'Baotou' (
Mongolian :Bugat hot ) is a
prefecture-level city and the largest city in
Inner Mongolia,
People's Republic of China. Its name is said to derive from a phrase meaning "place with
deer" in the
Mongolian language, and an alternate name in Chinese is "Deer City" ().
Baotou is situated on the northern bank of the
Yellow River on its Great Bend (). The city has an elevation of about 1,050 meters. At the end of 2006, Baotou had 2.43 million registered residents. The city has an estimated population of 1,301,768, the metropolitan area 1,750,000 (2006).
History
The area now known as Baotou was inhabited since ancient times by nomads, most notably the Mongols. Compared to the capital, Hohhot, Baotou's construction as a city came relatively late, being incorporated as a town in
1809. The city's site was chosen because it was in an arable region of the
Yellow River's Great Bend. A railway was constructed in
1931, and the city began spurring some industrial sites. A German-Chinese joint-venture in 1934 constructed the
Baotou Airport and opened a weekly route connecting Baotou with
Ningxia and
Lanzhou. On
September 19,
1949, after the September 19 Rebellion, Baotou fell under Communist control. The People's Government was formed in February 1950. In the early Communist years Baotou served as an industrial centre, with a significant portion of its economy coming from its steel production, and it continues this reputation until this day.
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 Airport serves the city with regular service to
Beijing,
Shanghai and
Taiyuan. The city is connected by the
Hubao Expressway to Inner Mongolia's capital, Hohhot.
External links
★
Official Government Site, in English

Satellite image