| Khövsgöl Aimag | |||
| Хөвсгөл аймаг | |||
| Province | |||
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| Nickname: The Switzerland of Mongolia | |||
| Country | Mongolia | ||
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| Coordinates | |||
| Capital | Mörön | ||
| Area | 100,628.82 km2 (38,853 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 125,274 (2009) | ||
| Density | 1.23 / km2 (3 / sq mi) | ||
| Founded | 1931 | ||
| Timezone | UTC+8 | ||
| Area code | +976 (0)138 | ||
| License plate | ХӨ_ (_ variable) | ||
| ISO 3166-2 code | MN-041 | ||
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| Website: http://www.huvsgul.mn/ | |||
Khövsgöl (Mongolian: Хөвсгөл) is the northernmost of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. The name is derived from Lake Khövsgöl.
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The Aimag is quite mountainous. The south and southwest are dominated by the round-topped Tarvagatai, Bulnain and Erchim sub-ranges of the Khangai massif. The areas west and north of Lake Khövsgöl are formed by the alpine Khoridol Saridag, Ulaan Taiga, and Mönkh Saridag mountains. The center and east are less mountainous, but still hilly.
Within Mongolia, the region is well-known for its natural beauty, and Lake Khövsgöl is one of the country's major tourist attractions. The largest forest areas of Mongolia are located around and to the north of the lake, extending the south-siberian Taiga.
The aimag was founded in 1931. Khatgal was the administrative center until 1933, since when it has been Mörön.
| 1956 census |
1960 est. |
1963 census |
1969 census |
1975 est. |
1979 census |
1981 est. |
1989 census |
1992 est. |
1996 est. |
1998 est. |
2000 census |
2003 est. |
2005 est. |
2007 est. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58,200 | 64,000 | 63,700 | 74,800 | 82,300 | 88,200 | 91,100 | 101,800 | 119,133 | 113,312 | 117,123 | 117,914 | 124,126 | 123,416 | 123,275 |
The region is home to many ethnic minority groups: Darkhad, Khotgoid, Uriankhai, Buriad, and Tsaatan. Both the Darkhad and Tsaatan are famous for their practice of shamanism.
| Ethnic minority groups in Khövsgöl (self-identification), 2000 census[6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Group | Population | Percentage |
| Darkhad | 16,268 | 13.8% |
| Khotgoid | 6229 | 5.3% |
| Uriankhai | 3036 | 2.6% |
| Buriad | 996 | 0.84% |
| Tsaatan | 269 | 0.23% |
| Total population | 117914 | 100% |
Famous people from Khövsgöl include:
Henning Haslund-Christensen, a Danish traveller and explorer, spent one or two years in a place that today is in Erdenebulgan sum in the early 1920s. Some locals believe that Alan Gua, a female ancestor of Genghis Khan, hails from what is now Chandmani-Öndör.
In 2007, the aimag was home to about 3.43 million heads of livestock, among them about 1,510,000 goats, 1,442,000 sheep, 322,000 cattle and yaks, 150,000 horses, 2,350 camels, and 652 reindeer.[5]
The Mörön Airport (ZMMN/MXV) has one paved runway. It offers regular flights from and to Ulaanbaatar, and also serves as intermediate stop into the western Aimags.
The Khatgal Airport (HTM) only runs scheduled flights from and to Ulaanbaatar in summer, offering a more direct approach to Lake Khövsgöl for the tourists.
The road distance from Mörön to Ulaanbaatar is 690 km. At present (2011), a new road is under construction from Mörön to Lake Khövsgöl.
| Sum | Mongolian | Population 1987 (approx.)[7] |
Population 1994 [8] |
Population 2000[9] |
Population 2005[10] | Population 2009[11] |
Sum centre population (2009)[11] |
Area (km²)[5] |
Density (/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alag-Erdene Khatgal |
Алаг-Эрдэнэ Хатгал |
2,300 7,000[12] |
2,809 3,756 |
2,825 2,498 |
2,992 2,831 |
2,980 2,952 |
744 2,952 |
3,591.5 911,4 |
0.83 3.24 |
| Arbulag | Арбулаг | 3,100 | 4,272 | 4,487 | 4,164 | 3,989 | 728 | 3,529.21 | 1.13 |
| Bayanzürkh | Баянзүрх | 3,300 | 4,180 | 4,202 | 3,863 | 3,964 | 742 | 4,299.14 | 0.92 |
| Bürentogtokh | Бүрэнтогтох | 3,800 | 5,043 | 4,678 | 4,251 | 4,245 | 735 | 3,768.60 | 1.12 |
| Chandmani-Öndör | Чандмань-Өндөр | 2,100 | 2,891 | 3,063 | 2,944 | 3,006 | 1,018 | 4,487.54 | 0.67 |
| Erdenebulgan | Эрдэнэбулган | 2,300 | 3,086 | 2,739 | 2,849 | 2,763 | 1,060 | 4,694.38 | 0.59 |
| Galt | Галт | 4,400 | 5,573 | 5,328 | 4,876 | 5,132 | 777 | 3,596.83 | 1.43 |
| Ikh-Uul | Их-Уул | 3,200 | 3,767 | 3,959 | 4,126 | 4,170 | 1,387 | 2,023.82 | 2.06 |
| Jargalant | Жаргалант | 3,700 | 4,866 | 5,086 | 5,109 | 5,183 | 1,315 | 2,549.28 | 2.03 |
| Khankh | Ханх | n.a. | 2,227 | 2,140 | 2,346 | 2,460 | 1,422 | 5,498.71 | 0.45 |
| Mörön | Мөрөн | n.a. | 27,230 | 28,147 | 35,872 | 36,082 | 36,072 | 102.90 | 350.55 |
| Rashaant | Рашаант | 2,500 | 3,195 | 3,280 | 3,559 | 3,501 | 987 | 1,982.52 | 1.77 |
| Renchinlkhümbe | Рэнчинлхүмбэ | 3,900[13] | 4,040 | 4,284 | 4,614 | 4,740 | 825 | 8,448.34 | 0.56 |
| Shine-Ider | Шинэ-Идэр | 3,900 | 4,616 | 4,348 | 4,068 | 3,824 | 1,718 | 2,053.56 | 1.86 |
| Tarialan | Тариалан | 4,800 | 6,122 | 6,070 | 5,936 | 6,085 | 3,272 | 3,430.67 | 1.77 |
| Tömörbulag | Төмөрбулаг | 3,100 | 4,084 | 4,171 | 4,353 | 4,174 | 613 | 2,521.72 | 1.66 |
| Tosontsengel | Тосонцэнгэл | 2,800 | 3,683 | 4,161 | 3,615 | 4,144 | 1,166 | 2,042.23 | 2,03 |
| Tsagaannuur | Цагааннуур | 900 | 1,248 | 1,317 | 1,405 | 1,547 | 708 | 5,408.30 | 0.29 |
| Tsagaan-Uul | Цагаан-Уул | 4,300 | 5,547 | 5,696 | 5,145 | 5,332 | 940 | 5,866.3 | 0.91 |
| Tsagaan-Üür | Цагаан-Үүр | 2,000 | 2,590 | 2,421 | 2,442 | 2,459 | 946 | 8,735.33 | 0.28 |
| Tsetserleg | Цэцэрлэг | 4,400 | 5,591 | 5,876 | 4,693 | 4,766 | 807 | 7,451.62 | 0.64 |
| Tünel | Түнэл | 2,900 | 3,579 | 3,556 | 3,465 | 3,528 | 1,105 | 3,577.33 | 0.99 |
| Ulaan-Uul | Улаан-Уул | 2,700 | 3,396 | 3,726 | 3,898 | 4,118 | 1,386 | 10,057.52 | 0.41 |
| Russia | ||||
| Khövsgöl Province | ||||
| Zavkhan Province | Arkhangai Province | Bulgan Province |
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