Uvs

Introducing Uvs

After travelling around this aimag for a while you may start to wonder why they named it Uvs (Grass) as most of the region is classified as high desert. Really the main feature of this diverse aimag is its lakes, which come in all shapes, sizes and levels of salinity. The biggest, Uvs Nuur, is more like an inland sea, while smaller lakes such as Khökh Nuur make excellent hiking destinations. Together the lakes and the surrounding deserts make up the Ikh Nuuruudin Khotgor: a 39, 000-sq-km Great Lakes Depression that includes bits of neighbouring Khovd and Zavkhan aimags.

However, the main attraction of Uvs has to be the twin peaks of Kharkhiraa (4037m) and Türgen (3965m) uuls. From these mountains spill permanent glaciers, fast-flowing rivers and verdant plateaus. This is also one of Mongolia’s most seismically active regions. In 1905 an earthquake measuring greater than eight on the Richter scale ripped through the province and left a distinct fault line in the eastern part of the aimag.

Uvs aimag was originally named Dorvod after the main ethnic group that inhabited the area. The Dorvod people, who still represent just under half of the population of Uvs, speak their own dialect. Other minority ethnic groups include the Bayad, Khoton and Khalkh.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009