Kharkhorin () is a town and sum (district) center in

Övörkhangai Province Övörkhangai (; " South Khangai") is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. Its capital is Arvaikheer. The Shankh Monastery, one of the oldest and most important monasteries, is located in this province, as well as Erdene Zuu monast ...

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 ...

. The sum population was 13,828 (1994), 13,964 (2000), and 14,765 (2017). The population of Kharkhorin town itself was 14,765 in 2017 and covered an area of 20.5 km². Kharkhorin is located at the lower end of the upper valley of the

Orkhon River The Orkhon River ( ) is the longest river in Mongolia. It rises in the Khangai Mountains in the Tsenkher, Tsenkher sum of Arkhangai Province, Arkhangai Provinces of Mongolia, aimag at the foot of the Suvraga Khairkhan mountain. From there, it ...

which is included within UNESCO's

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape. The location marks the easternmost foothills of the

Khangai Mountains The Khangai Mountains form a mountain range, range in central Mongolia, some west of Ulaanbaatar. Name Two provinces of Mongolia are named after the Khangai mountains: Arkhangai (North Khangai) and Ovorkhangai (South Khangai). The mild climat ...

, where they meet the rolling steppe of central Mongolia. Nearby are the ruins of the ancient town of

Karakorum Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...

(also known as Kharkhorum or Qara Qorum) which, for a short time, served as the capital of the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

under Ogedei Khan. Another Kharkhorin landmark is Erdene Zuu Monastery and its famous phallic rock. The important Paleolithic archaeological site of Moiltyn-am is located near the bridge over the Orkhon River, just west of the settlement. A modern resort is south of Kharkhorin at Khujirt on the Orkhon River. Kharkhorin's principal sources of income are tourism and agriculture. Water from the Orkhon River serves to irrigate crops on the large plain east of the town.

Climate

Kharkhorin has a dry-winter warm-summer

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

(

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 ...

''Dwb'').

Administrative divisions

The district is divided into eight

bags A bag, also known regionally as a sack, is a common tool in the form of a floppy container, typically made of cloth, leather, bamboo, paper, or plastic. The use of bags predates recorded history, with the earliest bags being lengths of animal s ...

, which are: * Erdenetolgoi * Gangan-Orkhon * Jalbaa * Nariin Khur * Ongotson-Ukhaa * Orkhon * Shankh * Vangiin-Ovoo

Infrastructure

With the absence of a centralized district heating system, the district center of Kharkhorin is heated by five private boiler houses, with the company TSTR LLC as the largest one, supplying 42% of the total heat consumed in Kharhorin. All of the boilers are privately owned. It has a total capacity of 6.8 MW with the design heat load of 6.5 MW. The boilers use untreated raw water. The heating season runs 15 September through 15 May. All of the boilers of the Kharkhorin district heating system are powered by coal.

Tourist attractions

* Erdene Zuu Monastery * Erdenesiin Khuree * Monument for Mongol States * Khushuu Tsaidam Museum

Transportation

The Kharkhorin Airport (KHR/ZMHH) has one unpaved runway and is served by regular flights from and to

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 ...

. The district has a 8.2-km of paved road within the district center.

Notable natives

* Batjargalyn Batbayar, politician

References

* PADCO: Mongolia Urban Development and Housing Sector Strategy, Final Report, Vol. 2, 200

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