Baotou

Baotou 包头市 • ᠪᠤᠭᠤᠲᠤᠬᠣᠲᠠ Paotow
Prefecture-level city
Baotou Skyline Yin Mountains Xilamuren Temple Downtown Baotou Meidaizhao Monastery
Location of Baotou City jurisdiction in Inner Mongolia
Baotou Location of the city centre in Inner Mongolia Show map of Inner Mongolia Baotou Baotou (China) Show map of China
Coordinates(Baotou municipal government): 40°37′17″N109°57′12″E / 40.6213°N 109.9532°E / 40.6213; 109.9532
Country	China
Autonomous region	Inner Mongolia
County-level divisions	10 Banners
Municipal seat	Jiuyuan District
Area
•  Prefecture-level city	27,768 km2 (10,721 sq mi)
• Urban	247.14 km2 (95.42 sq mi)
• Metro	953.5 km2 (368.1 sq mi)
Elevation	1,065 m (3,494 ft)
Population  (2023 census) [1] [2]
•  Prefecture-level city	2,761,700
• Density	99/km2 (260/sq mi)
•  Urban	2,283,700
• Urban density	9,200/km2 (24,000/sq mi)
•  Metro	2,418,200
• Metro density	2,500/km2 (6,600/sq mi)
• Major ethnic groups	Han - 94%
GDP [3]
•  Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 426.3 billion US$ 60.5 billion PPP$ 106.8 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 155,050 US$ 22,003 PPP$ 38,859
Time zone	UTC+08:00 (China Standard)
Postal code	014000
Area code	472
ISO 3166 code	CN-NM-02
License plate prefixes	蒙B
Local Dialect	Jin (Baotou dialect); Northeastern Mandarin; Southern Mongolian
Website	www.baotou.gov.cn

Main article: 1996 Baotou earthquake

On 3 May 1996, at 03:32AM UTC (11:32AM local time), an earthquake of M_S 6.4 occurred. Since the epicenter of the earthquake was located close to the city, ^[8] Baotou was very damaged by the earthquake: 26 people were killed, 453 injured and 196,633 lost their homes. The electrical infrastructure of the city was also damaged, and soil liquefaction occurred around the swamps of the Yellow River.

The earthquake, which destroyed many old houses, led to the reconstruction of Baotou. In 2002, the Baotou Municipal Government was awarded by UN-HABITAT for the improvements in shelter and the urban environments. ^{[9] [10]}

21st century

In the early 21st century, Baotou's economy grew rapidly, growing about tenfold from 2000 to 2010. ^[11] The city's gross domestic product peaked at about 386.763 billion renminbi (RMB) in 2016, and has shrunk significantly since then. ^[11]

Economy

Baotou is the largest economy of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, ^{[12] [ needs update ]} and accounted for approximately 21.3% of Inner Mongolia's total gross domestic product (GDP) as of 2012. ^[13] As of 2018, the city's GDP is 295.180 billion renminbi (RMB), a 7.22% increase from the previous year, but much lower than the city's peak of 386.763 billion RMB in 2016. ^[11]

Baotou's secondary sector has proven crucial to the city's economy. As of 2016, it contributed 182.215 RMB to the city's economy, 47.11% of the city's total GDP. ^[14] However, like the city's total economy, it has shrunk since then. ^{[11] [14]} As of 2020, the city's secondary sector contributed 115.300 billion RMB to Baotou's economy. ^[14]

Baotou Xingsheng Economic & Technological Development Zone is an industrial zone in Baotou.^{[ citation needed ]}

As noted, in the early Communist years Baotou served as an industrial centre, with a significant portion of its economy coming from its industry around metals, mostly steel. The Iron and Steel Base of Bautou was constructed with the help of the Soviet Union to help China in developing its economy; it was one of the 156 Projects that the Soviets helped build for that purpose in the 1950s and 1960s.^{[ citation needed ]}

Baotou is a major center for rare-earth metals. ^[15] Rare-earth minerals from the Bayan Obo Mining District, about 120 kilometres from Baotou, are processed in the city. They are used in many electrical and electronic devices, such as smartphones, TVs, wind turbines, and electric vehicle motors. ^[16] The toxic byproducts from the refineries are contained by the Baotou Tailings Dam. ^{[16] [17]}

Demographics

According to the 2020 Chinese Census, Baotou has a permanent population of about 2,709,400 people, up about 59,000 from the 2010 Census. ^[18] The average household in Baotou comprises 2.27 people, down from 2.65 as of 2010. ^[18]

Badekar Monastery

Age and sex distribution

Baotou, like many places in China, has an aging population. As per the 2020 Census, 20.19% of Baotou's population is aged 60 and older, 1.49 percentage points above the Chinese national average of 18.70%. ^[18] 13.70% of Baotou's population is aged 65 and older, 0.20 percentage points above the Chinese national average of 13.50%. ^[18] The number of people aged 60 and older has grown by 7.42% since 2010, and the number of people aged 65 and older has grown by 4.88% during that same span. ^[18]

Per the census, 50.7% of the city's population is male, and 49.3% is female. ^[18]

Baotou
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	包头
Traditional Chinese	包頭
Postal	Paotow
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Bāotóu Bopomofo ㄅㄠ ㄊㄡˊ Wade–Giles Pao1-t'ou2 IPA [páʊ.tʰǒʊ]

Ethnicity	2000[ citation needed ]		2020 [18]
	Population	Percentage	Population	Percentage
Han Chinese	2,122,737	94.16%	2,525,500	93.21%
Mongol	67,209	2.98%	113,200	4.18%
Hui Chinese	36,234	1.61%	N/A	N/A
Manchu	22,826	1.01%	N/A	N/A
Korean Chinese	848	0.04%	N/A	N/A
Other	N/A	N/A	70,700	2.61%
Total	N/A	100.00%	2,709,400	100.00%

Floating population

As of 2020, there are approximately 1,026,400 floating residents of Baotou, ^[18] that is, residents of the city with a hukou registration elsewhere. This population has increased by 144,100, or 22.37%, since 2010. ^[18]

Urbanization

As of the 2020 Census, 2,334,400 people, or 86.16% of the city's population, lives in urban areas. ^[18] The remaining 375,000 people, 13.84% of the city's population, lives in rural areas. ^[18]

Prominent locations

• The 39,000 capacity Baotou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium ^[19] (包头奥林匹克体育中心) is the main sports venue in the city and is used mostly for football matches.^{[ citation needed ]}

Saihantalah Grasslands Park, central Baotou

• Saihantalah Grasslands Park (赛汗塔拉城中草原) or Ecological Reserve is a large urban park in central Baotou, in the Qingshan district. The 5.5 km square park is home to thirty wild animal and bird species and is reputedly one of the largest urban parks in China. It is a popular recreational location and attracts 2 million visitors a year.^{[ citation needed ]}
• The largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Inner Mongolia, Badekar Monastery is located in Shiguai District. ^[20]
• The Baotou Tailings Dam or Weikuang Dam is a tailings dam about 20 kilometres outside the main city of Baotou. It is owned by Baotou Steel and contains the toxic waste from rare-earth mineral refineries. Since as early as 2012, there have been reports of serious contamination of the surrounding environment. ^{[21] [17] [16]}

Transportation

• Baotou is a terminus for both the Baolan Railway and the Jingbao Railway, heading for Lanzhou in the west and Beijing in the east, respectively. The city is served by two main railway stations, Baotou East Railway Station, and Baotou Railway Station.
• Baotou Donghe Airport serves the city with regular service to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
• The city is connected by the Hubao Expressway to Inner Mongolia's capital, Hohhot.
• China National Highway 210
• Baotou Metro

Geography and climate

Baotou is located in the west of Inner Mongolia, located at the junction of two economic zones: the Bohai Economic Rim and the Upper Yellow River Natural Resources Enrichment Zone (黄河上游资源富集区). Its administrative area borders Mongolia's Dornogovi Province to the north, while the Yellow River, which flows for 214 kilometres (133 mi) in the prefecture, ^[22] is south of the urban area itself. The Tumochuan Plateau (土默川平原), Hetao Plateau, and Yin Mountains cross the urban area and central part of the prefecture. Baotou City ranges in latitude from 41° 20' to 42° 40' N and in longitude from 109° 50' to 111° 25' E.

Baotou features a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), marked by long, cold and very dry winters, hot, somewhat humid summers, and strong winds, especially in spring. Temperatures often fall below −15 °C (5 °F) in winter and rise above 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. The annual precipitation is approximately 300 millimetres (11.8 in), with more than half of it falling in July and August alone. Due to the aridity and elevation, temperature differences between day and night can be large, especially in spring. In 2002, there were 12 instances of dust storms. ^[22] Temperature extremes recorded since 1951 range from −31.4 °C (−25 °F) (though an unofficial record low of −32.8 °C (−27 °F) on 23 December 1935) ^[23] to 40.4 °C (105 °F).

Climate data for Baotou, elevation 1,005 m (3,297 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	7.4 (45.3)	16.3 (61.3)	23.9 (75.0)	34.4 (93.9)	35.9 (96.6)	40.4 (104.7)	40.1 (104.2)	37.6 (99.7)	35.0 (95.0)	27.5 (81.5)	19.3 (66.7)	10.1 (50.2)	40.4 (104.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−3.7 (25.3)	1.7 (35.1)	9.3 (48.7)	18.1 (64.6)	24.4 (75.9)	28.8 (83.8)	30.2 (86.4)	27.9 (82.2)	22.9 (73.2)	15.5 (59.9)	5.8 (42.4)	−2.2 (28.0)	14.9 (58.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−10.6 (12.9)	−5.5 (22.1)	2.1 (35.8)	10.8 (51.4)	17.3 (63.1)	22.2 (72.0)	24.0 (75.2)	21.8 (71.2)	15.9 (60.6)	7.9 (46.2)	−0.9 (30.4)	−8.5 (16.7)	8.0 (46.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−16.0 (3.2)	−11.5 (11.3)	−4.2 (24.4)	3.4 (38.1)	9.7 (49.5)	15.2 (59.4)	18.2 (64.8)	16.1 (61.0)	10.0 (50.0)	2.0 (35.6)	−6.1 (21.0)	−13.6 (7.5)	1.9 (35.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−31.4 (−24.5)	−28.8 (−19.8)	−20.4 (−4.7)	−10.4 (13.3)	−3.0 (26.6)	3.2 (37.8)	10.5 (50.9)	4.9 (40.8)	−2.0 (28.4)	−11.8 (10.8)	−20.8 (−5.4)	−27.6 (−17.7)	−31.4 (−24.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	1.8 (0.07)	4.3 (0.17)	7.4 (0.29)	10.7 (0.42)	24.3 (0.96)	36.5 (1.44)	69.8 (2.75)	79.1 (3.11)	49.4 (1.94)	15.6 (0.61)	6.2 (0.24)	2.1 (0.08)	307.2 (12.08)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	1.6	2.1	2.9	3.1	5.0	7.4	10.1	9.6	7.8	3.9	2.2	1.6	57.3
Average snowy days	3.3	3.2	2.8	0.9	0.1	0	0	0	0	0.9	2.3	3.5	17
Average relative humidity (%)	59	50	43	35	37	45	57	62	60	57	58	58	52
Mean monthly sunshine hours	199.0	207.2	248.2	270.6	292.1	270.7	261.2	253.6	231.3	234.5	197.1	189.3	2,854.8
Percent possible sunshine	66	68	67	67	65	60	58	60	63	69	67	66	65
Source 1: China Meteorological Administration [24] [25]
Source 2: Weather China [26]

Administrative divisions

Baotou is divided into 10 county-level divisions, including 7 districts, 1 county and 2 banners.

Map
Donghe Hondlon Qingshan Shiguai Bayan'obo Jiuyuan Tumed Right Banner Guyang County Darhan'muminggan United Banner
#	Name	Mongolian	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010 Census [27] )	Area (km2)	Density (/km2)
1	Hondlon District	ᠬᠥᠨᠳᠡᠯᠡᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Köndelen toɣoriɣ)	昆都仑区	Kūndūlún Qū	726,838	301	2,415
2	Donghe District	ᠳᠦᠩᠾᠧ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Düŋhė toɣoriɣ)	东河区	Dōnghé Qū	512,045	470	1,089
3	Qingshan District	ᠴᠢᠩᠱᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Čiŋšan toɣoriɣ)	青山区	Qīngshān Qū	600,284	396	1,516
4	Shiguai District	ᠰᠢᠭᠤᠶᠢᠲᠤ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Siɣuyitu toɣoriɣ)	石拐区	Shíguǎi Qū	35,803	761	47
5	Bayan'obo Mining District	ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨ ᠣᠪᠣᠭ᠋᠎ᠠ ᠠᠭᠤᠷᠬᠠᠢ ᠶᠢᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Bayan Oboɣ-a Aɣurqai-yin toɣoriɣ)	白云鄂博矿区	Báiyún Èbó Kuàngqū	26,050	303	86
6	Jiuyuan District	ᠵᠢᠦᠶᠤᠸᠠᠨ ᠲᠣᠭᠣᠷᠢᠭ (Jiü yuvan toɣoriɣ)	九原区	Jiǔyuán Qū	195,831	734	267
8	Guyang County	ᠭᠦᠶᠠᠩ ᠰᠢᠶᠠᠨ (Güyaŋ siyan)	固阳县	Gùyáng Xiàn	175,574	5,025	35
9	Tumed Right Banner (Tumed Barun Banner)	ᠲᠦᠮᠡᠳ ᠪᠠᠷᠠᠭᠤᠨ ᠬᠣᠰᠢᠭᠤ (Tümed Baraɣun qosiɣu)	土默特右旗	Tǔmòtè Yòu Qí	276,453	2,368	116.7
10	Darhan Muminggan United Banner (Darhan Muminggan Holbot Banner)	ᠳᠠᠷᠬᠠᠨ ᠮᠤᠤᠮᠢᠩᠭᠠᠨ ᠬᠣᠯᠪᠣᠭᠠᠲᠤ ᠬᠣᠰᠢᠭᠤ (Darqan Muumiŋɣan Qolboɣatu qosiɣu)	达尔罕茂明安 联合旗	Dá'ěrhǎn Màomíng'ān Liánhé Qí	101,486	17,410	5.8

Gallery

• 
  Northern Weapons Park
• 
  Trip home for lunch, area rebuilt after the earthquake
• 
  Aobao Shrine
• 
  Bridge over the Yellow River
• 
  Baotou chariot and Yurt
• 
  Main airport road, Baotou
• 
  Students at Baotou Foreign Languages School playing soccer in the snow

Notes

1. Chinese :包头市; pinyin :Bāotóu; Mongolian: ᠪᠤᠭᠤᠲᠤᠬᠣᠲᠠ Buɣutu qota, Бугат хот

References

1. "Baotou Geography Summary, 中共内蒙古自治区委党史和地方志研究室".
2. "China: Inner Mongolia (Prefectures, Leagues, Cities, Districts, Banners and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
3. 内蒙古自治区统计局、国家统计局内蒙古调查总队 (2016). 《内蒙古统计年鉴－2016》. China Statistics Press. ISBN   978-7-5037-7901-5.
4. "Baotou". subsites.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
5. Millward, James A. "THE CHINESE BORDER WOOL TRADE OF 1880-1937": 38. Retrieved 10 July 2014.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
6. Owen Lattimore, The Desert to Turkestan, 1928. Pages 7-8.
7. Harrell, Stevan (2023). An Ecological History of Modern China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN   9780295751719.
8. of the epicenter of the 1996 earthquake
9. "Un-Habitat.:. 迪拜奖 | 包头市的震后重建、经济适用房和城市绿化项目". Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
10. http://ww2.unhabitat.org/whd/2002/documents/whd_pressrelease_2.doc%5B‍%5D
11. 中国 国内生产总值:内蒙古:包头 [China Gross Domestic Product: Inner Mongolia: Baotou]. www.ceicdata.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
12. "Baotou (Inner Mongolia) City Information". HKTDC. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
13. 2012年包头市GDP突破3400亿元. 正北方网. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
14. 中国 国内生产总值:第二产业:内蒙古:包头市 [China Gross Domestic Product: Secondary Sector: Inner Mongolia: Baotou]. www.ceicdata.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
15. Li, David Daokui (2024). China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 132. ISBN   978-0393292398.
16. "Rare-earth mining in China comes at a heavy cost for local villages". the Guardian. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
17. Maughan, Tim. "The dystopian lake filled by the world´s tech lust". BBC. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
18. 人口状况 [Population Status]. www.baotou.gov.cn (in Chinese). Baotou Municipal People's Government. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
19. Daum 카페. cafe.daum.net. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
20. Yao 姚, Guixuan 桂轩; Di 翟, Wen 文 (1988). 五当召及其在内蒙古历史上的地位[Wudang Temple and its position in Inner Mongolia's history]. Yinshan Academic Journal (in Simplified Chinese) (1).
21. Baochuan Li; Nanping Wang; Jianhua Wan; Shengqing Xiong; Hongtao Liu; Shijun Li; Rong Zhao. "In-situ gamma-ray survey of rare-earth tailings dams - A case study in Baotou and Bayan Obo Districts, China" (PDF). Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 151 (2016). Retrieved 4 October 2018.
22. 地理气候 (in Chinese (China)). Baotou People's Government. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
23. 网易 (8 December 2018). "这两天根本不算冷 看看全国各大城市历史极端最低温度是几度？". www.163.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
24. 1991-2020 normals "Climate averages from 1991 to 2020". China Meteorological Administration . Archived from the original on 17 April 2023.
25. 1981-2010 extremes 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data [China Meteorological Data Network - WeatherBk Data] (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration . Retrieved 14 April 2023.
26. 包头 - 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
27. China - Neimenggu Zizhiqu (Nei Monggol / Inner Mongolia), GeoHive, 1996-2014

External links

• Baotou travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Baotou official website