Khövsgöl province

Khövsgöl Province Хөвсгөл аймаг ᠬᠥᠪᠰᠦᠭᠦᠯᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ
Province
Scenery in the Khövsgöl Province
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 49°38′N 100°10′E / 49.633°N 100.167°E / 49.633; 100.167Coordinates: 49°38′N 100°10′E / 49.633°N 100.167°E / 49.633; 100.167
Country	Mongolia
Established	1931 (1931)
Capital	Mörön
Area
• Total	100,628.82 km2 (38,853.00 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	114,926
• Density	1.1/km2 (3.0/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8
Area code(s)	+976 138
ISO 3166 code	MN-041
Vehicle registration	ХӨ_
Website	khovsgol.gov.mn

Khövsgöl (Mongolian: Хөвсгөл) is the northernmost of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. The name is derived from Lake Khövsgöl.

The Aimag is largely mountainous. The south and southwest are dominated by the round-topped Tarvagatai, Bulnain and Erchim sub-ranges of the Khangai massif. The areas west and north of Lake Khövsgöl are formed by the alpine Khoridol Saridag, Ulaan Taiga, and Mönkh Saridag mountains. The center and east are less mountainous, but still hilly.

Within Mongolia, the region is well known for its natural beauty, and Lake Khövsgöl is one of the country's major tourist attractions. The largest forest areas of Mongolia are located around and to the north of the lake, extending the south-siberian Taiga.

The aimag was founded in 1931. Khatgal was the administrative center until 1933, since when it has been Mörön.

The region is home to many ethnic minority groups: Darkhad, Khotgoid, Uriankhai, Buriad, and Tsaatan. Both the Darkhad and Tsaatan are famous for their practice of shamanism.

Famous people from Khuvsgul include:

Henning Haslund-Christensen, a Danish traveller and explorer, spent one or two years in a place that today is in Erdenebulgan sum in the early 1920s. Some locals believe that Alan Gua, a female ancestor of Genghis Khan, hails from what is now Chandmani-Öndör.