Soum Guide · Khovd Aimag
Jargalant
The soum of Khovd city on the Buyant river at the foot of the Altai, home to more than ten ethnic groups.
- Aimag
- Khovd
- Aimag centre
- Khovd
- Population (2025)
- 34,510
- In Mongolian
- Жаргалант сум
Overview
Jargalant is the soum that holds Khovd city, the centre of Khovd aimag, at the foot of the Altai mountains at about 1,400 metres. The Buyant river runs through the city.
Sources differ on when Khovd was founded: one account credits the Dzungar ruler Galdan Boshugtu Khan in 1685, another gives 1731, and the Qing later moved the town to the Buyant river after 1757.
More than ten ethnic groups live in the soum, among them Olöt, Khalkha, Torguud, Kazakh and Üzemchin. Khar-Us Lake, in Khar-Us Nuur National Park, lies about 25 km east.
What to See
- Khovd city and the Buyant river
- Khar-Us Lake and its national park, east of the city
Visiting
- The climate is cold and dry, with about 132 mm of rain and snow a year; summer is the easiest season.