Khövsgöl Province () is the northernmost of the 21 provinces of Mongolia, bordering Buryatia and Tuva, Russia. Its name is derived from Lake Khövsgöl, the largest freshwater lake in the country. The province was established in 1931. Its administrative center is the city of Mörön; prior to 1933, its capital was Khatgal, located near the southern tip of Lake Khövsgöl.

Geography and history

The round-topped Tarvagatai, Bulnain, and Erchim sub-ranges of the Khangai massif dominate the south and southwest of the largely mountainous province, and north and west of Lake Khövsgöl lie the alpine Khoridol Saridag, Ulaan Taiga, and Mönkh Saridag mountains. The central and eastern parts of the province are less mountainous, but still hilly.

The region is well known in Mongolia for its natural environment, and Lake Khövsgöl, the largest freshwater lake, is one of the country's major tourist attractions. The largest forests of Mongolia are located around and to the north of the lake, extending the South Siberian taiga.

The aimag was founded in 1931. Khatgal was the administrative center until 1933; since then it has been Mörön.

Population The region is home to many ethnic minority groups: Darkhad, Khotgoid, Uriankhai, Buriad, and Tsaatan. Both the Darkhad and Tsaatan are famous for their practice of shamanism.

Ethnic minority groups in Khövsgöl (self-identification), 2000 censusM. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli, Ulaanbaatar 2001, p. 7, 35, 68, 148, 166, 190 Group Population Percentage Darkhad 16,268 13.8% Khotgoid 6229 5.3% Uriankhai 3036 2.6% Buriad 996 0.84% Tsaatan 269 0.23% Total population 117914 100%

+ Khövsgöl aimag populationNational Statistical Office National Economy of the Mongolian People's Republic (1921 - 1981), Ulaanbaatar 1981Khövsgöl Aimag Statistical Yearbook 2007 1956 census 1960 est. 1963 census 1969 census 1975 est. 1979 census 1981 est. 1989 census 1992 est. 1996 est. 1998 est. 2000 census 2003 est. 2005 est. 2007 est. 58,20064,00063,700 74,800 82,300 88,200 91,100101,800 119,133 113,312 117,123 117,914 124,126 123,416123,275

Economy In 2018, the province contributed to 1.84% of the total national GDP of Mongolia.

Livestock In 2007, the aimag was home to about 3.43 million heads of livestock, among them about 1,510,000 goats, 1,442,000 sheep, 322,000 cattle and yaks, 150,000 horses, 2,350 camels, and 652 reindeer. Transportation

The Mörön Airport (ZMMN/MXV) has one paved runway. It offers regular flights from and to Ulaanbaatar, and also serves as intermediate stop into the western Aimags.

The Khatgal Airport (HTM) only runs scheduled flights from and to Ulaanbaatar in summer, offering a more direct approach to Lake Khövsgöl for the tourists.

The road distance from Mörön to Ulaanbaatar is 690 km. A new paved road finished in fall 2012 now connects Mörön to Khatgal on Lake Khövsgöl.

Administrative subdivisions + The Sums of Khövsgöl Aimag Sum MongolianPopulation1987(approx.)Khövsgöl Aimgiin Atlas, Ulaanbaatar 1988, p.6Population1994Population2000M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli, Ulaanbaatar 2001, passimPopulation 2005Rural Poverty Reduction Programme: official site Population2009Khövsgöl Aimak Statistical Yearbook 2009 Sum centrepopulation(2009) Area(km²) Density(/km²) Alag-ErdeneKhatgal 2,3007,000population in 1990, acc. to M. Nyamaa, Khövsgöl aimgiin lavlakh toli2,8093,7562,8252,4982,9922,8312,9802,9527442,9523,591.5911,40.833.24 Arbulag 3,100 4,2724,4874,1643,9897283,529.211.13 Bayanzürkh 3,300 4,1804,2023,8633,9647424,299.140.92 Bürentogtokh 3,800 5,0434,6784,2514,2457353,768.601.12 Chandmani-Öndör 2,100 2,8913,0632,9443,0061,0184,487.540.67 Erdenebulgan 2,300 3,086 2,7392,8492,7631,0604,694.380.59 Galt 4,400 5,573 5,3284,8765,1327773,596.831.43 Ikh-Uul 3,200 3,767 3,9594,1264,1701,3872,023.822.06 Jargalant 3,700 4,866 5,0865,1095,1831,3152,549.282.03 Khankh n.a. 2,227 2,1402,3462,4601,4225,498.710.45 Mörön n.a. 27,230 28,14735,87236,08236,072102.90350.55 Rashaant 2,500 3,1953,2803,5593,5019871,982.521.77 Renchinlhümbe 3,900incl. parts of Khankh 4,0404,2844,6144,7408258,448.340.56 Shine-Ider 3,900 4,6164,3484,0683,8241,7182,053.561.86 Tarialan 4,800 6,1226,0705,9366,0853,2723,430.671.77 Tömörbulag 3,100 4,0844,1714,3534,1746132,521.721.66 Tosontsengel 2,800 3,6834,1613,6154,1441,1662,042.232,03 Tsagaannuur 900 1,2481,3171,4051,5477085,408.300.29 Tsagaan-Uul 4,300 5,5475,6965,1455,3329405,866.30.91 Tsagaan-Üür 2,000 2,5902,4212,4422,4599468,735.330.28 Tsetserleg 4,400 5,5915,8764,6934,7668077,451.620.64 Tünel 2,900 3,5793,5563,4653,5281,1053,577.330.99 Ulaan-Uul 2,700 3,3963,7263,8984,1181,38610,057.520.41

Notable natives Chingünjav, leader of an anti-Manchu rebellion in 1756/57; The Jalkhanz Khutagt Damdinbazar, a prime minister of Mongolia in the early 1920s; Öndör Gongor, a tall man with the gigantism condition in early-20th century Mongolia; Gelenkhüü, an inventor and hero of local folklore; Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, human rights advocate, first Mongolian to graduate from Stanford, first woman to join the Mongolian parliament; Bayarjargal Agvaantseren, conservationist and founder of Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation;

Henning Haslund-Christensen, a Danish traveller and explorer, spent one or two years in a place that today is in Erdenebulgan sum in the early 1920s. Some locals believe that Alan Gua, an ancestor of Genghis Khan, hails from what is now Chandmani-Öndör.

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Notes and references