Bayan-Ölgii Province Баян-Өлгий аймаг ᠪᠠᠶ᠋ᠠᠨ ᠥᠯᠦᠭᠡᠢ ᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
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| Coordinates:48°18′N89°30′E / 48.300°N 89.500°E /48.300; 89.500 | |
| Country | Mongolia |
| Established | 1939 |
| Capital | Ölgii |
| Government | |
| • Governor | E. Zangar[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 45,704.89 km2 (17,646.76 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,710 m (5,610 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 108,530 |
| • Density | 2.3746/km2 (6.1501/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | MNT 659 billion US$ 0.2 billion (2022) |
| • Per capita | MNT 6,035,000 US$ 1,932 (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC+7 |
| Area code | +976 (0)142 |
| ISO 3166 code | MN-071 |
| Vehicle registration | БӨ_ |
| Website | www |
Bayan-Ölgii (/ˈbaɪənˈoʊlɡi/BY-ən OHL-gee)[a] is the westernmost of the 21aimags (provinces) ofMongolia. The country's onlyMuslim andKazakh-majority aimag, it was established in August 1940, having its capital atÖlgii.
The aimag is located in the extreme west of the country, and shares borders with bothRussia andChina. The border between the two neighbouring countries is very short here, though, and ends after about 40 km at the eastern end ofKazakhstan. Within Mongolia, the neighbouring aimags areUvs in the north east andKhovd in the south east.
Bayan-Ölgii is the highest Mongolian aimag. For the most part it is located in the MongolianAltay, at the transition point to the Russian Altay. About 10% of the territory is covered by forests, consisting primarily ofSiberian Larch.
TheNairamdal Peak (alsoFriendship Peak, Chinese:Youyi Feng) of theAltai 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, theKhüiten Peak is the highest point of Mongolia at a height of 4,374 m. The massif includes several glaciers, such as the 19 kmPotanin Glacier, and is only accessible to experienced climbers with local guidance.
TheKhovd River (the longest in the western MongolianGreat Lakes Depression) has its origin in this aimag. It is fed by the three lakesKhoton,Khurgan, andDayan, and in turn feeds the lakeKhar-Us in the Khovd Aimag. TheTolbo 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.
TheAltai Tavan Bogd National Park covers 6,362 km² and is located south of the highest mountain of Mongolia. It includes the lakesKhoton,Khurgan, andDayan. The protected area offers a home for many species of alpine animal, such as theArgali sheep,Ibex,Red deer,Beech marten,Moose,Snow cock, andGolden eagle.
TheKhökh Serkhiin Nuruu Protected Area (659 km²) and theSiilkhemiin Nuruu National Park (1,428 km²) are of similar character.
TheDeveliin Aral Natural Reserve (103 km²) is established aroundDeveliin Island at the confluence of the riversLsan Khooloi andKhovd. Since 2000 it has provided protection for various birds and animals includingpheasants,boars, andbeavers.
TheTsambagarav Uul National Park includes 1,115 km² of land around the glaciers near the Khovd aimag and protects thesnow leopards living there, among others.
Most inhabitants of Bayan-Ölgii areKazakhs (93%).[3] The rest of the population is composed ofUriankhai,Dörvöd,[4]Khalkha, TsengelTuvans, andKhoshuud. A significant portion of the population speaksKazakh as their mother tongue and theMongolian language only as a second language, if at all.
After democratization, many inhabitants moved to their historical homeland,Kazakhstan, 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.[5]
| 1956 census | 1960 est. | 1963 census | 1969 census | 1975 est. | 1979 census | 1981 est. | 1985 est. | 1989 census | 1991 est. | 1993 est. | 1995 est. | 1998 est. | 2000 census | 2010 census | 2020 census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38,800 | 44,600 | 47,800 | 58,100 | 66,600 | 71,400 | 74,500 | 82,400 | 90,900 | 102,817 | 75,043 | 82,259 | 87,341 | 94,094 | 88,056 | 108,530 |
The culture of the Kazakh majority is strongly influenced by Islamic traditions. TheUlgii 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 towardsMecca. There is also amadrasah (Islamic school) at the same place.
The aimag is famous for the traditional practice ofhunting with trained eagles.[13][14][15][16][17] The captive eagles work in a similar way as hunting falcons do. While eagles are used for hunting in other parts of the world, particularlyKazakhstan andKyrgyzstan, the practice is most common in Bayan-Ölgii, where an estimated 80 percent of the world's eagle hunters live.[18] The annualGolden Eagle Festival is held inÖlgii every October to display the skill of eagle hunters, with about 70 hunters participating per year.[19][20]
| Sum | Mongolian | Sum population (1985)[citation needed] | Sum population (1994)[21] | Sum population (2005)[7] | Sum population (2008)[11] | Sum population (2009)[12] | Sum centre population (2009)[12] | Area (km²)[22] | Density (/km²) | Distance from Ölgii |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altai | Алтай | 3,400 | 3,237 | 3,914 | 3,659 | 3,811 | 973 | 3,163.56 | 1.20 | 112 |
| Altantsögts | Алтанцөгц | 3,300 | 3,038 | 3,038 | 3,114 | 3,080 | 826 | 1,786.10 | 1.72 | 43 |
| Bayannuur | Баяннуур | 4,800 | 4,507 | 5,320 | 5,012 | 5,033 | 1,784 | 2,339.50 | 2.15 | 126 |
| Bugat | Бугат | 3,300 | 2,777 | 3,604 | 3,741 | 3,642 | 1,161 | 2,049.10 | 1.78 | 6 |
| Bulgan | Булган | 5,000 | 5,115 | 5,901 | 5,827 | 5,528 | 944 | 4,977.33 | 1.11 | 294 |
| Buyant | Буянт | 2,300 | 2,546 | 3,002 | 2,683 | 2,514 | 653 | 1,845.67 | 1.36 | 72 |
| Delüün | Дэлүүн | 6,600 | 6,782 | 8,183 | 7,078 | 7,133 | 1,642 | 5,594.99 | 1.27 | 158 |
| Nogoonnuur | Ногооннуур | 7,500 * | 6,331 | 6,539 | 6,566 | 6,375 | 2,165 | 3,818.60 | 0.57 | 92 |
| Ölgii | Өлгий | 24,000 | 21,569 | 28,248 | 28,496 | 28,448 | 28,448 | 100.92 | 281.89 | 0 |
| Sagsai | Сагсай | 4,100 | 3,746 | 5,185 | 5,174 | 5,089 | 1,375 | 3,139.99 | 1.62 | 27 |
| Tolbo | Толбо | 4,100 | 3,746 | 4,260 | 4,076 | 4,136 | 1,067 | 2,974.69 | 1.39 | 76 |
| Tsagaannuur | Цагааннуур | - | 1,878 | 1,528 | 1,452 | 1,473 | 1,473 | 1,403.34 | 1.05 | 69 |
| Tsengel | Цэнгэл | 6,700 | 6,539 | 8,364 | 8,305 | 8,348 | 2,028 | 6,463.17 | 1.29 | 79 |
| Ulaankhus | Улаанхус | 7,300 | 6,807 | 8,672 | 8,748 | 8,407 | 1,480 | 6,047.93 | 1.39 | 46 |
The main economy activity of the province isanimal husbandry. In 2022, there were 2.3 million head of livestock in the province.[23] 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.[24]
First secretaries
| Chairmen of executive committee
| After 1991
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TheÖlgii Airport (ULG/ZMUL) has one runway, unpaved until 2011. It offers regular flights toUlaanbaatar and irregular flights toUlaangom and Mörön in Mongolia andAlmaty inKazakhstan.
A road connecting to Russia starts inTsagaannuur.
The border with China is open only for a short time in the summer.
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Places adjacent to Bayan-Ölgii Province | |
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| Aimags (provinces) |  | |
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| Municipality | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
