Ulan-Ude
Encyclopedia
Ulan-Ude is the capital
city of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia
, located about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) southeast of Lake Baikal
on the Uda River
at its confluence
with the Selenga. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, 404,357people lived in Ulan-Ude; up from 359,391 recorded in the 2002 Census
, making the city the third largest in eastern Siberia
by population.
The name was changed to Verkhneudinsk, literally "Upper Udinsk" , in 1783 to differentiate it from Nizhneudinsk
("Lower Udinsk") lying on a different Uda River near Irkutsk
which gained town status that year. The "upper" and "lower" refer to positions of the two cities relative to each other, not the location of the cities on their respective Uda rivers. Verkhneudinsk lies at the mouth of its Uda, i.e. the lower end, while Nizhneudinsk is along the middle stretch of its Uda.
The current name was given to the city in 1934 and means "red Uda" or "red gate" in Buryat reflecting the communist
ideology of the Soviet Union
to which it belonged.
and, later, the Buryat Mongols. Ulan-Ude (old name Verkhneudinsk) was founded in 1666 by the Russian Cossack
s as fortress Udinskoye. Due to its favorable geographical position, the city grew rapidly and became a large trade center which connected Russia with China
and Mongolia
and, from 1690, was the administrative center of the Transbaikal
region. In 1775, the city, now Udinsk, was chartered as a city and in 1783 was renamed Verkhneudinsk. After a large fire in 1878, the city was almost completely rebuilt. The Trans-Siberian Railway
reached the city in 1900 causing an explosion in growth. The population which was 3,500 in 1880 reached 126,000 in 1939. On July 27, 1934, the city was renamed Ulan-Ude.
. In terms of population, it is the third largest city in eastern Siberia
.
The ethnic makeup of the city's population in 2002:
The city is the center of Tibetan
Buddhism in Russia
and the important Ivolginsky datsan
is located 23 km from the city.
between Irkutsk
and Chita at the junction of the Trans-Mongolian line (the Trans-Mongolian Railway
) which begins at Ulan Ude and continues south through Mongolia
to Beijing
in China. The city also lies on the M55 section of the Baikal Highway
(part of the Trans-Siberian Highway
), the main federal road to Vladivostok
. Air traffic is served by the Ulan-Ude Airport (Mukhino), as well as the smaller Ulan-Ude Vostochny Airport
. Intracity transport includes tram
, bus
, and marshrutka
(share taxi
) lines.
until the mid 20th century, including a unique collection of samples of wooden architecture of Siberia
- more than 40 architectural monuments.
Odigitrievsky Cathedral
- Orthodox Church Diocese of the Buryat, was the first stone building in the city and is a siberian baroque
architectural monument. The uniqueness of the cathedral is still in the fact that he built in the zone of high seismic activity. Located in the heart of the city on the banks of the River Uda River where it flows into the Selenga.
One of the attractions of Ulan-Ude is a monument in the town square — the square of the Soviets — is a monument in the form of the head of Vladimir Lenin
(sculptors G.V. Neroda, J.G. Neroda, architects Dushkin, P.G. Zilberman). The monument, weighing 42 tons and with a height of 7.7 metres (25.3 ft), was opened in 1971 in honor of the centenary of Lenin's birth. The winning design selected out of dozens of competing projects, it was deemed to be the best not only in the Soviet Union
, but also at the World Exhibition in Montreal
.
and 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) southeast of Lake Baikal
. It is located 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) above mean sea level
at the foot of the Khamar-Daban and Khrebet Ulan-Burgasy mountain ranges, next to the confluence
of the Selenga River and its tributary
, the Uda
which divides the city into two parts.
Ulan Ude has a steppe climate (Köppen climate classification
BSk) with long, dry, frigid winters and short but very warm summers. Precipitation is heavily concentrated in the warmer months.
with: Anyang, South Korea
(1997) Berkeley
, United States
Changchun
, China
Darkhan, Mongolia
Erdenet
, Mongolia] Hohhot
, China Kazan
, Russia Manzhouli
, China Mannheim
, Germany
. Rumoi
, Japan
Taipei
, Taiwan
Ulaanbaatar
, Mongolia Yalta
, Ukraine
Yamagata
, Japan
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
city of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) southeast of Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
on the Uda River
Uda River, Buryatia
Uda is a river in the Buryat Republic, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Selenge River, which it meets near the city Ulan-Ude. Its length is ....
at its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the Selenga. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, 404,357people lived in Ulan-Ude; up from 359,391 recorded in the 2002 Census
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
, making the city the third largest in eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
by population.
Names
Ulan-Ude was first called Udinskoye for its location on the Uda River. From around 1735, the settlement was called Udinsk and was granted town status under that name in 1775.The name was changed to Verkhneudinsk, literally "Upper Udinsk" , in 1783 to differentiate it from Nizhneudinsk
Nizhneudinsk
Nizhneudinsk is a town in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Uda River , northwest of Irkutsk. It stands on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and is served by a small airport, ICAO code UINN. Population: 39,700 ....
("Lower Udinsk") lying on a different Uda River near Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
which gained town status that year. The "upper" and "lower" refer to positions of the two cities relative to each other, not the location of the cities on their respective Uda rivers. Verkhneudinsk lies at the mouth of its Uda, i.e. the lower end, while Nizhneudinsk is along the middle stretch of its Uda.
The current name was given to the city in 1934 and means "red Uda" or "red gate" in Buryat reflecting the communist
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
ideology of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to which it belonged.
History
The first occupants of the area where Ulan-Ude now stands were the EvenksEvenks
The Evenks are a Tungusic people of Northern Asia. In Russia, the Evenks are recognized as one of the Indigenous peoples of the Russian North, with a population of 35,527...
and, later, the Buryat Mongols. Ulan-Ude (old name Verkhneudinsk) was founded in 1666 by the Russian Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s as fortress Udinskoye. Due to its favorable geographical position, the city grew rapidly and became a large trade center which connected Russia with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
and, from 1690, was the administrative center of the Transbaikal
Transbaikal
Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia , or Dauria is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" Lake Baikal in Russia. The alternative name, Dauria, is derived from the ethnonym of the Daur people. It stretches for almost 1000 km from north to south from the Patomskoye Plateau and North...
region. In 1775, the city, now Udinsk, was chartered as a city and in 1783 was renamed Verkhneudinsk. After a large fire in 1878, the city was almost completely rebuilt. The Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
reached the city in 1900 causing an explosion in growth. The population which was 3,500 in 1880 reached 126,000 in 1939. On July 27, 1934, the city was renamed Ulan-Ude.
Population
According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, 404,357 people lived in Ulan-Ude; up from 359,391 recorded in the 2002 CensusRussian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
. In terms of population, it is the third largest city in eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
| Year | 1923 | 1926 | 1939 | 1959 | 1970 | 1979 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,600 | 28,900 | 125,700 | 174,300 | 253,600 | 299,800 | 351,800 |
The ethnic makeup of the city's population in 2002:
- RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
: 73.1% - BuryatsBuryatsThe Buryats or Buriyads , numbering approximately 436,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland, the Buryat Republic, a federal subject of Russia...
: 21.4% - UkrainiansUkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
: 2.6% - TatarsTatarsTatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
: 0.8% - Others: 2.1%
The city is the center of Tibetan
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
Buddhism in Russia
Buddhism in Russia
Historically, Buddhism was incorporated into Russian lands in the early 17th century, when Kalmyk people traveled to and settled in Siberia and what is now the Russian Far East. Buddhism is considered as one of Russia’s traditional religions, legally a part of Russian historical heritage.The main...
and the important Ivolginsky datsan
Ivolginsky datsan
Ivolginsky datsan is the Buddhist Temple located in Buryatia, Russia, 23 km from Ulan Ude, near Verkhnyaya Ivolga village.-History:The datsan was opened in 1945 as the only Buddhist spiritual centre of USSR...
is located 23 km from the city.
Transport
Ulan-Ude is located on the main line (Trans-Siberian line) of the Trans-Siberian RailwayTrans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
between Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
and Chita at the junction of the Trans-Mongolian line (the Trans-Mongolian Railway
Trans-Mongolian Railway
The Trans-Mongolian Railway connects Ulan-Ude, on the Trans-Baikal railway in Russia, with the Chinese city of Jining, by way of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia....
) which begins at Ulan Ude and continues south through Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in China. The city also lies on the M55 section of the Baikal Highway
Baikal Highway
The Baikal Highway is a federal highway in Russia. Its official designation is federal highway M51, M53, M55 "Baikal" . It part of the Trans-Siberian Highway and of the AH6 route of the Asian Highway Network. The Chelyabinsk-Omsk stretch is also included into the European route E30...
(part of the Trans-Siberian Highway
Trans-Siberian Highway
The Trans-Siberian Highway is the unofficial name for a network of federal highways that span the width of Russia from the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean to the Japan Sea of the Pacific Ocean. In the Asian Highway Network, the route is known as AH6. It stretches over from St. Petersburg to...
), the main federal road to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
. Air traffic is served by the Ulan-Ude Airport (Mukhino), as well as the smaller Ulan-Ude Vostochny Airport
Ulan-Ude Vostochny Airport
Ulan-Ude Vostochny Airport is an airport in the Buryat Republic, Russia located 9 km east of Ulan Ude. It services medium-size airliners. The airfield served as a bomber staging base. There is considerable tarmac space, with three 400x125m tarmacs and a few alert revetments....
. Intracity transport includes tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
, bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, and marshrutka
Marshrutka
Marshrutka , from marshrutnoye taksi is a share taxi in the CIS countries, the Baltic states, and Bulgaria. Marshrutnoye taksi literally means routed taxicab...
(share taxi
Share taxi
A share taxi is a mode of transport that falls between taxis and conventional buses. These informal vehicles for hire are found throughout the world. They are smaller than buses, and usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, usually leaving when all seats are filled...
) lines.
Culture
Until 1991 Ulan-Ude was closed to foreigners. There are old merchants' mansions richly decorated with wood and stone carving in the historical center of Ulan-Ude, along the river banks which are exceptional examples of Russian classicism. The city has a large ethnographic museum which recalls the history of the peoples of the region. There is also a large and highly unusual statue of the head of Lenin in the central square, the largest in the world. Built in 1970 for the centennial of Lenin's birth, it towers over the main plaza at 7.7 metres (25.3 ft) and weighs 42 tons. The bronze head has avoided the patina associated with Bronze via a special coating on the metal, and is a common meeting place. Other attractions are Geser, a monument, and the King's Gate arch.Sights
Ethnographic Museum of the peoples of Trans-Baikal is one of Russia's largest open-air museums. The museum contains historical finds from the era of HunsHuns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
until the mid 20th century, including a unique collection of samples of wooden architecture of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
- more than 40 architectural monuments.
Odigitrievsky Cathedral
Odigitrievsky Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of Smolensk is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in the old downtown of Ulan Ude, Russia. It is dedicated to the icon of the Theotokos, known in Greek as Hodegetria, hence the name. Construction was begun in 1741 and was finished in 1785. During the Soviet era, the cathedral was...
- Orthodox Church Diocese of the Buryat, was the first stone building in the city and is a siberian baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
architectural monument. The uniqueness of the cathedral is still in the fact that he built in the zone of high seismic activity. Located in the heart of the city on the banks of the River Uda River where it flows into the Selenga.
One of the attractions of Ulan-Ude is a monument in the town square — the square of the Soviets — is a monument in the form of the head of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
(sculptors G.V. Neroda, J.G. Neroda, architects Dushkin, P.G. Zilberman). The monument, weighing 42 tons and with a height of 7.7 metres (25.3 ft), was opened in 1971 in honor of the centenary of Lenin's birth. The winning design selected out of dozens of competing projects, it was deemed to be the best not only in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, but also at the World Exhibition in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Geography and climate
Ulan-Ude lies 5640 kilometres (3,504.5 mi) east of MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) southeast of Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
. It is located 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
at the foot of the Khamar-Daban and Khrebet Ulan-Burgasy mountain ranges, next to the confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of the Selenga River and its tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, the Uda
Uda River, Buryatia
Uda is a river in the Buryat Republic, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Selenge River, which it meets near the city Ulan-Ude. Its length is ....
which divides the city into two parts.
Ulan Ude has a steppe climate (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk) with long, dry, frigid winters and short but very warm summers. Precipitation is heavily concentrated in the warmer months.
Twin towns/sister cities
Ulan-Ude is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Anyang, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
(1997) Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Changchun
Changchun
Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin province, located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China, in the center of the Songliao Plain. It is administered as a sub-provincial city with a population of 7,677,089 at the 2010 census under its jurisdiction, including counties and...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Darkhan, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
Erdenet
Erdenet
Erdenet is the third-largest city in Mongolia and the capital of the aimag of Orkhon.Located in the northern part of the country, it lies in a valley between the Selenge and Orkhon rivers about 150 miles northwest of Ulan Bator, the capital...
, Mongolia] Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
, China Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
, Russia Manzhouli
Manzhouli
- Administration :Manzhouli is divided into ten subdistricts and one town. Six of the subdistricts of Manzhouli are grouped into a district. Technically however, only a prefecture-level city can have districts, so Manzhouli's lone district is not officially listed.- History :In ancient times the...
, China Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Rumoi
Rumoi, Hokkaido
is a city located in Rumoi, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital of Rumoi Subprefecture.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 26,017 and the density of 87.5 persons per km². The total area is 297.44 km².The city was founded on October 1, 1947....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
, Mongolia Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Yamagata
Yamagata, Yamagata
is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 253,951 with 97,457 households and a population density of 665.94 persons per km². The total area is 381.34 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1889.-Culture:The , one of Tōhoku's...
, Japan