Ordos Desert 1912

The Ordos Desert (Chinese: 鄂尔多斯沙漠; Pinyin: È'ěrduōsī Shāmò) is a desert and steppe region lying on a plateau in the south of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. The soil of the Ordos is a mixture of clay and sand and, as a result, is poorly suited for agriculture. It extends over an area of approximately 90,650 km². Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1165x920, 204 KB) Description: Ordos Region in China in the early 20th century Source: Robert Sterling Clark and Arthur de C. Sowerby: Through Shên-kan. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1165x920, 204 KB) Description: Ordos Region in China in the early 20th century Source: Robert Sterling Clark and Arthur de C. Sowerby: Through Shên-kan. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Hanyu Pinyin: , lit. ... Desert view in Saudi Arabia. ... A steppe in Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, a steppe (Russian степь or step and pronounced in English as step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally considered as being dominated by... In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat open country if the uplift was recent in geologic history. ... Inner Mongolia (Mongolian: ᠥᠪᠦᠷ ᠮᠣᠨᠺᠤᠯᠤᠨ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠺᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠤᠨ Öbür Mongghul-un Öbertegen Jasaqu Orun; Chinese: 内蒙古自治区; Hanyu Pinyin: Nèi Měnggǔ Zìzhìqū) is an Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Soil is material capable of supporting plant life. ... Quaternary clay in Estonia. ... Patterns in the sand Sand is an example of a class of materials called granular matter. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ...

Location

The Ordos Desert is almost completely encircled by the great northern bend of the Huang He (Yellow River) in the west, north, and east. Mountain ranges separate the Ordos from the Gobi Desert north and east of the Huang He. The mountain chains separating the Ordos from the central Gobi in the north of the great bent of the Huang He are: the Kara-naryn-ula, the Sheitenula, and the In Shan (In Mountains), which link on to the south end of the Great Khingan Mountains. In the south and east, the Great Wall of China separates the Ordos from fertile loess lands. The Orodos covers the southern section of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Ningxia Autonomous Region, and Provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... The most general definition of a mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands. ... The Gobi (Mongolian Говь, Chinese 戈壁; pinyin gÄ“ bì) is a large desert region in northern China and southern Mongolia. ... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... Location of the Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (Simplified Chinese: 万里长城; Traditional Chinese: 萬里長城; Pinyin: WànlÄ­ Chángchéng; literally 10,000 Li¹ long wall) is a Chinese fortification built from 3rd century BC until the beginning of the 17th century, in order to protect the various... Loess in Hungary has travelled by wind from Asia This article is about the geologic material, for the statistical technique see Loess curve. ... Inner Mongolia (Mongolian: ᠥᠪᠦᠷ ᠮᠣᠨᠺᠤᠯᠤᠨ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠺᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠤᠨ r Mongghul-un bertegen Jasaqu Orun; Chinese: 内蒙古自治区; Hanyu Pinyin: N i Měnggǔ Z qū) is an Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Peoples Republic of China has created, following Soviet nationality policy, a number of administrative divisions designated as autonomous, although many disagree of their actual autonomy. ... Ningxia (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ning-hsia; Postal Pinyin: Ningsia), full name Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏回族自治区; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏回族自治區; Hanyu pinyin: ), is a Hui autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China, located on the northwest loess highland, the Yellow River flows through a... The Peoples Republic of China has created, following Soviet nationality policy, a number of administrative divisions designated as autonomous, although many disagree of their actual autonomy. ... A province, in the context of China, is a translation of sheng (省 shÄ›ng), which is an administrative division of China. ... Shaanxi (Simplified Chinese: 陕西; Traditional Chinese: 陝西; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shensi, pronounced like Shahn-shee) is a north-central province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling... Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, Kansu, or Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Relief

The Orodos Desert forms an intermediate step in the descent from the Himalayas to the lowlands of Eastern China. Towards the south it rises to an altitude of over 1,500 m, and in the west, along the right bank of the Huang He, the Arbus or Arbiso Mountains, which overtop the steppe by some 900 m, serve to link the Ala Shan (Ala Mountains) with the In Shan. The northern part of the great bend of the Huang He is filled with the sands of Kuzupchi, a succession of dunes, 12 to 15 m high. In some places these sand-dunes approach close to the Huang He, in others they are parted from it by a belt of sand, intermingled with clay, which terminates in a steep escarpment, 15 m and in some localities 30 m above the river. Eventually the sand-dunes cross over to the left bank of the Huang He where they are threaded by the beds of dry watercourses. The In Shan, which stretch from 108° to 112° E in the north of the great bend of the Huang He, have a wild alpine character and are distinguished from other mountains in the southeast of Mongolia by an abundance of both water and vegetation. In one of their constituent ranges, the bold Munni-ula, 113 km long and nearly 32 km wide, they attain elevations of 2,200 to 2,600 m, and have steep flanks, slashed with rugged gorges and narrow glens. Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... A degree (in full, a degree of arc, arc degree, or arcdegree), usually symbolized °, is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1／360 of a full rotation. ... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

Climate

The desert receives less than 250 mm of rain annually, and most of this is in the form of thunderstorms. The region has many salt lakes and intermittent streams. In January, average temperatures range from −13 to −10 °C and cold winds blow into the region from the north and west. A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water which has a concentration of salts (mostly sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least 3,000 milligrams of salt per liter). ... A running stream. ... A degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ...

Fauna and Flora

The vegetation of the Orodos region is made up of montane grass- and shrublands. Among the sand dunes in the north, the shrub Hedysarum and the trees Calligonum Tragopyrhzn and Pugionium cornutum grow in scattered patches. The belt of sand and clay which separates the sand dunes from the Huang He in places is studded with little mounds (up to 1.2 m high), mostly overgrown with wormwood (Artemisia campestris) and the Siberian pea-tree (Caragana); and here too grows one of the most characteristic plants of Ordos, the liquorice root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis). On the left bank of the Huang He, level spaces amongst the dry river beds are studded with little mounds (9 cm to 1.8 m high), on which grow stunted Nitraria schoberi and Zygophyllum. Towards the south, sparse scrub vegetation is found. Forest thickets thrive along the river margins. In the In Shan, forests begin at altitudes of 1,600 m and wild flowers grow in great profusion and variety in summer, though with a striking lack of brilliancy in colouring. In this same border range there is also a much greater abundance and variety of animal life, especially amongst the avifauna. Rare bird species also breed in the saline lakes of the Orodos, among them Relict Gulls (Larus relictus), for the latter species the Orodos is the home of about one quarter of the world's population. The present status of large mammals in the region is largely unclear. In the past, it was inhabited by wild two-humped Bactrian camels, snow leopards, Przewalski's gazelles, and Przewalski's horses. It has been observed, that Asiatic wild asses have been leaving the region for less populated areas on the Mongolian border. For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... Species See text. ... Species Glycyrrhiza acanthocarpa Glycyrrhiza aspera Glycyrrhiza astragalina Glycyrrhiza bucharica Glycyrrhiza echinata Glycyrrhiza eglandulosa Glycyrrhiza foetida Glycyrrhiza foetidissima Glycyrrhiza glabra Glycyrrhiza gontscharovii Glycyrrhiza iconica Glycyrrhiza korshinskyi Glycyrrhiza lepidota Glycyrrhiza pallidiflora Glycyrrhiza squamulosa Glycyrrhiza triphylla Glycyrrhiza uralensis Glycyrrhiza yunnanensis Glycyrrhiza is a genus of about 18 accepted species in the family Fabaceae... For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... The metre, or meter, is a measure of length. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Larus relictus Lönnberg, 1931 The Relict Gull, Larus relictus, is a medium-sized gull which breeds in two locations in Kazakhstan, one in Russia, several in Mongolia, and one in China. ... Binomial name Camelus bactrianus Linnaeus, 1758 The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of eastern Asia. ... Binomial name Uncia uncia (Schreber, 1775) The snow leopard or ounce (Uncia uncia) is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of central Asia. ... Trinomial name Equus ferus przewalskii (Poliakov, 1881) Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii or sometimes ), pronounced in English as //, also known as the Mongolian Wild Horse, or Takhi, is the closest living relative of the Domestic Horse and is in fact the same species. ... Binomial name Equus hemionus Pallas, 1775 The Onager (Equus hemionus) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family and native to the deserts of Syria, Iran, India, and Tibet. ...

History

Ancient names of the Ordos region are He-tau and - later - He-nan ("the country south of the river"). By one account, it was the legendary land of origin of the Turks. It was occupied by horse nomads for many centuries, and these were very often at war with China. In the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, it was occupied by the Xiongnu, but was almost depopulated during and after the Dungan revolt of 1869. A Xiongnu belt buckle. ... The Hui Minorities War, is the modern term used by the Peoples Republic of China for what used to be called the Dungan Revolt or Muslim Rebellion. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

Economy

The alkaline soil allows for some nomadic Mongol herders to raise sheep and goats. Heavy grazing by goats has done damage to the grasslands in the region and led to desertification. The oases in the region support small scale farming. The area contains large soda deposits which are heavily mined. The common (Arrhenius) definition of a base is a chemical compound that either donates hydroxide ions or absorbs hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. ... Kazakh nomads in the steppes of the Russian Empire, ca. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... Species See text. ... Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Ship stranded by the retreat of the Aral Sea Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities. ... Oasis in the Libyan part of the Sahara In geography, an oasis is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... Look up soda in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine This article is about mineral extraction. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

• National Geographic