The world's coldest capital, ringed by nomadic gers
Mongolia's capital sits in a valley surrounded by grassland that, just outside the city limits, is still home to herders living the same nomadic lifestyle their ancestors did under Genghis Khan — over a quarter of Mongolia's entire population lives here, a huge share for a country still mostly empty steppe.
Founded in 1639 as a mobile Buddhist monastic center that relocated nearly 30 times before settling permanently at its current site in 1778, Ulaanbaatar became Mongolia's capital after the 1921 revolution that ended Chinese rule. Decades as a Soviet satellite state left a layer of Soviet-style architecture still visible downtown, now surrounded by ger districts where many residents live in traditional felt tents even within city limits.