Khovd
Mongolia's most ethnically diverse province—15-20 groups including Kazakh, Tuvan, and multiple Mongol clans. Manchurian garrison history preserved difference. Longest river, hydropower development underway.
Khovd is where Mongolia's ethnic complexity concentrates. Between 15 and 20 recognized groups live within a single province: Khalkh (28%), Zakhchin (25%), Kazakh (12%), Uriankhai, Torguud, Myangad, Dörvöd, Tuvan, Uzbek, and others. Each maintains distinct traditions—dwelling patterns, dress, music, language. This diversity emerged from Khovd's position as a crossroads. When Manchurian forces conquered the region in the 18th century, the provincial capital became a cosmopolitan garrison town. Later migrations pushed Kazakhs and Tuvans from Russian and Chinese territories into valleys that different Mongol clans already occupied.
The Mongol Altai Mountains dominate the western districts, transitioning to semi-desert basins in the east. The Khovd River—Mongolia's longest—flows from the Altai through the province toward the Great Lakes Depression. Manchurian-era fortifications still stand in the capital, reminders of two centuries of foreign administration that inadvertently preserved local identities by treating the region as a remote garrison rather than assimilating it.
Modern Khovd balances tradition against infrastructure development. The 90 MW Erdeneburen Hydropower Plant, under construction on the Khovd River, represents one of Mongolia's largest energy projects outside mining. Scheduled for commissioning in 2028, it will reduce the western provinces' dependence on Russian electricity imports. The 12 MW Durgun plant already operates upstream.
By 2026, Khovd's multi-ethnic character will remain its defining feature—a living museum of Central Asian population movements, where boundaries between groups remain visible in language, religion, and pastoral practice.