Inner Mongolian Steppe

The Inner Mongolian Steppe is located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of northern China, stretching along the southern fringe of the Mongolian Plateau. It borders the independent country of Mongolia to the north and extends across much of the autonomous region's territory.

The Inner Mongolian Steppe has been home to nomadic pastoralists for centuries, with ethnic Mongols traditionally raising sheep, cattle, horses, and goats on the grasslands. Many families lived in portable ger (yurt) dwellings and moved seasonally with their herds, though modern settlement policies have significantly altered this traditional lifestyle.

The Inner Mongolian Steppe is part of the same continuous grassland biome that extends into the independent nation of Mongolia to the north, but they are separated by an international border. The grasslands in Inner Mongolia are administered by China as part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which has its capital at Hohhot.

The Inner Mongolian Steppe faces significant desertification due to overgrazing, agricultural expansion, and climate change, with the Gobi Desert encroaching on former grasslands. The Chinese government has implemented grazing restrictions and large-scale tree-planting campaigns to combat land degradation, though the effectiveness of these measures remains debated.