The Tuul River or Tula River (; , , ; in older sources also Tola) is a river in central and northern

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 ...

. Sacred to the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

, the Tuul is generally called the Hatan Tuul (, ; "Queen Tuul"). It is long and drains an area of . The ''Secret History of the Mongols'' (1240 AD) frequently mentions a "Black Forest of the Tuul River" where the palace of Ong Khan was located. The river originates in the

Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area The Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area is a government administered Strictly Protected Area in the Khentii aimag (province) in Eastern Mongolia. Strictly Protected Areas are regions of land designated by the Mongolian government as wildlife pr ...

in the

Khentii Mountains The Khentii Mountains () are a mountain range in the Töv and Khentii Provinces in northeastern Mongolia. History The mountains were called the Langjuxu Mountains (狼居胥山) in ancient China. In 119 BC, the Han dynasty army fought the ...

, in the Erdene sum of Töv aimag. From there, it travels southwest until it reaches the territory 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 ...

. Its water runs through the southern part of the capital city of Mongolia, continuing in a western direction in large loops. When it meets the border of Bulgan aimag it turns north, running along that border. After it enters Selenge aimag, it discharges into 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 ...

near the sum center of Orkhontuul sum. The Orkhon flows into the

Selenge River The Selenga ( ) or Selenge is a major river in Mongolia and Buryatia, Russia. Originating from its headwater tributaries, the Ider and the Delger mörön, it flows for before draining into Lake Baikal. The Selenga therefore makes up the most ...

, which flows into

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is a rift lake and the deepest lake in the world. It is situated in southern Siberia, Russia between the Federal subjects of Russia, federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblasts of Russia, Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

. The Tuul River also flows along the

Khustain Nuruu National Park Hustai National Park (), located in the Khustai Mountains of Töv Province, is a national park of Mongolia. It is also known as Khustain Nuruu National Park. It covers an area of . The Tuul River runs through the park. History The Mongolian Go ...

. It is typically frozen over from the middle of November through the middle of April. Willow forests grow along the Tuul River, and the river itself is home to endangered species of

sturgeon Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...

. Currently the river is suffering from

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

, some caused by Ulaanbaatar's central sewage treatment facility, as well as heavy mineral and

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to th ...

pollution caused by

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...

in the

Zaamar Zaamar () is a sum of Töv Province in Mongolia. With a total area of 2,900 square kilometers, a population of 37,500, and 7,500 households, it is one of the largest areas in Mongolia. Geography Zaamar has a total area of 2,803 square kilometer ...

area. In addition, the steady influx of people settling near the river may be causing a degradation of water quality.

Usage

In 2014, almost 100 million m³ of water was withdrawn from the river for domestic, livestock, cropland and industrial use, making it the most used river in Mongolia.

References

External links

*UNESC
paper
on water usage in Mongolia, including information on the Tuul River *Scientifi
analysis
of Tuul River flows (PDF format)
Report
on effects of gold mining on the Tuul River *Investors
report
on gold deposits in the Tuul River basin

of the Tuul River
Report
on environmental problems in Hustai National Park and the Tuul River valley {{Authority control Rivers of Mongolia Geography of Ulaanbaatar Geography of Khentii Province Töv Province Bulgan Province Selenge Province

Usage

See also

References

External links