Mongolia–Russia border

Mongolian (left) and Russian boundary markers

Present-day Russia (orange) and Mongolia (green)

The Mongolia–Russia border (Mongolian: Монгол-Оросын хил, Mongol-Orosın xil; Russian: Российско-монгольская граница, Rossijsko-mongoljskaja granica) is the international border between the Russian Federation (CIS member) and Mongolia. It is virtually all land. The total length of the border is 3485 km. The boundary is the third longest border between Russia and another country, behind the Kazakhstan-Russia border and the China-Russia border.

History

The Sino-Russian border within the regions of Mongolia, as it ran throughout the 19th century, largely corresponded to today's Mongolia–Russia border; the main difference is the absorption of Tuva into Russia

The Russian state expanded into the regions north of today's Mongolia in the 17th century. Much of the line of the today's Mongolia–Russia border line was set by the Treaty of Kyakhta (1727) between the Russian and Qing Empires (the Mongolia at the time being part of the Qing state); however, the treaty left Tuva on the Chinese (Qing) side of the border.

Mongolia's northern border assumed its nearly modern shape in 1911, as Tuva was separated from Mongolia in the breakup of the Qing Empire (see Mongolian Revolution of 1911), and soon became a Russian protectorate. Although an independent Tuvan People's Republic was declared in 1921, this small country became fully annexed into the Soviet Union in 1944, whereupon the former Mongolia–Tuva border became a section of the Mongolia–Soviet border. The latter stayed stable for the rest of the Soviet Union's existence, and continued as the Mongolia–Russia border after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Tripoints

The eastern and western end points of the Mongolia–Russia border are "tripoints", i.e. junctions with the China–Russia border and the China–Mongolia border. A special trilateral agreement, signed on January 27, 1994 in Ulaan Baator, determines the location of these two "tripoints". The agreement is based on earlier bilateral treaties between the parties involved.^[1]

The trilateral agreement specifies that a border monument was to be erected at the eastern tripoint, called Tarbagan-Dakh (Ta'erbagan Dahu, Tarvagan Dakh);^[1] a later trilateral protocol determined the tripoint's geographic coordinates as 49°50′42.3″N 116°42′46.8″E / 49.845083°N 116.713000°E / 49.845083; 116.713000.^[2] The border monument and the access roads for it are visible on Google Maps, at approximately 49°50′44″N 116°42′50″E / 49.845625°N 116.714026°E / 49.845625; 116.714026).^[1]

The trilateral agreement states that no marker will be erected at the western tripoint,^[1] which was defined as the peak of the mountain Tavan-Bogdo-Ula (Kuitunshan 奎屯山, Tavan Bogd Uul; elevation approx. 4081–4104 m, location, 49°10′13.5″N 87°48′56.3″E / 49.170417°N 87.815639°E / 49.170417; 87.815639^[3]), due to its remote and hard to access location, on a mountain covered with eternal snows.^[3]

Border crossings

At the border there are ten official crossing points.^[4]

Two of them are railway crossings, but only one (Naushki) has passenger traffic.

Three highway border crossing points are designated as "multilateral", for any passport holders (Tashanta-TcagaanNur, Kyakhta-Aganbulag, Solovjowsk - Erentsav).

Another five highway border crossing points are designated as "bilateral", meaning that they are only open to the citizens of the two bordering countries, and not to third-country nationals. Unfortunately, the border crossing point near famous Khövsgöl lake (Mondy-Khankh) is bilateral.

Border violations

According to an article published in 2005, the main problems at the Russian-Mongolian border, specifically in its Republic of Tuva section, were cross-border livestock theft (in both directions) and smuggling of meat.^[5]

Administrative divisions

The peak of Mt Munku Sardyk is located on the Mongolia–Russia border

References