Location: Baotou 🌎

Baotou (Chinese: 包头市; pinyin: Bāotóu; Mongolian: ᠪᠤᠭᠤᠲᠤ ᠬᠣᠲᠠ Buɣutu qota, Бугат хот) is the largest city by urban population in Inner Mongolia, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, as of the 2020 census, its built-up (or metro) area made up of its 5 urban districts is home to 2,261,089 people with a total population of 2,709,378 accounting for counties under its jurisdiction. The city’s namesake, literally translated to “place with deer”, is of Mongolic origin or “Lucheng” (Chinese: 鹿城; pinyin: Lùchéng), meaning “City of Deer”. Alternatively Baotou is known as the “City of Steel in Gobi” (草原钢城; Cǎoyuán Gāngchéng). Previously the town’s principal industry was steel. However, in recent decades Baotou has become internationally known for processing rare earth minerals mined in Bayan Obo, making the city the largest Chinese source of the minerals. Though central to the city’s economy, it also produces toxic tailings contained by the Baotou Tailings Dam .