or Ulan Bator
City (pop., 2000 est.: 691,000), capital of Mongolia .
Situated on a windswept plateau, it was founded in the mid 17th century as the residence of the Living Buddha ( bodgo-gegen ). A century later it had become a trading centre on caravan routes between Russia and China; it remains the principal junction of Mongolian transportation routes. The Mongolian revolt for independence was centred there in 1911. It became the capital when the Mongolian People's Republic was established in 1924 and remained the capital when the country's name was changed to Mongolia in 1992. It is the country's main industrial centre.