Ulan-Ude is located along the Trans-Siberian Railway, just 100km away from Lake Baikal. The first people to come here were the Evenks and the Buryat Mongols. Because they're both ethnically Asian, the city is influenced by this background and culture, even though 70% of the population, today, are Russian. It was an important trade route between Russia, China, and Mongolia in 1666, when it was founded. It was originally named Udinskoye, because it's located on the Uda River, but was then changed to Ulan-Ude, which means "red Uda" or "red gate" in the Buryat language and denotes the communist beliefs. In fact, the largest statue of Lenin in the world, over 25 feet tall, is located in the city.