Ulaanbaatar, Capital of Mongolia

Panorama of the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, or Ulaan Batorr, or Ulan Bator. The capital and by far the largest city of Mongolia is an independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2012 is well over one million. The infra structure is poor and building regulations are sporadic and inconsistent. The traffic is horrendous. Ulaanbaatar is located at about 1,350 metres (4,430 ft) above mean sea level, slightly east of the centre of Mongolia on the Tuul River, a subtributary of the Selenge, in a valley at the foot of the mountain Bogd Khan Uul. Owing to its high elevation, its relatively high latitude, its location hundreds of kilometres from any coast, and the effects of the Siberian anticyclone, Ulaanbaatar is the coldest national capital in the world, with a monsoon-influenced, cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 3b) that closely borders a subarctic climate. The city features brief, warm summers and long, bitterly cold and dry winters. This view is from Zaisan Hill. Original image more than 13,000 pixels long.