Of all the capital cities on earth, which would you guess to be the coldest?
Helsinki, Finland, might be a good guess. The average low temperature there in February is just 15 degrees. Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, would be a better guess, for the low temperature there in January averages just 9 degrees.
But the coldest capital city on earth is Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. This city, whose name means “red knight,” averages minus 15 degrees in January! The lowest temperature recorded there, minus 48 degrees, is the coldest temperature ever recorded in any capital city.
Ulan Bator isn’t cold all year around, though. The city has recorded a high temperature of 97 degrees!
