The name of the city was Bayan Tümen (Баян Түмэн) until 1941, when it was renamed after the communist leader Khorloogiin Choibalsan in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Mongolian Revolution of 1921.

Choibalsan experiences a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with frigid, very dry winters and warm, wetter summers.

In terms of temperatures it resembles a humid continental climate (Dwb), but falls short of that classification due to the very dry winters.

The Choibalsan Airport (COQ/ZMCD) has one paved runway, and is served by regular flights to Ulaanbaatar, and Hailar and Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia, China.

There is a railway line (unconnected to the rest of the Mongolian rail network) that connects Choibalsan to the Trans-Siberian Railway (the original routing) in Borzya, Russia; although there are no passenger service across the border: passenger trains from Choibalsan terminate in Chuluunkhoroot (Ereentsav).