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 35,000 sq mi/90,650 sq km in area.The absolute height of the Ordos is between 3000 and 3500 ft/.914 and 1.06km, 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, seperating it from the fertile loess land to the south and east.
The desert receives less than 10 in/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.