As of 2009, the Ejin Horo Banner covers an area of almost 5,600 square kilometres (2,200 sq mi), with a population of nearly 160,000,[citation needed] the majority of whom are ethnically Han Chinese.

[2] China's growing economy has led, in recent years, to increased development in the area of the Ejin Horo Banner, with the construction or improvement of roads, transportation centers, and accommodation for travelers and tourists.

[5] From the 1950s through the 1970s, the use of fuel wood and overgrazing from sheep and goats caused up to an estimated annual loss of 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi) of arable land.

[3] Total fossil fuel reserves beneath the Ejin Horo Banner are estimated to be about 27.8 billion tons, which includes coal and natural gas.

Although coal mining is of paramount importance to the regional economy, the poorly regulated industry has undermined parts of the area so badly that the ground surface has become unstable in places.

A 17th-century source asserts that only the shirt, shoes, and tent of the great khan were buried at the Ejin Horo Banner,[9] and even the few artifacts at the site were destroyed by Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.