Ordos Desert

The Ordos Desert is a desert 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, poorly adapted for agriculture. It is approximately 90,650 km² in area.

The absolute height of the Ordos is .914 - 1.06 km, so that the desert forms an intermediate step in the descent to China from the Gobi Desert, separated from the latter by the mountain ranges lying on the north and east of the Yellow River.

The Great Wall of China borders the Ordos, separating it from the fertile loess land to the south and east.

The desert receives less than 25 cm of rain annually, and most of this is in the form of thunderstorms. The region has many salt lakes and intermittent streams. The alkaline soil allows for some nomadic Mongolian herders to raise sheep and goats, and there are large soda deposits that are heavily mined.

Small scale farming is practised at oases.