Ulan Bator (all images)

Ulan Bator, also known as Ulaanbaatar or Улаанбаатар in Mongolian, is the capital of Mongolia. It lies in northern Mongolia at an altitude of 1300m on the bank of the Tuul river. Ulan Bator was founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic centre. Over the centuries it evolved into the capital of Mongolia, changing location 28 times over the course of time. Nowadays Ulan Bator has a population of 1.4 million inhabitants (almost half of Mongolia's population) and extends over a pretty large area, 4700 km². There are not many sights of interest in Ulan Bator, as a lot was destroyed during the Soviet period. The main attractions are around the Genghis Khan square, but otherwise Ulan Bator is a quite ugly capital, with dirty streets and unimpressive buildings. It's not a very touristy place, as there is a lack of tourist infrastructure (hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, travel agencies etc.). Tourists use Ulan Bator mainly as the entry point for Mongolia, where to start tours across the country.