A geographic orientation to Mongolia and the provinces I will be visiting as part of a 2025 Catalyste+ Contract.

1. Why Are You Going to Mongolia?
2. Where Is Mongolia and What Parts Will You Visit?
   1. Week 1: Preparation, Mongolian Capital of Ulaanbaatar
   2. Week 2: Uvs aimag, Capital Ulaangom
   3. Week 3: Darkhan-Uul Aimag, Capital Darkhan
   4. Week 4: Sukhbaatar aimag

Beyond YEGVille was created to record trips outside of the ~2 hour drive from Edmonton. I envisioned that to mean Alberta and maybe the neighbouring provinces. Who knew it included Mongolia.

Why Are You Going to Mongolia?

I am travelling to Mongolia as part of a Canadian development organization called Catalyste+ (formerly CESO). From their website: We connect Catalyste+ Advisors with partners and clients in more than 30 countries, as well as Indigenous communities in Canada. Advisors are senior-level Canadian professionals who volunteer their skills and expertise to support long-term business growth and governance that promotes economic growth.

My role in Mongolia is to … work with key Mongolian central administration stakeholders and four provincial governments, namely the Parliament, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Civil Service Council, the National Committee on Gender Equality, and the National Academy of Governance, as well as provincial governor’s offices and citizen’s representative assemblies in Uvs, Darkhan-Uul, Sukhbaatar and Dundgobi.

The technical advice I am providing is on Results Based Management or RBM. This is a topic well beyond YEGVille but I will explore in more depth via my professional website, myorgbio.org.

Where Is Mongolia and What Parts Will You Visit?

Nothing beats a good Google to learn more about a place. I have included some references below, mostly so they are handy for my future reference.

Week 1: Preparation, Mongolian Capital of Ulaanbaatar

(See map, Green) [Wikipedia] Ulaanbaatar is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipality is located in north central Mongolia at an elevation of about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) in a valley on the Tuul River. The city was founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic centre, changing location 29 times, and was permanently settled at its modern location in 1778. The name was adopted in 1924 and translates into ‘Red Hero’, a hold over from when Mongolia was a communist satellite country to the USSR.

Week 2: Uvs aimag, Capital Ulaangom

(See map, Red) [Wikipedia] Uvs Province is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. It is located in the west of the country, 1,336 kilometres or 830 miles away from the national capital Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Ulaangom lies 936 metres or 3,070 feet above sea level. The province is named after Mongolia’s biggest lake, Uvs Lake.

Week 3: Darkhan-Uul Aimag, Capital Darkhan

(See map, Purple) [Wikipedia] Located due North of Ulaanbaatar, near but not on the Russian border. Its capital, Darkhan, was initially constructed in the early 1960’s as part of Soviet style industrialization.

Week 4: Sukhbaatar aimag

(See map, Blue) [Wikpedia] Named for a communist revolutionary hero, Damdin Sükhbaatar (2 February 1893 – 20 February 1923).