Ulaanbaatar's status as the coldest capital is caused by its relatively high latitude (47°55′N), high altitude (1350 m above sea level), and its location far from any sea coast. The interior of the Eurasian continent becomes extremely cold during the winter and this effect is felt in full in Ulaanbaatar. The average temperature in February is -16 C. The average annual temperature is -1.3 C. The second coldest national capital is Astana, Kazakhstan at +3.5 C. The third coldest is Moscow, Russia at +4.1 C. The fourth coldest is Helsinki, Finland at +4.5 C. The population of Ulaanbaatar is 1.4 million.
