Choibalsan (city)

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This article is about the mongolian city. For other uses, see Choibalsan.

Bridge over the Kherlen River in Choibalsan

Choibalsan (Mongolian: Чойбалсан) is the fourth-largest city in Mongolia. The name of the city was Bayan Tumen (Баян Тумэн) until 1941, when it was renamed after the communist leader Khorloogiin Choibalsan. It is the capital of the aimag (province) of Dornod and has a population of 41,714 (as of 2000). It is situated at the Kherlen River, at an elevation of 747 m above sea.

[edit] History

The location has been a post on a trading route for centuries. In the 19th century it grew into a city, and became the economic hub of eastern Mongolia in the twentieth century. After democratization 1992, when the russian workers left, large parts of the economy collapsed. Since then, the city suffers from one of the highest unemployment rates in Mongolia.

[edit] Population

Choibalsan is inhabited primarly by Khalkha Mongolians, with smaller numbers of Buryats, Barga, and Uzemchin. There's also a minority of immigrants from Inner Mongolia in China.