The Khangai Mountains ( mn, Хангайн нуруу, Hangain nuruu, ); form a range in central

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 millio ...

, some west 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 c ...

Name

Two provinces of Mongolia are named after the Khangai mountains: Arkhangai (North Khangai) and Ovorkhangai (South Khangai). The mild climate area where the two provinces meet (in eastern Khangai) is known as the cradle of Mongolian and nomadic civilization. The plains at the foot of the eastern Khangai host the Orkhon Valley World Heritage Site. The Xiongnu capital Luut Khot (Lungcheng), the

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into t ...

capital Ordo and the Rouran capital Moomt (Mume) are said to have been located there. Later empires also established their capitals there: e.g. the

Uyghur Khaganate The Uyghur Khaganate (also Uyghur Empire or Uighur Khaganate, self defined as Toquz-Oghuz country; otk, 𐱃𐰆𐰴𐰕:𐰆𐰍𐰕:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣, Toquz Oγuz budun, Tang-era names, with modern Hanyu Pinyin: or ) was a Turkic empire that e ...

(745–840) built their capital

Ordu-Baliq Ordu-Baliqalso spelled ''Ordu Balykh, Ordu Balik, Ordu-Balïq, Ordu Balig, Ordu Baligh'' (meaning "city of the court", "city of the army"; mn, Хар Балгас, ), also known as Mubalik and Karabalghasun, was the capital of the first Uyghur ...

in the region.

Features

The tallest mountain is

Otgontenger Otgontenger ( mn, Отгонтэнгэр, , "youngest sky") is the highest peak in the Khangai Mountains in Mongolia. Its summit is currently calculated to reach an elevation of 4,008 meters above mean sea level (some earlier topographic maps re ...

( "Youngest sky"), which is about 4,000 metres tall. It is revered by the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

and state ceremonies are held there. Suvraga Khairkhan, 3,117 metres tall, is another sacred mountain to the east of Tsetserleg.

Taryatu-Chulutu Taryatu-Chulutu ( mn, Тариатын чулуут, ''tariatyn chuluut'', "rocks of Tariat") is a volcanic field in Mongolia. It is part of a volcanic area in Central Asia in the Hangai range that may be linked to the rifting of the Lake Baikal ...

is an extinct volcanic field on the northern slopes of the Khangai Mountains. The mountains feed the rivers

Orkhon Orkhon ( mn, Орхон) may refer to: * Orkhon River, Mongolia * Orkhon Valley, the landscape around that river * Orkhon Province, an Aimag (province) in Mongolia * several Sums (districts) in different Mongolian Aimags: ** Orkhon, Bulgan ** Or ...

, Selenge, Ider, Zavkhan and the lakes Orog and Böön tsagaan. In the west, the Khangai mountains transition into the Great Lakes Depression. The Khangai mountain region is known for its mild microclimates in certain areas. Winters there are not as harsh as in other parts of the country.Vertical Variability of Climatic Conditions in the Khangai Mountains
(1980). Brzezniak, Eligiusz; Niedzwiedz, Tadeusz. p.34. Altay-Sayan map en

References

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Mongolia