Soum Guide · Orkhon Aimag
Bayan-Öndör
The soum of Erdenet, Mongolia's second city, built in 1974 around one of the country's great copper mines.
- Aimag
- Orkhon
- Aimag centre
- Erdenet
- Population (2025)
- 103,118
- In Mongolian
- Баян-Өндөр сум
Overview
Bayan-Öndör holds Erdenet, the centre of Orkhon aimag and the second-largest city in Mongolia. The city was founded in 1974 to serve the Erdenet copper mine and lies at about 1,280 metres.
The mine is run by the Erdenet Mining Corporation, a Mongolian-Russian joint venture, and produces about 126,700 tonnes of copper a year. A 120 km single-track railway, opened in 1977, links the city to the Trans-Mongolian Railway.
What to See
- The Friendship Monument, erected in 1984
- The Mining Museum in the Palace of Culture on the central square
Visiting
- About 370 km by road from Ulaanbaatar; the city is also reached by the branch railway from the Trans-Mongolian line.
- Check opening hours of the Mining Museum locally before visiting.