Kyakhta (Russian:Кя́хта; Buryat:Хяагта, Khyaagta) is a town and the administrative center of Kyakhtinsky District in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located on the Kyakhta River near the Mongolia–Russia border. The town stands directly opposite the Mongolian border town of Altanbulag. Population: 20,041(2010 Census);18,391(2002 Census);18,307(**** Census). From 1727 it was the border crossing for the Kyakhta trade between Russia and China.