Alxa League

Alxa League or Alashan League (Chinese: 阿拉善盟; pinyin: Ālāshàn Méng; Mongolian: alasha ayimag, Mongolian Cyrillic. Алшаа аймаг) is one of 12 prefecture level divisions and 3 extant leagues of Inner Mongolia. The league borders Mongolia to the north, Bayan Nur to the northeast, Wuhai and Ordos to the east, Ningxia to the southeast, and Gansu to the south and west. The capital is Bayanhot Town (Chinese: 巴彥浩特镇), formerly known as Dingyuanying (定远营镇) or Wang Ye Fu,^[2] in the aimag's Left Banner. The Mongolian variety spoken in this area is the Alasha dialect.

Alxa League 阿拉善盟 • ᠠᠯᠠᠱᠠ ᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ
League
Hanging Temple (悬空寺) nearby Guangzong Temple, a monastery in the Alaša mountains.
Location of Alxa League in Inner Mongolia
Coordinates (Alxa Left Banner): 38°50′N 105°40′E / 38.83°N 105.67°E / 38.83; 105.67
Country	People's Republic of China
Autonomous region	Inner Mongolia
League seat	Alxa Left Banner (Bayanhot)
Area
• Total	240,080 km^2 (92,700 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• Total	231,334
• Density	0.96/km^2 (2.5/sq mi)
GDP^[1]
• Total	CN¥ 32.3 billion US$ 5.2 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 133,187 US$ 21,384
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
ISO 3166 code	CN-NM-29
Website	www.alsm.gov.cn

Alxa League
Chinese name
Chinese	阿拉善盟
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Ālāshàn Méng
Mongolian name
Mongolian Cyrillic	Алшаа аймаг
Mongolian script	ᠠᠯᠠᠱᠠ ᠠᠶᠢᠮᠠᠭ
Transcriptions SASM/GNC Alaša ayimaɣ

Demographics

In the 2020 census, there were 262,361 inhabitants. Alxa is the least populated region of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

A number of residents have been relocated from the growing Tengger Desert.^[3]

The proportion of nationalities in Alxa League (2020) Nationality Percentage Han   75.2% Mongols   19.1% Hui People   4.7% Manchus   0.4% Tibetans   0.1% Tu People   0.1% Dongxiangs   0.1% Others   0.3% Source of the population statistics :^[4]

Economy

Since 2010, Alxa League has frequently appeared as one of the most prosperous prefecture-level divisions in all of China when measured by GDP per capita; in 2013, the GDP per head was approximately US$30,000. If using this measure alone, Alxa was ranked first in China, even higher than its neighbor Ordos. Wealth in the region is not evenly distributed, and the numbers are skewed by its low permanent population. Much of the productive economic activity takes place under the auspices of several large companies operating in the region, extracting natural resources. These include China Kingho Corporation, a "clean coal" technology operator, and the Inner Mongolia-based Taiximei Group. Due to its remote location, much of the economic activity takes place with the support of migrant laborers from other parts of China. The high per capita GDP is not reflected in the salaries of the average low-skilled worker, which is on par with other mid-sized Chinese cities.

Administrative subdivisions

Alxa is divided into three banners:

Map
Alxa Left Banner Alxa Right Banner Ejin Banner Disputed area with Jiuquan in Gansu.
Name	Mongolian	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010)	Area (km^2)	Density (/km^2)
Alxa Left Banner (Alxa Jun Banner)	ᠠᠯᠠᠱᠠ ᠵᠡᠭᠦᠨ ᠬᠣᠰᠢᠭᠤ (Alaša Jegün qosiɣu)	阿拉善左旗	Ālāshàn Zuǒ Qí	173,494	80,412	2.15
Alxa Right Banner (Alxa Barun Banner)	ᠠᠯᠠᠱᠠ ᠪᠠᠷᠠᠭᠤᠨ ᠬᠣᠰᠢᠭᠤ (Alaša Baraɣun qosiɣu)	阿拉善右旗	Ālāshàn Yòu Qí	25,430	72,556	0.35
Ejin Banner	ᠡᠵᠡᠨ᠎ᠡ ᠬᠣᠰᠢᠭᠤ (Ejen-e qosiɣu)	额济纳旗	Éjìnà Qí	32,410	114,606	0.28

See also

• Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

References

1. 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》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-7901-5.
2. Wulsin, Frederick R. (February 1926). "The Road to Wang Ye Fu". National Geographic Magazine. 49 (2): 197.
3. Haner, Josh, et al. (24 October 2016). Living in China's Expanding Deserts, The New York Times
4. 内蒙古自治区第七次全国人口普查领导小组办公室、内蒙古自治区统计局. "内蒙古人口普查年鉴-2020".

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alxa League.

• Official website