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Zavhan Province

Zavkhan Province
Завхан аймаг
ᠵᠠᠪᠬᠠᠨᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ
Province
Har Nuur.jpg
Flag of Zavkhan Province
Flag
Coat of arms of Zavkhan Province
Coat of arms
Zavkhan in Mongolia.svg
Coordinates: 48°0′N 96°15′E / 48.000°N 96.250°E / 48.000; 96.250Coordinates: 48°0′N 96°15′E / 48.000°N 96.250°E / 48.000; 96.250
Country Mongolia
Established 1931 (1931)
Capital Uliastai
Area
 • Total 82,455.66 km2 (31,836.31 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 65,481
 • Density 0.79/km2 (2.1/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+8
Area code(s) +976 (0)146
ISO 3166 code MN-057
Vehicle registration ЗА_
Website www.zavkhan.gov.mn

Zavkhan (Mongolian: Завхан, Zawhan) is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia, located in the west of the country, 1,104 km from Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Uliastai. The aimag is named after the Zavkhan River, which forms the border between Zavkhan and Gobi-Altai aimag.

Locally, Zavkhan's environment is considered "Gobi-Khangai" (Говь хангай), since it connects the Gobi Desert in the south with the western Khangai Mountain Range and the broad lake basin of Khovd aimag.

The highest peak in the province is Otgontenger (Отгонтэнгэр, lit. "youngest sky") both the highest (4,031 m) and only peak in the Khangai range capped with a permanent glacier. The mountain is located in the 95,510 hectare Otgon Tenger Strictly Protected Area, about 60 km east of Uliastai. An image of the mountain can be seen on the aimag's coat of arms. Otgontenger is associated with the Bodhisattva Ochirvaani (Очирваань).

The western and south-western regions of Zavkhan contain the massive Bor Khyarin Els sand dunes that stretch for over 100 km within the Zavkhan, down into Gobi-Altai aimag. One of the largest lakes in Zavkhan, Bayan Nuur (баян нуур, "rich lake") is nestled among the dunes.

Most precipitation falls in the summer months as rain, with some snow in the adjacent months of May and September. Winters are typically very dry.

Zavkhan has some of the coldest winter temperatures in Mongolia. It has even been known to snow in Summer. In Tosontsengel, the largest soum in Zavkhan, winter temperatures as low as −52.9 °C (−63.2 °F) have been recorded. The soum also holds the record for the highest barometric pressure ever recorded on Earth 1,085.7 hectopascals (32.06 inHg), measured on 19 December 2001.


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