Ordos 鄂尔多斯
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
- Simplified	鄂尔多斯
- Traditional	鄂爾多斯
- Pinyin	È'ěrduōsī
Sculpture in Ordos City
The territory of Ordos prefecture-level city (yellow) within Inner Mongolia
Country	China
Region	Inner Mongolia
Area
- Total	87,000 km2 (33,590.9 sq mi)
Population (2009)
- Total	1,548,000
- Density	17.8/km2 (46.1/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
GDP	CNY 115.90 billion ($US 16.85 billion)[1]
GDP per capita	CNY 75,161 ($US 10,885)
Website	http://www.ordos.gov.cn/

Ordos (Mongolian: , Ordus; Chinese: 鄂尔多斯; Pinyin: È'ěrduōsī) is a city in Inner Mongolia, China. Administratively, it is a prefecture-level city which governs a large region in southwestern Inner Mongolia. Ordos City was founded on February 26th 2001 in on the basis of the former Ikh Juu league (Chinese: 伊克昭盟 Yikezhao Meng), a name used for the area since the 17th Century. "Ordos" means "palaces" in the Mongolian language^[2], the name is sometimes claimed to be related to the eight white yurts of Genghis Khan^[3]. Its seat of government is Dongsheng District.

The city has an administrative area of 86,752 km² and covers the bigger part of the Ordos plateau. The city borders Hohhot which is to its east, Baotou to its northeast, Bayan Nur to its north, Alashaa to its northwest, Wuhai to its west, Ningxia to its southwest, and Shaanxi and Shanxi to its south. At the end of 2004, Ordos had a population of about 1.36 million inhabitants.

[edit] Geography

The area of Ordos city can roughly be divided into a hilly area in the east, high plateaus in the west and center, sandy deserts in the north and south and the plains at the southern bank of the Yellow river. The highest elevation (2,149 m) is located in the west, the lowest point (850 m) in the east. The annual rainfall is 300-400 mm in he eastern part and 190-350 mm in the western part. Most of the rain falls between July and September.

There are two large deserts within the territory of Ordos city, namely the Kubuqi Desert (Chinese: 库布其沙漠; pinyin: Kùbùqí Shāmò) in the north, and the Maowusu Desert (Chinese: 毛乌素沙漠; pinyin: Máowūsù Shāmò) in the south. The Kubuqi Desert occupies 19.2% of Ordos (16,600 sq km), while the Maowusu Desert takes up 28.8% of the area (25,000 sq km).

[edit] Economy

Ordos is one of the richest cities in China. With a nominal per capital GDP of US$14,500 in 2008, it is ranked ahead of the capital city of China, Beijing. It is extremely rich in natural resources, having one sixth of the coal reserve in China. The pillars of its economy are textile (wool), coal mining, petrochemcial, electricity generation and production of building materials.

The city is known for its lavish government projects, which erected a whole district of fancy buildings and abundant infrastructure that is seldom used by residents.^[4]

[edit] Administrative Subdivisions

Ordos city is divided into one district and seven banners:

• Dongsheng District (东胜区), 2,137 km², 230,000 inhabitants (2004), the city's administrative center;
• Dalat Banner (达拉特旗), 8,192 km², 330,000 inhabitants (2004), administrative center: Shulinzhao (树林召镇);
• Jung Gar Banner (准格尔旗), 7,535 km², 270,000 inhabitants (2004), administrative center: Xuejiawan (薛家湾镇);
• Otog Front Banner (鄂托克前旗), 12,318 km², 70,000 inhabitants (2004), administrative center: Oljochi (敖勒召其镇);
• Otog Banner (鄂托克旗), 20,064 km², 90.000 inhabitants (2004), administrative center: Ulaan (乌兰镇);
• Hanggin Banner (杭锦旗), 18,903 km², 130,000 inhabitants (2004), administrative center: Shine (锡尼镇);
• Uxen Banner (乌审旗), 11,645 km², 100,000 inhabitants (2004), administrative center: Galuut (嘎鲁图镇);
• Ejin Horo Banner (伊金霍洛旗), 5,958 km², 140,000 inhabitants (2004), administrative center: Altanshireet (阿勒腾席热镇).

[edit] Demographics

In the 2000 census, there were 1,369,766 inhabitants:

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website

v • d • e Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region History • Politics • Economy • Music Prefecture-level cities Baotou • Bayan Nur • Chifeng • Hohhot • Hulunbuir • Ordos • Tongliao • Ulanqab • Wuhai Leagues Alxa • Xilin Gol • Hinggan See also: List of Inner Mongolia County-level divisions

Coordinates: 39°37′48″N 109°50′24″E / 39.63°N 109.84°E / 39.63; 109.84

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