Inner Mongolia China

Inner Mongolia China, officially titled Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (pinyin: Nei Meng Gu Zi Zhi Qu), is China’s 3rd largest province with more than a staggering 455,000 square miles (more accurately 1,183,000 sq km). However, its population ranks 23rd in the nation with 23,840,000 people. The province’s population density places even farther down the scale at 28th with only 20.2 p/sq km. The capital is Hohhot (pinyin: Huhehaote) and the largest city is Baotou. In Chinese the province’s name translates to Northern Mongolia Autonomous Region. The country north of this province, which Westerners refer to as Mongolia and is sometimes distinguished from Inner Mongolia as Outer Mongolia, is called Mengguguo in Chinese, or, Country of Mongolia.

Inner Mongolia China Geography

Inner Mongolia China expands over a vastly diverse range of terrain including deserts, plains, plateaus, and mountains. The province’s Northern border with Mongolia is home to the famous Gobi desert (pinyin: Yintai Shamo). The Gobi desert is one of the largest deserts in the world, stretching over 1,000 miles (1,610 km) from the Mongolian side of the Da Hinggan Mountains in the east to the Tian Mountains in the west. Part of Mu Us Desert is located within Inner Mongolia surrounded by the Yellow river where it enters and leaves the province in an upside down U shape. The Badain Jaran Desert is in the west of the province.

The eastern part of the province covers a portion of the planes of Manchuria. From the eastern border the terrain gently slopes upwards as it turns into mountains and the plateau of the Gobi Desert.

The Daqing Mountains fall below the Gobi Desert in central Inner Mongolia. At the foot of these mountains on the south side lies Hohhot. West of Hohhot and south of the Daqing Mountains, Baotou, the province’s largest city, resides on the north side of the Yellow River.

Moving westward a grand series of rivers is created between the Daqing Mountains and the Lang Mountains. The Tengger Desert meets the Gobi Desert between the Lang Mountains in the east and Yabrai Mountains in the west just before the Yellow River flows northward into the province and west of the Helan Mountains, which form part of the border with Ningxia.

Western Inner Mongolia meets Gansu just before the steep rise of the Tibetan Plateau with a small offshoot of the Qilian Mountains barely crossing the border into the province.

Inner Mongolia China borders eight provinces in all, namely, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Internationally it borders Russia and Mongolia.

Inner Mongolia China Industry

Inner Mongolian industrial growth has mostly come from coal, forestry, and energy production. The province’s small water resources have helped bolster its vast solar and wind based energy production. The province has set out a plan to increase the efficiency of the coal industry and its output. The aim is to double the output of 2005 by 2010. Manufacturing, chemicals, metallurgy, and farm produce processing have been laid out as focal industries for growth. The traditional subsistence upon goat, sheep, and wheat still support many in the region.

Inner Mongolia China History

The eastern part of Inner Mongolia China is technically part of historical Manchuria. As such, a portion of the current province was given to Heilongjiang in 1969 only to be returned in 1979 after Mao’s death. Most of this portion’s history is incorporated into that of the Manchurian narrative.

Central and western Inner Mongolia alternated hands between Chinese and northern nomads. The Eastern Zhou Dynasty (481 BC – 256 BC) of the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC – 221 BC) during the Warring States Period (480 BC – 221 BC) expanded through part of Mongolian territory and built a large wall to hold the gained land. The subsequent Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC) reinforced the policy, driving out more of the nomads and extending the old Zhou wall into much of what is now the Great Wall of China.

The Han Dynasty (206 BC – 221 AD) saw the surrender of the Xiongnu and the Han migrants intermingled with them. After the Han Dynasty, central Inner Mongolia and the surrounding area fell to a period of disintegration, which was ruled intermittently by Han and northern ethnicities.

The Sui Dynasty (581 AD – 618 AD) reconstructed a unified empire and settled largely the same parts of Mongolia as had been under previous Chinese dynasties. The Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD) furthered the policies of the Sui Dynasty. Later, the Manchurian Liao Dynasty (947 AD – 1125 AD) spread over eastern Inner Mongolia. The Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115 AD – 1234 AD) took over control of the region until Genghis Khan unified the Mongol tribes in 1206, leading them to defeat the Jurchens in 1234. From this unification came the later Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD – 1368 AD).

The Ming Dynasty (1368 AD – 1644 AD) pushed the Mongols back in 1368 and built much of the Great Wall of China that still stands roughly along the Inner Mongolian border. The Manchus took control of the Mongols’ territory before defeating the Ming in 1644, whereby they created China’s final Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD – 1911 AD).

Inner Mongolia Demographics

Inner Mongolia China has managed to maintain much of its indigenous culture and people. Han now comprise 79% of the population and Mongol follow with 17%. Mostly in the east, Manchu compose 2% while Hui and Daur make up 0.9% and 0.3% respectively. Ewenki, Oroqen, and Korean are also present.

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