Ulaanbaatar is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. Located in north-central Mongolia at an elevation of approximately 1,300 metres (4,300 ft), the municipality sits within a valley on the Tuul River. It currently has a population of 1.67 million people.
The city was originally founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic centre and changed locations 29 times before being permanently settled at its modern site in 1778. Ulaanbaatar is notable for being the coldest capital city in the world when measured by average yearly temperature.