Almost all the residents of the county are Uyghurs and live around oases situated between the desolate Taklamakan Desert and Kunlun Mountains.

Hotan County administers most of Aksai Chin,[3] an area disputed between China and India.

The area of Hotan is originally known as and has been historically referred to as Godana (Godaniya), a Sanskrit name meaning "Land of the cows".

[3][13] On September 9, 1995, Vice Premier Zhu Rongji visited Buzhake Township.

[2] On July 28, 2013, an incident involving Muslim protesters and local police in Hanerik (Han'airike/Hanairke) occurred.

The Hotan County-administered part of Aksai Chin includes Tianwendian,[18] site of a Chinese military post.

The county's agricultural products include wheat, rice, corn, melons, cotton, and silkworm cocoons.