Ulanhot is under the Hinggan League of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is located in the northeast of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the southeast of Hinggan League, adjacent to Jalainte Banner and Zhenlai County of Jilin Province in the east, bordering to Taobei District and Taonan City of Baicheng City of Jilin Province in the south, connected to Taonan City of Jilin Province in the southwest, adjacent to Horqin Right Wing Front Banner in the west and north. Located in the middle part of the Greater Khingan Mountains and Songliao Plain transition zone, it is a low mountain and hilly landform. The total land area of the city is 2353.5 square kilometers. According to the seventh census, Ulanhot had a permanent population of 356,035 as of midnight on November 1, 2020.

Ulanhot means "red city" in Mongolian. On May 1, 1947, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Government, the first autonomous government for ethnic minorities in China, was established here. It is the political, economic and cultural center of Hinggan League. On July 27, 2018, with the approval of the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the city was exited from poverty.

As of January 2022, the total population is 321,654, of which 85,000 are agricultural, with Mongolian accounting for 32% of the total