Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture^[3] is an autonomous prefecture in the southeastern Xinjiang, China. It borders Gansu to the east, Qinghai to the southeast and the Tibet Autonomous Region to the south. It is the largest prefecture-level division nationally, with an area of 471,480 km² (182,040 sq mi), which is even larger than its neighboring province of Gansu. The prefectural capital is Korla. Despite being designated an autonomous area for Mongols in China, only about four percent of Bayingolin's population is Mongol.

In a 2017 announcement from officials in Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, it was proclaimed that "there is a severe threat from international terrorism, and cars have been used as a key means of transport for terrorists as well as constantly serving as weapons. It is therefore necessary to monitor and track all vehicles in the prefecture."^[4]

According to the 2020 census, Bayingolin has 1,056,970 inhabitants (population density: 2.28 per km²).

As of 2020, 53.3% of the 1,509,233 residents of the county were Han Chinese, 36.4% were Uyghur, 5.3% were Hui and 4.0% were Mongol.^[5]

When Bayingolin was established in 1954, Mongols comprised 35 per cent of the prefecture's population.^[6] Due to development needs and migration, the Han population increased from 1,682 in the region of Bayingolin in 1947 to over 660,000 in 2004.^[7][8]

Population by ethnicity

Bayin'gholin directly controls one county-level city, seven counties and one Hui autonomous county.

• Mihrigul Tursun

• Lop Nur
• Torghut