Aimags of Mongolia
Encyclopedia
Mongolia
is divided into 21 aimag
s . Each aimag is subdivided into several sums. The name aimag
is derived from the Mongolian
and Turkic languages
word for "tribe
". The modern aimags were established since 1921. The capital, Ulaanbaatar, is governed as an independent municipality separate from Tov Aimag, in which it is located.
*- Govisümber aimag was split from Dornogovi aimag in 1994.
, the territory of Outer Mongolia
was divided (from east to west) into the Setsen Khan, Tüsheet Khan, Sain Noyon Khan, and Zasagt Khan aimags plus the Khovd area. The northern border to Russia was guarded by a watch post area. After Mongolia's second declaration of independence in 1921, the aimags were renamed in 1923, to Khaan Khentii Uulyn Aimag, Bogd Khan Uulyn Aimag, Tsetserleg Mandal Uulyn Aimag, and Khan Taishir Uulyn Aimag, respectively. The Khovd area and the Jebtsundamba Khutughtu's great shabi (personal fiefdom) turned into aimags of their own, Chandmani Uulyn Aimag and Delger Ikh Uulyn Aimag, respectively (the latter was later merged with Tsetserleg Mandal Uulyn Aimag). But otherwise the administrative structure was largely left unchanged until the 1930s.
An administrative reorganisation was initiated in 1931, which resulted in the Aimags Khovd, Dörvöd (later renamed Uvs
), Altai (later renamed Govi-Altai), Khövsgöl, Zavkhan, Arkhangai, Övörkhangai, Ömnögovi
, Tariachin (later split into parts of Bulgan
and Selenge
), Töv
, Dornogovi
, Khentii and Dornod
(later renamed to Choibalsan). The Bayankhongor, Bayan-Ölgii, Bulgan
, Dundgovi
, Sükhbaatar, and Selenge
aimags were created in the 1930s and 1940s.
The Choibalsan Aimag was re-renamed to Dornod Aimag
in 1963, and the capital Ulan Bator was split from Töv Aimag as a separate district. The same status was given to the newly founded industrial cities of Darkhan (1961 in the Selenge Aimag) and Erdenet
(1975 in the Bulgan Aimag). In 1994, two Sums of the Bulgan Aimag were taken to build the Orkhon Aimag around Erdenet, and four Sums of the Selenge Aimag to build the Darkhan-Uul Aimag around Darkhan, ending the special status of the two cities. In a highly disputed decision, the Govisümber Aimag
was split from the Dornogovi Aimag in 1996.
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
is divided into 21 aimag
Aimag (country subdivision)
Aimag is a Mongolian and Turkic word for a tribe. It is also used as a term for country subdivisions in Mongolia and China.- Inner Mongolia :...
s . Each aimag is subdivided into several sums. The name aimag
Aimag
Aimag is a Mongolian and Turkic word for a tribe.It is also used as a term for country subdivisions in Mongolia and China, see aimag .The name of the Aimak people in central Afghanistan derives from the same root....
is derived from the Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
and Turkic languages
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
word for "tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
". The modern aimags were established since 1921. The capital, Ulaanbaatar, is governed as an independent municipality separate from Tov Aimag, in which it is located.
List of Aimags
| Seal | Aimag | Mongolian Mongolian language The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner... (Cyrillic) |
Mongolian Mongolian language The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner... (Script) |
Sums 2009 |
Bags 2009 |
1979-01-05 Census |
1989-01-05 Census |
2000-01-05 Census |
2009-12-31 est. |
2010-11-10 Census |
Area (km²) |
Density (/km²) |
Capital | Mongolian Mongolian language The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Arkhangai | 19 | 99| | 77,575 | 84,517 | 97,091 | 92,449 | 84,584 | 55,313.82 | 1.53 | Tsetserleg | |||
 |
Bayan-Ölgii | 13 | 86 | 71,416 | 90,911 | 91,068 | 101,848 | 88,056 | 45,704.89 | 1.93 | Ölgii | |||
 |
Bayankhongor | 20 | 103 | 63,048 | 74,574 | 84,779 | 85,365 | 76,085 | 115,977.80 | 0.66 | Bayankhongor Bayankhongor - Transportation :The Bayankhongor Airport has two runways, one of them paved, and is served by regular flights to Ulan Bator.... |
|||
| Bulgan Bulgan Province Bulgan is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in northern Mongolia. Its capital is also named Bulgan.- Geography :The aimag is surrounded by the aimags Khövsgöl in the northwest, Arkhangai in the southwest, Övörkhangai in the south, Töv in the southeast, and Selenge in the northeast... |
16 | 74 | 42,398 | 51,910 | 61,776 | 62,340 | 53,655 | 48,733.00 | 1.10 | Bulgan Bulgan (city) Bulgan is a town, administrative centre of Bulgan province of Mongolia. Bulgan sum has a population of 11,984 , 12,323, town proper has a population of 11,198... |
||||
 |
Darkhan-Uul | 4 | 24 | 50,572 | 85,737 | 83,271 | 90,050 | 94,625 | 3,275.00 | 28.89 | Darkhan | |||
 |
Dornod Dornod Province Dornod is the easternmost of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. Its capital is Choibalsan.- Population :Halh are the ethnic majority of the Dornod aimag, but Buryat ethnic group is 22.8% of population total concentrated in the north-eastern sums of Dashbalbar, Tsagaan-Ovoo, Bayan-Uul, Bayandun and... |
14 | 63 | 58,860 | 81,073 | 75,373 | 73,625 | 69,552 | 123,597.43 | 0.56 | Choibalsan | |||
 |
Dornogovi Dornogovi Province Dornogovi is one of the 21 Aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the southeast of the country.-Administrative Subdivision:* - tosgon .** - The aimag capital Sainshand-References:... |
14 | 60 | 42,349 | 57,103 | 50,575 | 58,318 | 58,612 | 109,472.30 | 0.54 | Sainshand | |||
 |
Dundgovi Dundgovi Province Dundgovi is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the south of the country, approximately south of Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Mandalgovi.- Climate :... |
15 | 66 | 38,937 | 49,320 | 51,517 | 47,671 | 38,821 | 74,690.32 | 0.52 | Mandalgovi Mandalgovi Mandalgovi is the capital of the Dundgovi Province of Mongolia, about 300 km south of Ulan Bator on the border of the Gobi Desert. It has 10,506 inhabitants , 10,299 .-External links:**... |
|||
 |
Govi-Altai | 18 | 83 | 55,884 | 62,773 | 63,673 | 59,376 | 53,590 | 141,447.67 | 0.38 | Altai | |||
 |
Govisümber Govisümber Province Govisümber is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the center of the country. Its capital is Choir.- Administrative Subdivision :* - The aimag capital Choir- References :... |
3 | 10 | -* | -* | 12,230 | 13,293 | 13,240 | 5,541.80 | 2.39 | Choir | |||
| Khentii | 17 | 83 | 52,784 | 73,804 | 70,946 | 71,458 | 65,811 | 80,325.08 | 0.82 | Öndörkhaan | ||||
| Khovd | 17 | 91 | 62,565 | 76,553 | 86,831 | 88,505 | 76,870 | 76,060.38 | 1.01 | Khovd | ||||
 |
Khövsgöl | 23 | 125 | 88,500 | 101,833 | 119,063 | 124,108 | 114,926 | 100,628.82 | 1.14 | Mörön | |||
| Ömnögovi Ömnögovi Province Ömnögovi is an aimag of Mongolia, located in the south of the country, in the Gobi Desert. Ömnögovi is Mongolia's largest aimag. The capital is Dalanzadgad.... |
15 | 56 | 32,929 | 42,445 | 46,858 | 49,333 | 61,314 | 165,380.47 | 0.37 | Dalanzadgad Dalanzadgad Dalanzadgad is the capital of Ömnögovi Aimag in Mongolia. It is located south of the national capital Ulaanbaatar. The altitude of the city center is 1,470 meters .As of 2006, its population is 14,000.-Transportation:... |
||||
 |
Orkhon | 2 | 22 | 31,851 | 56,136 | 71,525 | 83,145 | 90,700 | 844.00 | 107.46 | Erdenet Erdenet Erdenet is the third-largest city in Mongolia and the capital of the aimag of Orkhon.Located in the northern part of the country, it lies in a valley between the Selenge and Orkhon rivers about 150 miles northwest of Ulan Bator, the capital... |
|||
 |
Övörkhangai | 19 | 105 | 82,504 | 96,510 | 111,420 | 117,513 | 101,314 | 62,895.33 | 1.61 | Arvaikheer | |||
 |
Selenge Selenge Province Selenge is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in the north of the country. The name is derived from the Selenge river. The capital is Sükhbaatar.- Administrative subdivisions :* - The aimag capital- References :... |
17 | 49 | 65,118 | 86,952 | 99,950 | 103,459 | 97,585 | 41,152.63 | 2.37 | Sükhbaatar Sükhbaatar (city) Sükhbaatar is the capital of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia, on the Orkhon river.City population is 19.224 -History:The city was founded in 1940 and named after the Mongolian revolutionary leader Damdin Sükhbaatar.-Transport:... |
|||
 |
Sükhbaatar | 13 | 66 | 43,229 | 50,846 | 56,166 | 54,955 | 51,334 | 82,287.15 | 0.62 | Baruun-Urt Baruun-Urt Baruun-Urt is a town in eastern Mongolia and the capital of Sükhbaatar Province. The town with its vicinities creates a sum of Sükhbaatar Province. The Baruun-Urt sum area is 59 km², population 15,549, population density 265 per km²... |
|||
 |
Töv Töv Province Töv is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. The national capital Ulaanbaatar is located roughly at its center, but the city itself is administrated as an independent municipality.- Geography :... |
27 | 97 | 80,547 | 100,088 | 99,268 | 88,503 | 85,166 | 74,042.37 | 1.15 | Zuunmod Zuunmod Zuunmod is the center of Mongolia's Central Province , located 30 km south of Ulan Bator. It has a population of 14,660 inhabitants and an area of 19.18 square kilometres. Zuunmod is located at the southern side of Bogd Khan Uul, 43 km from the capital Ulaanbaatar.Zuunmod was established as the... |
|||
 |
Uvs Uvs Province Uvs is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the west of the country, 1336 km away from the national capital Ulaanbaatar.Its capital is Ulaangom which lies 936m above the Sea level.... |
19 | 92 | 72,302 | 83,958 | 90,037 | 78,801 | 73,323 | 69,585.39 | 1.05 | Ulaangom Ulaangom Ulaangom is the capital of Uvs Province in Mongolia. It is located 26 km South-West from the lake Uvs Nuur shore and on the slopes of the Kharkhiraa mountain, 120 km South to the Russian border.- Description :... |
|||
 |
Zavkhan | 24 | 114 | 79,990 | 88,518 | 89,999 | 79,320 | 65,481 | 82,455.66 | 0.79 | Uliastai Uliastai Uliastai is a city in Mongolia. It is located in the western part of the country, 1,115 kilometers from the capital Ulaanbaatar. Uliastai is the capital of Zavkhan Province and was the 10th most populous city in the country with a population of 24,276 , now this city has 16,240 population and is... |
|||
 |
Ulan Bator (Municipality) |
9 (Düüreg Düüreg A düüreg is a municipal district in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. Each of the nine düüregs is subdivided into khoroos.Each düüreg also serves as a constituency that elects one or more representatives into the State Great Khural, the national parliament.Although administratively part of... ) |
403,000 | 548,400 | 760,077 | 1,240,037 | 1,154,290 | 4,704.40 | 226.90 | Ulan Bator | ||||
*- Govisümber aimag was split from Dornogovi aimag in 1994.
History
During the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, the territory of Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
was divided (from east to west) into the Setsen Khan, Tüsheet Khan, Sain Noyon Khan, and Zasagt Khan aimags plus the Khovd area. The northern border to Russia was guarded by a watch post area. After Mongolia's second declaration of independence in 1921, the aimags were renamed in 1923, to Khaan Khentii Uulyn Aimag, Bogd Khan Uulyn Aimag, Tsetserleg Mandal Uulyn Aimag, and Khan Taishir Uulyn Aimag, respectively. The Khovd area and the Jebtsundamba Khutughtu's great shabi (personal fiefdom) turned into aimags of their own, Chandmani Uulyn Aimag and Delger Ikh Uulyn Aimag, respectively (the latter was later merged with Tsetserleg Mandal Uulyn Aimag). But otherwise the administrative structure was largely left unchanged until the 1930s.
An administrative reorganisation was initiated in 1931, which resulted in the Aimags Khovd, Dörvöd (later renamed Uvs
Uvs Province
Uvs is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the west of the country, 1336 km away from the national capital Ulaanbaatar.Its capital is Ulaangom which lies 936m above the Sea level....
), Altai (later renamed Govi-Altai), Khövsgöl, Zavkhan, Arkhangai, Övörkhangai, Ömnögovi
Ömnögovi Province
Ömnögovi is an aimag of Mongolia, located in the south of the country, in the Gobi Desert. Ömnögovi is Mongolia's largest aimag. The capital is Dalanzadgad....
, Tariachin (later split into parts of Bulgan
Bulgan Province
Bulgan is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in northern Mongolia. Its capital is also named Bulgan.- Geography :The aimag is surrounded by the aimags Khövsgöl in the northwest, Arkhangai in the southwest, Övörkhangai in the south, Töv in the southeast, and Selenge in the northeast...
and Selenge
Selenge Province
Selenge is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in the north of the country. The name is derived from the Selenge river. The capital is Sükhbaatar.- Administrative subdivisions :* - The aimag capital- References :...
), Töv
Töv Province
Töv is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. The national capital Ulaanbaatar is located roughly at its center, but the city itself is administrated as an independent municipality.- Geography :...
, Dornogovi
Dornogovi Province
Dornogovi is one of the 21 Aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the southeast of the country.-Administrative Subdivision:* - tosgon .** - The aimag capital Sainshand-References:...
, Khentii and Dornod
Dornod Province
Dornod is the easternmost of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. Its capital is Choibalsan.- Population :Halh are the ethnic majority of the Dornod aimag, but Buryat ethnic group is 22.8% of population total concentrated in the north-eastern sums of Dashbalbar, Tsagaan-Ovoo, Bayan-Uul, Bayandun and...
(later renamed to Choibalsan). The Bayankhongor, Bayan-Ölgii, Bulgan
Bulgan Province
Bulgan is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in northern Mongolia. Its capital is also named Bulgan.- Geography :The aimag is surrounded by the aimags Khövsgöl in the northwest, Arkhangai in the southwest, Övörkhangai in the south, Töv in the southeast, and Selenge in the northeast...
, Dundgovi
Dundgovi Province
Dundgovi is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the south of the country, approximately south of Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Mandalgovi.- Climate :...
, Sükhbaatar, and Selenge
Selenge Province
Selenge is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in the north of the country. The name is derived from the Selenge river. The capital is Sükhbaatar.- Administrative subdivisions :* - The aimag capital- References :...
aimags were created in the 1930s and 1940s.
The Choibalsan Aimag was re-renamed to Dornod Aimag
Dornod Province
Dornod is the easternmost of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. Its capital is Choibalsan.- Population :Halh are the ethnic majority of the Dornod aimag, but Buryat ethnic group is 22.8% of population total concentrated in the north-eastern sums of Dashbalbar, Tsagaan-Ovoo, Bayan-Uul, Bayandun and...
in 1963, and the capital Ulan Bator was split from Töv Aimag as a separate district. The same status was given to the newly founded industrial cities of Darkhan (1961 in the Selenge Aimag) and Erdenet
Erdenet
Erdenet is the third-largest city in Mongolia and the capital of the aimag of Orkhon.Located in the northern part of the country, it lies in a valley between the Selenge and Orkhon rivers about 150 miles northwest of Ulan Bator, the capital...
(1975 in the Bulgan Aimag). In 1994, two Sums of the Bulgan Aimag were taken to build the Orkhon Aimag around Erdenet, and four Sums of the Selenge Aimag to build the Darkhan-Uul Aimag around Darkhan, ending the special status of the two cities. In a highly disputed decision, the Govisümber Aimag
Govisümber Province
Govisümber is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the center of the country. Its capital is Choir.- Administrative Subdivision :* - The aimag capital Choir- References :...
was split from the Dornogovi Aimag in 1996.
See also
- AimagAimagAimag is a Mongolian and Turkic word for a tribe.It is also used as a term for country subdivisions in Mongolia and China, see aimag .The name of the Aimak people in central Afghanistan derives from the same root....
- Sums of Mongolia
- Leagues of Inner MongoliaLeagues of Inner MongoliaA league is an administrative unit in Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.Leagues are the prefectures of Inner Mongolia. The name comes from a kind of ancient Mongolian administrative unit used during the Qing Dynasty in Mongolia...
- ISO 3166-2 codes for MongoliaISO 3166-2:MNISO 3166-2:MN is the entry for Mongolia in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Mongolia, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
- List of political and geographic subdivisions by total area
