Where in the World is Inner Mongolia?

The red area is Chifeng. This is where Eliza is currently residing.

Being the geography wiz that I am, I had no idea where Inner Mongolia was before I got my referral for Eliza. I thought Mongolia was its own country. Well, it is! Inner Mongolia is different from Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is a province in China that borders China and Mongolia.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, bordering to the north with both the Republic of Mongolia and Russia, is the widest province in China (by its latitude). It is the third largest Chinese province (over 1.1 million square kilometers or 424,736 square miles) but not very populated. The province has about 24 million inhabitants. Many ethnic groups are living in this area including Mongolian, Daur, Oroqen, Ewenki, Hui, Han, Korea and Manchu. Hohhot is the capital of Inner Mongolia. I will be staying in Hohhot, but hopefully traveling to Chifeng to visit the Children's Home where Eliza is and, hopefully, view her finding spot.

Inner Mongolia is one part of what was originally the Mongol homeland, a vast area that also encompasses all of Outer Mongolia, and a large slice of Siberia. In the grasslands beyond the Great wall and the Gobi Desert, the Mongols endured a rough life as shepherds and horse breeders. They moved with the seasons in search of food, living in tens known as yurts or gers.