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Arvaikheer, also spelt Arwaiheer ( mn, Арвайхээр, ; "Barley Steppe") is the capital of Övörkhangai Aimag (province) and one of the most central points of
Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
. It is a centre for traditional crafts, goat herding and equestrian sports, and hosts a large regional horse festival every year. Arvaikheer has a population of 19,058 (2000 census), 23,298 (2004 est.), 24,954 (2006 est.), 25,622 (2008 est.Övörkhangai Aimag Sums Statistics, 2009
). Arvaikheer is by far the largest town in the
aimag An aimag (, ; xal, әәмг, ), originally a Mongolian word meaning 'tribe', is an administrative subdivision in Mongolia, Russia, and in the Inner Mongolia region of China. Mongolia In Mongolia, an aimag is the first-level administrativ ...
.


Climate

Arvaikheer has a
cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
''BSk'') with mild summers and relatively mild winters by Mongolian standards. The 30 degrees Celsius difference between average January and average July temperature makes it the mildest place in Mongolia, along with
Tsetserleg Tsetserleg ( mn, Цэцэрлэг, ''garden'') may signify: * Tsetserleg (city), the capital of Arkhangai aimag in Mongolia * two sums (districts) in different aimags of Mongolia: ** Tsetserleg, Arkhangai Tsetserleg ( mn, Цэцэрлэг сум; ...
in
Arkhangai Province The Arkhangai Province or Arkhangai Aimag ( mn, Архангай аймаг, Arhangai aimag, ; "North Khangai") is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located slightly west of the country's center, on the northern slopes of the Khangai Mou ...
. It is located in a microclimate in the center of Mongolia which sees less harsh winters than the rest of the country. Its elevation at the foot of the eastern hills of the
Khangai Mountains The Khangai Mountains ( mn, Хангайн нуруу, Hangain nuruu, ); form a range in central Mongolia, some west of Ulaanbaatar. Name Two provinces of Mongolia are named after the Khangai mountains: Arkhangai (North Khangai) and Ovorkhan ...
augments its mildness by keeping it distant from cold air pools in low basins. Most precipitation falls in the summer as rain, with some snow in March, April and October. Winters are very dry.


Transportation

The Arvaykheer Airport has one unpaved runway and is served by regular flights to
Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...
and Altai. Arvaikheer is linked to Ulaanbaatar by a paved road and can be reached by public buses from the capital.


Sights and Infrastructure

Until 1990, Arvaikheer was the headquarters of a large division of the Soviet Army which had a profound influence on daily life in the town. After the fall of Soviet Communism, however, many public buildings were renovated or rebuilt, e.g. the Sports' Palace in the eastern part of the town. A large park was laid out opposite. Another public park is being laid out in the west of the town center. Planting trees and flowers is difficult in Arvaikheer, as the climate is dry and the annual precipitations are just 254,2 mm per year. Most of the inhabitants do not live in yurts, but in houses built of stone. There are several interesting modern buildings in the town center, e.g. the urban administration building and the theatre, which have recently been renovated, in the central square. The high street of Arvaikheer is a broad tree-lined avenue where two monuments dating from the times of the Mongolian People's Republic before 1990 are worth a visit as well. Gandan Muntsaglan Khiid is a comparatively large monastery located about one mile from the central square. By order of Khorloogiin Choibalsan, it was destroyed in 1937, but reopened in 1991. As of 2008, about 60 monks live there. The Aimag Museum where various fossils and artifacts from
Karakorum Karakorum ( Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian Script:, ''Qaraqorum''; ) was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan dynasty in the 14–15th centuries. Its ruins lie in t ...
can be seen is worth a visit as well.Michael Kohn: ''Mongolia'', p. 118. London 2008. Another museum is dedicated to the artist, Zanabazar. Arvaikheer has a large hospital, a kindergarten and various schools and colleges. There are three hotels, an internet café and restaurants in the center. In comparison to other towns in Mongolia, Arvaikheer offers a large variety of shops.


References

{{coord, 46, 15, 58, N, 102, 46, 40, E, display=title, region:MN_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Districts of Övörkhangai Province Aimag centers