Inner Mongolia Special part I

I'm Shannon Van Sant. I am in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. This is the oldest autonomous region in China. The central government established it in 1947. Inner Mongolia is celebrating its 60th anniversary. In this program we're going to meet people here on the grasslands and explore how Inner Mongolia has changed.

Inner Mongolia Autonomous region is commonly known as Inner Mongolia. It covers one eighth of the county's land area, and it is China's third largest autonomous region, next only to Xinjiang and Tibet. Inner Mongolia spans 2400 km from east to west. Everyday the sun needs two hours to travel across Inner Mongolia. The region's diverse landscape includes towering plateaus and mountains and miles of green grasslands. Inner Mongolia also has forests, deserts and rare species of animals and plants.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was established on May 1st, 1947. More than 20,000,000 people live here and one-six5th of its population is ethnically Mongolian. The region is home for 48 other ethnic groups like the Manchus and Huis. People here developed a unique and rich culture to adapt to the region's harsh, northern landscape.