Tsetserleg , also romanized as Cecerleg ( mn, Цэцэрлэг, ; "park" or "garden") is the capital of Arkhangai Aimag (province) in

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 lies on the northeastern slopes 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 ...

, southwest of

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 ...

. It has a population of 16,553 (2000 census, with Erdenebulgan sum rural territories population was 18,519), 16,618 (2003 est.), 16,300 (2006 est.). Tsetserleg is geographically located in the Bulgan sum in the south of the aimag. It is not to be confused with Tsetserleg sum in the north. In 1992 Tsetserleg was designated as Erdenebulgan sum, which has an area of .

History

Tsetserleg is an ancient cultural and commercial centre. It was once the seat of a monastery ( Zayiin Gegeen Monastery), built by the First Khalkh Zaya Pandita, Luvsanperenlei (1642–1715) (who should not be confused with

Zaya Pandita Zaya Pandita or Namkhaijamts (1599–1662) was a Buddhist missionary priest and scholar of Oirat origin who is the most prominent Oirat Buddhist scholar. Among his accomplishments is the invention of the Clear Script. Biography Zaya Pandita ...

Namkhaijantsan (1599–1662)). It consisted of the main Guden Süm, the Right, or Summer Semchin Temple, and the Left, or Winter Semchin Temple, all built in the early 1680s. The sixth Zaya Pandita, Jambatseren, was killed by the Communists in 1932, and the main Guden temple was turned into a museum. There is a seventh Zaya Pandita, but he mostly lives in Ulan Bator and visits only occasionally.

Facilities

Tsetserleg has an airport, with regular connections from and to Ulan Bator, a theatre, hotel, hospital, and an agricultural college. The main industry is food processing.

Famous people

* Bat-Erdenyn Batbayar (Baabar), historian *

Radnaasümbereliin Gonchigdorj Radnaasümbereliin Gonchigdorj ( mn, Раднаасүмбэрэлийн Гончигдорж; born 1953) is Mongolian politician from the Mongolian Social Democratic Party and he has served twice as the Chairman of the legislature of Mongolia fr ...

* Gelegjamtsyn Ösökhbayar, wrestler *

Maidarjavyn Ganzorig Maidarjavyn Ganzorig ( mn, Майдаржавын Ганзориг; 5 February 1949 – 4 July 2021) was a Mongolian cosmonaut and academic. In 1978, he participated in the Soviet Intercosmos program and trained for the Soyuz 39 mission. Biog ...

, cosmonaut and scientist

Climate

Tsetserleg has a dry-winter

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, g ...

('' Dwc''). It is part of a

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

which experiences cooler summers and warmer winters than the rest of Mongolia. Wind speed is also relatively calm on average. In the coldest month of winter, January, it is often the warmest place in the country and temperatures rarely plummet below -30 °C, often hovering at around -15 °C to -25 °C during nighttime and 5 °C to -15 °C during daytime. In January 2014 and 2015 the coldest temperature was -26 °C (each during a short cold snap) while average minimum temperature was -16 °C which was 12 degrees warmer than the

average minimum of -28.5 °C (January 2014 and 2015) and identical to the

Hohhot Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the capital of Inner Mongolia in the north of the People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrative, economic and cultural center.''The N ...

average minimum of -16 °C (January 2014 and 2015). The average maximum temperature in January 2015 was 0 °C or the same as Hohhot while overall average January temperature was -9 °C again the same as Hohhot. The warmest temperature of the 10 days above 0 °C in January 2015 was 7 °C which was warmer than Hohhot in which the warmest of the 8 days above 0 °C in January 2015 was 6 °C.

Dalanzadgad Dalanzadgad ( mn, Даланзадгад; ) is the capital of Ömnögovi Aimag in Mongolia. It is located south of the national capital Ulaanbaatar. The altitude of the city center is 1,470 meters (4,823 feet). As of 2011, its population is 19,3 ...

and

Arvaikheer Arvaikheer, also spelt Arwaiheer ( mn, Арвайхээр, ; "Barley Steppe") is the capital of Övörkhangai Aimag (province) and one of the most central points of Mongolia. It is a centre for traditional crafts, goat herding and equestrian ...

, two other 'mild' cities of Mongolia, experienced identical temperatures although average minimum was marginally warmer at -15 °C each while Dalanzadgad's warmest January day was marginally warmer at 8 °C. Tsetserleg belongs to USDA

Plant Hardiness Zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

5.# Climate History for Tsetserleg, Mongolia. Weather Underground.
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Sister cities

References

"Tsetserleg" Encyclopædia Britannica
* Mongolia City Development Strategies for Secondary Citie

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsetserleg (City) Aimag centers Arkhangai Province