Provinces of Mongolia

Mongolia

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Mongolia is divided into 21 aimags (Mongolian: аймаг, sometimes translated to province[1]). Each aimag is subdivided into several sums.[2][3] The name aimag is derived from the Mongolian and Turkic languages word for "tribe". The modern aimags were established since 1921. The capital, Ulaanbaatar, is governed as an independent municipality separate from Tov Aimag, in which it is located.

List of Aimags
Seal Aimag Mongolian
(Cyrillic)		 Mongolian
(Script)		 Sums
2009[4]
 Bags
2009[4]
 1979-01-05
Census		 1989-01-05
Census		 2000-01-05
Census		 2009-12-31
est.[5]		 2010-11-10
Census[4]		 Area
(km²)[6]		 Density
(/km²)		 Capital Mongolian
Arkhangai Архангай ᠠᠷᠤᠬᠠᠩᠭᠠᠢ 19 99| 77,575 84,517 97,091 92,449 84,584 55,313.82 1.53 Tsetserleg Цэцэрлэг
Bayan-Ölgii Баян-Өлгий ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨ ᠥᠯᠦᠭᠡᠢ 13 86 71,416 90,911 91,068 101,848 88,056 45,704.89 1.93 Ölgii Өлгий
Bayankhongor Баянхонгор ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠩᠬᠣᠩᠭᠣᠷ 20 103 63,048 74,574 84,779 85,365 76,085 115,977.80 0.66 Bayankhongor Баянхонгор
Bulgan Булган ᠪᠤᠯᠠᠭᠠᠨ 16 74 42,398 51,910 61,776 62,340 53,655 48,733.00 1.10 Bulgan Булган
Darkhan-Uul Дархан-Уул ᠳᠠᠷᠬᠠᠨ ᠠᠭᠤᠯᠠ 4 24 50,572 85,737 83,271 90,050 94,625 3,275.00 28.89 Darkhan Дархан
Dornod Дорнод ᠳᠣᠷᠤᠨᠠᠳᠤ 14 63 58,860 81,073 75,373 73,625 69,552 123,597.43 0.56 Choibalsan Чойбалсан
Dornogovi Дорноговь ᠳᠣᠷᠤᠨᠠᠭᠣᠪᠢ 14 60 42,349 57,103 50,575 58,318 58,612 109,472.30 0.54 Sainshand Сайншанд
Dundgovi Дундговь ᠳᠤᠮᠳᠠᠭᠣᠪᠢ 15 66 38,937 49,320 51,517 47,671 38,821 74,690.32 0.52 Mandalgovi Мандал-Говь
Govi-Altai Говь-Алтай ᠭᠣᠪᠢ ᠠᠯᠲᠠᠢ 18 83 55,884 62,773 63,673 59,376 53,590 141,447.67 0.38 Altai Алтай
Govisümber Говьсүмбэр ᠭᠣᠪᠢ ᠰᠦᠮᠪᠦᠷ 3 10 -* -* 12,230 13,293 13,240 5,541.80 2.39 Choir Чойр
Khentii Хэнтий ᠺᠡᠨᠲᠡᠢ 17 83 52,784 73,804 70,946 71,458 65,811 80,325.08 0.82 Öndörkhaan Өндөрхаан
Khovd Ховд ᠬᠣᠪᠲᠤ 17 91 62,565 76,553 86,831 88,505 76,870 76,060.38 1.01 Khovd Ховд
Khövsgöl Хөвсгөл ᠺᠥᠪᠰᠦᠭᠦᠯ 23 125 88,500 101,833 119,063 124,108 114,926 100,628.82 1.14 Mörön Мөрөн
Ömnögovi Өмнөговь ᠡᠮᠦᠨᠡᠭᠣᠪᠢ 15 56 32,929 42,445 46,858 49,333 61,314 165,380.47 0.37 Dalanzadgad Даланзадгад
Orkhon Орхон ᠣᠷᠬᠣᠨ 2 22 31,851 56,136 71,525 83,145 90,700 844.00 107.46 Erdenet Эрдэнэт
Övörkhangai Өвөрхангай ᠥᠪᠦᠷᠬᠠᠩᠭᠠᠢ 19 105 82,504 96,510 111,420 117,513 101,314 62,895.33 1.61 Arvaikheer Арвайхээр
Selenge Сэлэнгэ ᠰᠡᠯᠡᠩᠭᠡ 17 49 65,118 86,952 99,950 103,459 97,585 41,152.63 2.37 Sükhbaatar Сүхбаатар
Sükhbaatar Сүхбаатар ᠰᠦᠺᠡᠪᠠᠭᠠᠲᠤᠷ 13 66 43,229 50,846 56,166 54,955 51,334 82,287.15 0.62 Baruun-Urt Баруун-Урт
Töv Төв ᠲᠥᠪ 27 97 80,547 100,088 99,268 88,503 85,166 74,042.37 1.15 Zuunmod Зуунмод
Uvs Увс ᠤᠪᠰᠤ 19 92 72,302 83,958 90,037 78,801 73,323 69,585.39 1.05 Ulaangom Улаангом
Zavkhan Завхан ᠵᠠᠪᠬᠠᠨ 24 114 79,990 88,518 89,999 79,320 65,481 82,455.66 0.79 Uliastai Улиастай
Ulan Bator
(Municipality)		 Улаанбаатар ᠤᠯᠠᠭᠠᠨᠪᠠᠭᠠᠲᠤᠷ 9 (Düüreg) 403,000 548,400 760,077 1,240,037 1,154,290 4,704.40 226.90 Ulan Bator Улаанбаатар

*- Govisümber aimag was split from Dornogovi aimag in 1994.

History

During the Qing Dynasty, the territory of Outer Mongolia was divided (from east to west) into the Setsen Khan, Tüsheet Khan, Sain Noyon Khan, and Zasagt Khan aimags plus the Khovd area. The northern border to Russia was guarded by a watch post area. After Mongolia's second declaration of independence in 1921, the aimags were renamed in 1923, to Khaan Khentii Uulyn Aimag, Bogd Khan Uulyn Aimag, Tsetserleg Mandal Uulyn Aimag, and Khan Taishir Uulyn Aimag, respectively. The Khovd area and the Jebtsundamba Khutughtu's great shabi (personal fiefdom) turned into aimags of their own, Chandmani Uulyn Aimag and Delger Ikh Uulyn Aimag, respectively (the latter was later merged with Tsetserleg Mandal Uulyn Aimag). But otherwise the administrative structure was largely left unchanged until the 1930s.

An administrative reorganisation was initiated in 1931, which resulted in the Aimags Khovd, Dörvöd (later renamed Uvs), Altai (later renamed Govi-Altai), Khövsgöl, Zavkhan, Arkhangai, Övörkhangai, Ömnögovi, Tariachin (later split into parts of Bulgan and Selenge), Töv, Dornogovi, Khentii and Dornod (later renamed to Choibalsan). The Bayankhongor, Bayan-Ölgii, Bulgan, Dundgovi, Sükhbaatar, and Selenge aimags were created in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Choibalsan Aimag was re-renamed to Dornod Aimag in 1963, and the capital Ulan Bator was split from Töv Aimag as a separate district. The same status was given to the newly founded industrial cities of Darkhan (1961 in the Selenge Aimag) and Erdenet (1975 in the Bulgan Aimag). In 1994, two Sums of the Bulgan Aimag were taken to build the Orkhon Aimag around Erdenet, and four Sums of the Selenge Aimag to build the Darkhan-Uul Aimag around Darkhan, ending the special status of the two cities. In a highly disputed decision, the Govisümber Aimag was split from the Dornogovi Aimag in 1996.

See also

References

  1. ^ as in the CIA Factbook [1] and on Statoids.com [2]
  2. ^ Mongolian constitution, article 57
  3. ^ Montsame News Agency. Mongolia. 2006, Foreign Service office of Montsame News Agency, ISBN 9992906278, p. 46
  4. ^ a b c Mongolia National Census 2010 official site. Aimags: Interactive Map.
  5. ^ Mongolia National Census 2010 preliminary results
  6. ^ Mongolia Landuse Annual Report 2007

External links

Aimags (provinces)
Municipality
Articles on first-level administrative divisions of Asian countries