Erenhot (original) (raw)
County-level & Sub-prefectural city in Inner Mongolia, China
| Erenhot 二连浩特市 • ᠡᠷᠢᠶᠡᠡ ᠬᠣᠲᠠErlianhaote, Erh-lien-hao-t'e | |
|---|---|
| County-level & Sub-prefectural city | |
 Dinosaur monument at the local park |
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  ErenhotLocation in Inner MongoliaShow map of Inner Mongolia ErenhotErenhot (China)Show map of China |
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| Coordinates: 43°39′N 111°59′E / 43.650°N 111.983°E / 43.650; 111.983 | |
| Country | China |
| Autonomous region | Inner Mongolia |
| League | Xilingol |
| Area[1] | |
| • County-level & Sub-prefectural city | 4,015.0 km2 (1,550.2 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 48.78 km2 (18.83 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 963 m (3,159 ft) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
| • County-level & Sub-prefectural city | 75,794 |
| • Density | 19/km2 (49/sq mi) |
| • Urban[1] | 75,200 |
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 011100 |
| Area code | 0479 |
| Website | elht.gov.cn |
| Erenhot | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | |
| Simplified Chinese | 二连浩特 |
| Traditional Chinese | 二連浩特 |
| TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinÈrliánhàotèWuRomanizationnyi3lie1ghau2deh4Yue: CantoneseJyutpingji6lin4hou6dak6 | |
| Mongolian name | |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | In China － ᠡᠷᠢᠶᠡᠡ ᠬᠣᠲᠠ (Eriyen hota)In Mongolia － Эрээн хот (Ereen khot) |
Erenhot (Mongolian: ᠡᠷᠢᠶᠡᠡ ᠬᠣᠲᠠ Эрээн хот; Chinese: 二连浩特; pinyin: Èrliánhàotè, commonly shortened to Ereen or Erlian) is a county-level city under jurisdiction of the Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia, China, located in the Gobi Desert along the Sino-Mongolian border, across from the Mongolian town of Zamyn-Üüd. There are 74,197 inhabitants (2010 census) and the elevation is 966 metres (3,169 ft).
| The proportion of nationalities in Erenhot City (2020) | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Percentage |
| Han | 74.4% |
| Mongols | 24.4% |
| Manchus | 0.8% |
| Hui People | 0.2% |
| Daur | 0.1% |
| Others | 0.1% |
| Source of the population statistics :[3] |
Erenhot experiences a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) with long, very dry, and bitter winters and short, hot summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from −17.8 °C (0.0 °F) in January to 24.0 °C (75.2 °F) in July, with an annual mean of 4.61 °C (40.3 °F). The city receives 3,232 hours (about 73% of the possible total) of bright sunshine per year, and clear, sunny, dry weather dominates year-round; due to the aridity, the diurnal temperature variation frequently approaches and exceeds 15 °C (27 °F). Over two-thirds of the sparse 135 millimetres (5.3 in) of annual rainfall occurs from June to August alone. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 67% in July to 78% in February, the city is one of the sunniest nationwide and receives 3,232 hours of bright sunshine annually.
| Climate data for Erenhot, elevation 963 m (3,159 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1938–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.0(51.8) | 15.2(59.4) | 24.8(76.6) | 32.5(90.5) | 37.3(99.1) | 39.2(102.6) | 42.6(108.7) | 39.9(103.8) | 36.7(98.1) | 29.3(84.7) | 21.9(71.4) | 10.2(50.4) | 42.6(108.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −9.8(14.4) | −3.3(26.1) | 6.0(42.8) | 15.7(60.3) | 23.1(73.6) | 28.4(83.1) | 31.0(87.8) | 29.0(84.2) | 22.8(73.0) | 13.3(55.9) | 1.7(35.1) | −7.8(18.0) | 12.5(54.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −17.1(1.2) | −11.6(11.1) | −2.2(28.0) | 7.7(45.9) | 15.6(60.1) | 21.7(71.1) | 24.6(76.3) | 22.4(72.3) | 15.4(59.7) | 5.6(42.1) | −5.5(22.1) | −14.5(5.9) | 5.2(41.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −22.4(−8.3) | −18(0) | −9.2(15.4) | 0.2(32.4) | 7.9(46.2) | 14.6(58.3) | 18.1(64.6) | 16.0(60.8) | 8.8(47.8) | −0.5(31.1) | −10.8(12.6) | −19.4(−2.9) | −1.2(29.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −40.0(−40.0) | −37.2(−35.0) | −31.1(−24.0) | −17.8(0.0) | −8.0(17.6) | 2.0(35.6) | 7.1(44.8) | 0.8(33.4) | −7.2(19.0) | −19.0(−2.2) | −30.0(−22.0) | −35.4(−31.7) | −40.0(−40.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0.8(0.03) | 1.3(0.05) | 3.0(0.12) | 5.4(0.21) | 12.7(0.50) | 26.2(1.03) | 34.3(1.35) | 29.5(1.16) | 13.2(0.52) | 6.3(0.25) | 2.7(0.11) | 1.6(0.06) | 137(5.39) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 6.5 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 46.3 |
| Average snowy days | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 23.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 66 | 56 | 40 | 29 | 30 | 38 | 44 | 46 | 42 | 44 | 55 | 65 | 46 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 219.3 | 224.0 | 273.1 | 285.4 | 308.7 | 303.9 | 306.1 | 300.2 | 272.0 | 251.3 | 211.8 | 198.6 | 3,154.4 |
| Percentage possible sunshine | 75 | 75 | 73 | 70 | 67 | 66 | 66 | 70 | 74 | 75 | 74 | 72 | 71 |
| Source 1: China Meteorological Administration[4][5] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather China,[6] Pogoda.ru.net (extremes)[7] |
Administrative divisions
[edit]
Erenhot is divided into 1 sum and 2 township-level administrations.
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Mongolian (Hudum Script) | Mongolian (Cyrillic) | Administrative division code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sum | |||||
| Gerelt Od Sum | 格日勒敖都苏木 | Gérìlè'áodū Sūmù | ᠭᠡᠷᠡᠯᠲᠦᠣ᠋ᠳᠣ ᠰᠤᠮᠤ | Баянбулаг сум | 152501200 |
| Township-level administrations | |||||
| Erenhot Community Construction Administration | 二连浩特市社区建设管理局 | Èrliánhàotè Shì Shèqū Jiànshè Guǎnlǐjú | 152501400 | ||
| Erenhot Border Economic and Technological Cooperation Zone | 二连边境经济技术合作区 | Èrlián Biānjìng Jīngjì Jìshù Hézuòqū | 152501401 |
The border town is a rail port city and the largest hub for cross border trade between Mongolia and China.[8] When authorities opened the town up in 1992 to international trade, Erenhot underwent a transformation growing from 8,000 people then to an estimated 100,000 people including migrant workers.[9]
The Dabusan Nur salt lake to the north of Erenhot provided an economic boom to the city's chemical industry during the late 1990s.[10] The lake has provided Erenhot with a large water supply which also contributed to the rapid growth of the city and economy.
As a destination for wholesalers moving goods across the border, the city hosts a large trading market, International Trade City. Built in 2006 the mall is "a block-long, three-story wholesale market that houses 527 tenants who sell silk fabrics, rabbit and fox furs and other commodities."[9]
Erenhot train station
Erenhot is a key border town on the Trans-Mongolian Railway, serving as one of two major international railway crossings in Inner Mongolia (the other being Manzhouli on the Sino-Russian border).[8] It is the primary land gateway for rail-based trade between China and Mongolia.
Due to increasing volumes of cross-border freight, the rail link has experienced capacity constraints. In response, several infrastructure projects have been launched to enhance connectivity and alleviate congestion. Among them is the Xilinhot–Erenhot Railway (锡林浩特–二连浩特铁路), which became operational in December 2015. The line begins at Haiyan Huduge Station (海彦呼都格站) near Xilinhot and runs to Xili Station (西里站), linking with the Jining–Erenhot railway. The railway passes through key locations including Abag Banner, Sunite Left Banner, and terminates near Erenhot. It supports heavy freight capacity—initially 4,000 tons—with future upgrades planned for 10,000-ton trains.
Erenhot remains the location where international trains undergo a bogie exchange due to the break-of-gauge between China’s standard gauge and Mongolia’s Russian gauge (1520 mm). While the traditional manual bogie change process is still in use, China has begun introducing variable gauge axle technology (SUW 2000-type), which is expected to improve efficiency at the border crossing.[11]
The town is also the northern terminus of China National Highway 208, which stretches southward to Changzhi, Shanxi Province, linking Erenhot to China’s broader national highway network.
Erenhot Saiwusu International Airport offers scheduled flights to Beijing, Hohhot, and Tongliao, providing additional connectivity for passengers and light cargo.
Kissing Sauropods bridge the road outside Erenhot
The area around the town, especially a salt lake known to paleontologists as Iren Dabasu or Iren Nor (Mongolian: ereen = colourful, _davs = salt, _nuur = lake) to the east, is known for the discovery of a number of different dinosaurs. The city houses a dinosaur museum, and in 2006 a big arch in form of two Sauropoda was built on the highway southward. In 2007, a number of smaller figures of different species were added.
- ^ a b Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, ed. (2019). China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2017. Beijing: China Statistics Press. p. 48. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ Inner Mongolia: Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties
- ^ 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".
- ^ 1991-2020 normals "Climate averages from 1991 to 2020". China Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original on 2023-04-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 呼和浩特城市介绍以及气候背景分析. Weather China (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ КЛИМАТ УЛАН-БАТОРА (in Russian). Pogoda.ru.net. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Border railways to end bottleneck on China-Mongolia trade". Xinhua. June 2, 2010.
- ^ a b Lee, Don (March 12, 2007). "China's global go-getters". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Erenhot". Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ "Variable Gauge Axle Systems Trialed at Erenhot". Rail Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Erenhot.
- Official website
Erenhot travel guide from Wikivoyage- Dinosaurs Roam Scenic Boulevard August 7, 2007 (China.org.cn)
- An Erenhot Travelogue AsiaObscura.com
