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Formerly known as Urga, Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city, as well as an autonomous municipality, of Mongolia. Surrounded by mountains, Ulaanbaatar stands on a windswept plateau and covers an area of 770 square miles (2,000 square kilometers). Situated in the north-central part of the country, it is located on the northern bank of a shallow and swift-flowing river, the Tuul Gol, at an altitude of 4,430 feet (1,350 meters). Dikes built along the river control drainage and protect the city from water seepage. More than half of Mongolia's urban population lives in Ulaanbaatar. Located in the heart of the city is Suhbaatar Square, the site of a neoclassic Palladian government building, the National Theater, and a marble mausoleum containing the remains of heroes of the Mongolian Communist revolution. In the center of the square is an equestrian statue of Damdiny Suhbaatar, who helped establish the provisional Communist regime in 1921. Educational and cultural institutions include the Mongolian State University, the Academy of Sciences, and several professional and technical schools. Ulaanbaatar is the major industrial and transportation center of the country and accounts for nearly half of Mongolia's industrial output. The Ulaanbaatar Industrial Combine is a complex of industries that produces leather, carpets, felt, soap, textiles, footwear, glass, furniture, pharmaceuticals, garments, cement, iron and steel, and bricks. There are also motor-vehicle repair yards, a distillery, a brewery, and printing facilities. Food-processing factories include meat-packing, bread-baking, and flour-milling plants. The leading trade center of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar receives almost 70 percent of the country's total imports. Ulaanbaatar is served by an international airport. A railroad connects it with China and Russia. It is linked by highways with other cities in Mongolia. The city originated as a seasonal home of the Mongolian princes. In 1639 with the construction of Da Khure, or Great Monastery, it became a permanent settlement. For almost 200 years the monastery was the residence of the bodgo-gegen, the high priest or "living Buddha" of the Buddhist-Lamaist religion to which Mongols adhere. The Russians called the city Urga, meaning "headquarters" in Mongolian, and it developed as a major trade center for camel caravans. In 1860 a Russian consulate was established. In 1911 Ulaanbaatar was the chief center of Outer Mongolian revolt against the Ch'ing, or Manchu, Dynasty of China, and it declared itself independent. From 1911 to 1924 it was called Niislel Khureheh, or "Capital of Mongolia." In 1921 it became the capital of an independent state under Russian protection. When Mongolia was declared a republic in 1924, Ulaanbaatar, which means "Red Hero," was made its capital. Flooding caused extensive damage in 1966. Population (1989 census), 548,400.
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