Uliastai
Uliastai
Улиастай ᠤᠯᠢᠶᠠᠰᠤᠲᠠᠢ | |
---|---|
UTC+8 (UTC + 8) | |
Area code | +976 (0)146 |
Climate | BSk |
Uliastai (Mongolian: Улиастай; ᠤᠯᠢᠶᠠᠰᠤᠲᠠᠢ), also spelled Uliyasutai or Oulia-Sontai, and sometimes known as Javkhlant, is a city in Mongolia located in the western part of the country and 1,115 kilometres (693 mi) from the capital Ulaanbaatar. Uliastai is the capital of Zavkhan Province and was the 10th most populous city in the country with a population of 24,276 (2000 census). However, recent estimates have the city's population at 16,240 (2006 est[update].[needs update][1]) making it the 16th most populous city in Mongolia.
Uliastai is located in a river valley where the Chigestai and Bogdiin Gol rivers meet, and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is one of the most remote aimag capitals in Mongolia. Uliastai city has sum (district) status and forms an enclave within the surrounding Aldarkhaan sum.
History
Alongside Khovd, Uliastai is one of the oldest settlements in Mongolia, and has long been an important center of caravan trade even into the 20th century. It was connected by camel caravan routes with Urga (now Ulaanbaatar) in the east, Khovd in the west, Barkol and other points in Xinjiang in the southwest, and Hohhot in the southeast.[2]
The city was founded as a military garrison by the
In March 1755, a Qing dynasty army departed from Uliastai as the vanguard in the Qianlong Emperor's final push against the Dzungar Khanate to the south west.[4]
During the
Transportation
The old Uliastai Airport has two unpaved runways and is close to the city, but no longer receives flights. In 2002, the Donoi Airport (or "New Uliastai Airport") was built 25 km west of the city near Aldarkhaan soum, and now serves Uliastai with regular flights to and from Ulaanbaatar.
Education
Uliastai is host to the Zavkhan branch of the National University of Mongolia. Originally established in 1974, it was granted the status of a full member of the NUM in 2010.
Features
Museums
- Museum of Famous People – dedicated to former residents of Zavkhan aimag, the museum has artifacts from the lives of Mongolian prime ministers, presidents, generals and Buddhist saints (Хутагт).
- History Museum – Zavkhan's natural and cultural history museum.
Monasteries
- Togs Boyant Javklhant – located on a hilltop overlooking the Chigestai river, just north of the main street, this temple features a traditional Mongolian stupas and a large Bodhisattvastatue.
- Ochirpurev Tsogt – A small Nyingma temple on Main street near the museums.
Javkhlant Tolgoi Next to Togs Boyant Javklhant temple, a hilltop pavilion surrounded by statues of elk, ibex, and argali sheep. It's a quick hike from the center of town, and offers a good panorama of the city.
Climate
Uliastai experiences a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk) with long, dry, very cold winters and short, warm summers.
Climate data for Uliastai (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) |
10.2 (50.4) |
15.5 (59.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
29.6 (85.3) |
32.7 (90.9) |
35.8 (96.4) |
34.2 (93.6) |
27.5 (81.5) |
25.0 (77.0) |
13.2 (55.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
35.8 (96.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −22.9 (−9.2) |
−18.7 (−1.7) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
2.5 (36.5) |
9.1 (48.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.2 (63.0) |
14.6 (58.3) |
8.9 (48.0) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−11.9 (10.6) |
−20.1 (−4.2) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −44.2 (−47.6) |
−42.3 (−44.1) |
−37.2 (−35.0) |
−27.7 (−17.9) |
−13.0 (8.6) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−14.3 (6.3) |
−29.5 (−21.1) |
−36.7 (−34.1) |
−40.6 (−41.1) |
−44.2 (−47.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 3.3 (0.13) |
3.5 (0.14) |
4.2 (0.17) |
9.0 (0.35) |
17.0 (0.67) |
34.1 (1.34) |
60.2 (2.37) |
45.0 (1.77) |
20.5 (0.81) |
7.7 (0.30) |
5.4 (0.21) |
4.1 (0.16) |
214 (8.42) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 6.0 | 8.8 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 43.8 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
69.0 | 65.3 | 57.8 | 46.4 | 43.2 | 48.3 | 54.4 | 56.1 | 52.7 | 55.0 | 65.9 | 69.3 | 56.9 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 179.7 | 203.9 | 244.7 | 262.8 | 296.9 | 298.1 | 280.3 | 282.9 | 248.9 | 218.7 | 163.9 | 148.2 | 2,829.1 |
Source: NOAA[6]
|
Sources
- ^ Zavkhan Aimag Statistic Office Annual Report Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Owen Lattimore, The Desert Road to Turkestan. (Various editions). See esp. the map inside the back cover.
- ^ Haines, R Spencer (2016). "The Physical Remains of the Zunghar Legacy in Central Eurasia: Some Notes from the Field". Paper presented at the Social and Environmental Changes on the Mongolian Plateau Workshop, Canberra, ACT, Australia. The Australian National University.
- ^ Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office. p. 10.
- ^ A.V. Burdukov, V staroi i novoi Mongolii. Vospominaniya, pis'ma [In old and new Mongolia. Reminiscences, letters] (Moscow, 1969)
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
External links
- Manchu Dynasty Government Structure, 1691–1910 University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology