Ulaanbaatar

Capital and largest city of Mongolia, lying to the north in the valley of the River Tuul in the Khenti Mountains; population (2000 est) 760,100. Industries include machine tools, cement, bricks, pharmaceuticals, carpets, textiles, footwear, meat packing, brewing, and distilling, especially of vodka. It is the centre of Mongolia's road and rail network, and connected to the Trans-Siberian and Chinese railways. The city is also served by an international airport.

History
Ulaanbaatar was founded in 1639 as the Da Khure Monastery, a Lamaist house of the Tibetan Buddhist religion which became the residence of the ‘bodgo-gegen’ or high priest. Positioned on the caravan route between Russia and China, it developed as a trading centre, particularly from the 19th century. Mongolia became an independent state in 1911, with Urga as its capital, but in 1924 it became part of the USSR as the Mongolian Peoples' Republic, and the city was renamed Ulaanbaatar. During the Soviet era religion declined, but since the re-establishment of an independent Mongolia in 1991, over 100 monasteries have reopened.