Kharkhorin

Kharkhorin
Хархорин
ᠬᠠᠷᠠᠬᠣᠷᠢᠨ
Town
View of Kharkhorin
View of Kharkhorin
Kharkhorin is located in Mongolia
Kharkhorin
Kharkhorin
Location in Mongolia
Coordinates: 47°11′50″N 102°49′26″E / 47.19722°N 102.82389°E / 47.19722; 102.82389
CountryMongolia
ProvinceÖvörkhangai
SumKharkhorin
Population
 (2017)
 • Total
14,765
Time zoneUTC+8

Kharkhorin (Mongolian: Хархорин) is a town and sum (district) center in Övörkhangai Province in Mongolia. The sum population was 13,828 (1994), 13,964 (2000), and 14,765 (2017). The population of Kharkhorin town itself was 14,765 in 2017 and covered an area of 20.5 km2.

Kharkhorin is located at the lower end of the upper valley of the Orkhon River which is included within UNESCO's World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape. The location marks the easternmost foothills of the Khangai Mountains, where they meet the rolling steppe of central Mongolia.

Nearby are the ruins of the ancient town of Karakorum (also known as Kharkhorum or Qara Qorum) which, for a short time, served as the capital of the Mongol Empire under Ogedei Khan. Another Kharkhorin landmark is Erdene Zuu Monastery and its famous phallic rock. The important Paleolithic archaeological site of Moiltyn-am is located near the bridge over the Orkhon River, just west of the settlement. A modern resort is south of Kharkhorin at Khujirt on the Orkhon River.

Kharkhorin's principal sources of income are tourism and agriculture. Water from the Orkhon River serves to irrigate crops on the large plain east of the town. The Kharkhorin Airport (KHR/ZMHH) has one unpaved runway and is served by regular flights from and to Ulaanbaatar.

Panorama of the city (July 2023). In the foreground is the Buddhist monastery of Erdene Zuu

Climate

Kharkhorin has a dry-winter warm-summer continental climate (Köppen Dwb).

Climate data for Kharkhorin, 1993–2010
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −10.9
(12.4) 		−5.7
(21.7) 		1.6
(34.9) 		11.1
(52.0) 		18.1
(64.6) 		23.0
(73.4) 		24.5
(76.1) 		22.8
(73.0) 		17.7
(63.9) 		8.8
(47.8) 		−1.0
(30.2) 		−8.6
(16.5) 		8.5
(47.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −21.9
(−7.4) 		−18.1
(−0.6) 		−10.9
(12.4) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		4.2
(39.6) 		9.7
(49.5) 		12.5
(54.5) 		10.4
(50.7) 		4.5
(40.1) 		−3.5
(25.7) 		−12.2
(10.0) 		−19.1
(−2.4) 		−3.9
(25.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 3.7
(0.15) 		3.0
(0.12) 		8.2
(0.32) 		13.7
(0.54) 		28.4
(1.12) 		61.6
(2.43) 		80.4
(3.17) 		51.0
(2.01) 		22.1
(0.87) 		13.1
(0.52) 		7.0
(0.28) 		4.3
(0.17) 		296.5
(11.7)
Average precipitation days 4.8 4.3 6.7 7.2 10.0 14.1 15.9 13.5 8.0 6.1 5.4 4.9 100.9
Source: World Meteorological Organization[1]

Tourist attractions

References

  • PADCO: Mongolia Urban Development and Housing Sector Strategy, Final Report, Vol. 2, 2005 [1]
  1. ^ "World Weather Information Service – Kharkhorin". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Karakorum.

47°11′50″N 102°49′26″E / 47.19722°N 102.82389°E / 47.19722; 102.82389