Nalaikh

Nalaikh District
Налайх дүүрэг
ᠨᠠᠯᠠᠶᠢᠬᠤᠲᠡᠭᠦᠷᠭᠡ
Municipal District
Flag of Nalaikh District
Flag
Coat of arms of Nalaikh District
Coat of arms
Interactive map of Nalaikh District
Coordinates: 47°46′21″N 107°15′13″E / 47.77250°N 107.25361°E / 47.77250; 107.25361
CountryMongolia
MunicipalityUlaanbaatar
Settlement founded1922
City status1962
Raion status1965
Reorganized as district1992
Government
 • BodyCitizens' Representatives Khural of the Ulaanbaatar city
 • Governor of DistrictD.Nayanbayar
Area
 • Total
687.6 km2 (265.5 sq mi)
Elevation
1,459 m (4,787 ft)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
39,579
Time zoneUTC+8 (UTC + 8)
Area code+976 (0) 23
Vehicle registrationНА_ (_ variable)
WebsiteOfficial website

Nalaikh (Mongolian: Налайх [naɮɛ́χ]) is one of nine districts of Ulaanbaatar. It has an area of 687 square kilometres (265 sq mi) and a population of 40,146 in 2026, an increase of 246 over the previous year.

It is well-known as a former coal-mining town; the now-closed Nalaikh Coal Mine was the first mine in the country, opening in December 1922.

Organization

A settlement grew up around the mine; Nalaikh gained city status in 1961 and became a raion of Ulaanbaatar in 1965. It was later established as a district of Ulaanbaatar following the 1992 reorganization of administrative divisions in Mongolia. The district consists of 8 khoroos and 50 khesegs.

It consists of Shokhoi, Arjanchivlan, the Terelj holiday center, and other residential areas, as well as a former Soviet military cantonment, including an airfield.

Coal mining

The Nalaikh Coal Mine opened on 25 December 1922. In July 1938, a narrow-gauge railway line was built connecting Nalaikh to Ulaanbaatar's city center to transport coal from the mine. The mine supplied brown coal to Ulaanbaatar's thermal power plants and employed around 1,500 people.

Since the closure of the coal mine in December 1995, the district has had a high rate of unemployment. Up to 2000 illegal, itinerant miners risk their lives to dig there from October to May with minimal or no safety measures. About a dozen miners are killed annually, but they can each make up to 1.5 million tugriks ($842) a month, when the national income averages only 631,000 tugriks. The government claims there were 234 mining-related deaths in a quarter century, but locals state there were hundreds more.

The mining company Tsagaan Shonkhoor, which is interested in reopening the mine, estimates there are still coal reserves of around 24 million tons.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF NALAIH DISTRICT". Official website of Nalaikh district (in Mongolian). Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  2. 1 2 "Nalaikh". mongolia-guide.com. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  3. ↑ "Lalaikn". worldpopulationreview.com. World Population Review. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "How to remember the glory days of Nalaikh". Mongolian Mining Journal. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "БҮГД НАЙРАМДАХ МОНГОЛ АРД УЛСЫН АРДЫН ИХ ХУРЛЫН ТЭРГҮҮЛЭГЧДИЙН ЗАРЛИГ" (PDF). ub.gov.mn (in Mongolian). Улаанбаатар хот: БНМАУ Ардын Их Хурлын Тэргүүлэгчид. 1965-12-09. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
  6. ↑ "History of Nalaikh City". Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  7. ↑ "Nalaikh District: Rapid Assessment on Population, Migration and Needs" (PDF). DTM IOM Placement Tracking Matrix. September 2022 – February 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  8. 1 2 Sanders, Alan J. K. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Mongolia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810861916.
  9. ↑ "Mongolia Mining Industry". World Mining Congress. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  10. ↑ Batzaya, Purevsuren (1 August 2014). "Mongolian railway celebrates the 76th anniversary". News.mn. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  11. ↑ Jargalsaikhan, Mendee; Dierkes, Julian (18 September 2018). "Nalaikh Mining Education Centre". blogs.ubc.ca. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  12. ↑ Варламов, Илья (2021-07-01). "Монгольский Мордор: как живут шахтёры-нелегалы". Teletype (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  13. 1 2 3 Dettoni, Jacopo (1 April 2014). "The Most Dangerous Coal Mine In The World: Mongolia's Illegal Nalaikh Pits". International Business Times. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "Coal Mine Crackdown Dims Prospects for Mongolia's Fortune Seekers". Voice of America. Reuters. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
  15. ↑ "Nalaikh City". temenkhaan.mn. Retrieved 29 October 2026.