Page | 12Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia’s only metropolis. Its
population dwarfs that of all other Mongolian
cities. Founded as Orgoo (“Palace-Yurt”) in 1639
as the migratory monastic center of the Bogdo
Gegen (“Living Buddha”), the tent city moved
frequently during its first century and a half.^48 In
1778, the Buddhist seat finally found a permanent
location on the Tuul River (a tributary of the
Orhon River) at the site of the present-day city.
Thereafter Ulaanbaatar—then known as Yihe
Huree (“Great Monastery”) to the local populace and as Urga to foreigners—became a
trading center on the route between China and Russia while remaining the center of
Mongolia’s Tibetan Buddhism theocracy.49,^50 Yihe Huree became Niyslel Huree
(“Capital of Monastery”) in 1911 when Mongolia declared independence from China.
The city was later renamed Ulaanbaatar (“Red Hero”) in 1924 after the nation became a
secular state.^51
Today, Ulaanbaatar dominates all facets of Mongolian society. Besides being the nation’s
political capital, the city is Mongolia’s industrial center, contains most of the country’s
colleges and universities, is home to its primary international airport, and is a hub for the
only railroad linking the nation with both China and Russia.
(^52) Ulaanbaatar’s population
has exploded over the last 20 years owing to a large amount of migration from provincial
centers, motivated not only by job opportunities but also by better educational facilities.^53
The city is now home to roughly 40% of Mongolia’s population.^54
(^48) Michael Koln, “Ulaanbaatar: History,” in Mongolia, 5th ed. (Footscray, Victoria, Australia: Lonely
Planet Publications, 2008), 63.
(^49) Donald R. DeGlopper, “Chapter 2: The Society and Its Environment: Religion: Buddhism,” in Mongolia:
A Country Study, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991), 101–102.
(^50) Encyclopædia Britannica Online, “Ulaanbaatar,” 2011, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/
613112/Ulaanbaatar
(^51) Encyclopædia Britannica Online, “Ulaanbaatar,” 2011, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/
613112/Ulaanbaatar
(^52) Encyclopædia Britannica Online, “Ulaanbaatar,” 2011, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/
613112/Ulaanbaatar
(^53) B. Bulgamaa, Chalkboard, “Mongolia: Out in the Cold,” 18 May 2009,
http://chalkboard.tol.org/mongolia
(^54) CityPopulation.de, Thomas Brinkhoff, “Mongolia,” 1 April 2010,
http://www.citypopulation.de/Mongolia.html