The Daur people live mainly in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang Province. According to a census taken in 2000, the population of the Daur ethnic minority was 132,394, which is considerably smaller than other minorities.

The biggest Daur community is in the Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner, which was set up on August 15, 1958 on the left bank of the Nenjiang River in Heilongjiang Province. The area of 11,943 square kilometers has lush pasture and farmland.

The main crops are maize, sorghum, wheat, soybeans and rice. In the mountains which border the Daur community on the north are stands of valuable timber -- such as oak, birch and elm -- and medicinal herbs. Wildlife, including bears, deer, lynx and otters are found in the forests. Mineral deposits in the area include gold, mica, iron and coal.

Distribution:

They mainly inhabit the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang Province, while some live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Surrounded by the Daxing'anling, and Nenjiang river reaches, this place is abundant in natural resources.

Language:

Daur is a Mongolic language. There is no written standard, although a Pinyin-based orthography has been devised by the native Daur scholar Merden Enhebatu. The Daur language retains some Khitan substratal features, including a number of lexemes not found in other Mongolic languages. It is made up of three dialects: Bataxan, Hailar, Qiqihar.