main sum are two large fields owned by a foreigner, Tom Phillips, which provide most of the vegetables for the town.
Economy
In the
socialist period Tosontsengel was one of the largest timber processing centres in Mongolia. A new small
hydropower station
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
was built on the Ider close to the sum centre.
Most residents are nomadic herders moving between their summer locations, often by a river, to their Uveljus (winter homes) to protect their animals from the harsh Mongolia winter. The people who live in the sum center operate stores, drive trucks, or leave to mine in the summer months. As the nomadic lifestyle becomes more difficult, more young people are leaving the sum for the capital city to attend university and find jobs.
Transportation
Tosontsengel sum has relatively good road connections to
Uliastai city (),
Mörön city (),
Tsetserleg city (), and
Ulaangom city (); and to the Russian border crossing () and the Russian cities
Kyzyl
Kyzyl ( ) is the capital city of the Republic of Tuva within the Russian Federation. Kyzyl's population is approximately
History
The city was founded in 1914 as Belotsarsk. It was renamed Hem-Beldir from 1918 to 1926. When the city was the ca ...
(
Tyva respublic) and
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yenisey, Yenisey River, and is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a p ...
(
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia located in Siberia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Krasnoyarsk, the second-largest city in Siberia after ...
).
There is a small airport called
Tosontsengel Airport in the sum centre. It is located on the right bank of the Ider. The airport has not been used often since 2007, with the main users being a medical airplane flown by Blue Sky and the annual crop duster plane that has been combatting the moths that are destroying the forests.
References
External links
Zavkhan aimag official site. Aimag sums description (in Mongolian)INTEGRATION: environment & energy.Experiences in Small Hydropower Projects. p.8*
{{Authority control
Districts of Zavkhan Province