Baganuur (, , ''Little Lake'') is one of nine

düüreg Ulaanbaatar is divided into nine düüregs or municipal districts: Baganuur, Bagakhangai, Bayangol, Bayanzürkh, Chingeltei, Khan Uul, Nalaikh, Songino Khairkhan and Sükhbaatar. Each district is subdivided into khoroos, of which the ...

s (districts) of the

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

n capital of

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

. It is subdivided into five

khoroo A khoroo (; ) is an administrative subdivision of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. The term is often translated as subdistrict or microdistrict A microdistrict or microraion is a residential complex—a primary structural element of ...

s (subdistricts). Baganuur is a remote district and

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

covering 620 square kilometres (239 sq mi), situated on the border between Töv and Khentii

aimag An aimag ( ; ; ), 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 administrative subdivision. ...

s. Originally established as a

Soviet military The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

base for the

12th Motor Rifle Division The 12th Motor Rifle Division was a motorized infantry division of the Soviet Army, formed twice. It was formed in 1957 from the 12th Rifle Division (Soviet Union), 12th Rifle Division and disbanded in 1958. The division was reformed in 1960 and ...

, it later became the site of Mongolia’s largest open-pit coal mine. Baganuur is one of Mongolia's major industrial centers, particularly in coal production, and ranks among Mongolia’s ten largest cities. Efforts are ongoing to separate its administration from the capital and designate it as an independent city.

Transportation

Baganuur is the endpoint of a side line of the

Trans-Mongolian Railway The Trans-Mongolian Railway (, ) connects Ulan-Ude on the Trans-Siberian Railway in Buryatia, Russia, with Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia, China, via Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. It was completed in 1956, and runs from northwest to south ...

, which connects to the main line in

Bagakhangai Bagakhangai (, ''small wooded area'') is one of nine düüregs (districts) of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. History Bagakhangai was established as the home of a Soviet military air base. Geography Bagakhangai is an exclave of southeas ...

. Due to high operation cost, Mongolian Railway had stopped passenger service on the Ulaanbaatar-Baganuur-Ulaanbaatar, although freight trains still normally transport coal to Ulaanbaatar and other neighbouring towns. Baganuur is also accessible via 138 km of paved road completed in 2004.

2008 methanol scare

On December 31, 2007, Baganuur became the center of a massive

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

poisoning case that stemmed from substandard production methods of a local vodka manufacturer. The poison killed 14 people and hospitalized dozens of others. This case led to a complete ban of vodka sales in Ulaanbaatar for several days, and also highlighted one of Mongolia's

food safety Food safety (or food hygiene) is used as a scientific method/discipline describing handling, food processing, preparation, and food storage, storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a simi ...

problems.

Climate

Baganuur has a dry-winter

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental 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 ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dwc'').

References

{{Districts of Ulan Bator