The Southern Mongolia State refers to the independence aspirations of the Mongolian population in what is officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Southern Mongols share a deep cultural heritage with the wider Mongol world, rooted in nomadic pastoralism, clan identity, and the legacy of the Mongol Empire.

Historically the region maintained strong political and cultural ties with the Khalkha Mongols to the north.  In 1911, as the Qing dynasty collapsed, Mongols across the region sought to reassert independence. While Outer Mongolia successfully established a sovereign state, Southern Mongolia fell under the authority of various warlords and eventually the Republic of China. During the twentieth century, policies promoting settlement, agricultural expansion, and cultural assimilation transformed local society.  Mongolian cultural institutions, language use, and traditional pastoral practices have gradually diminished under Chinese governance. Since the late twentieth century, activists have called for autonomy or independence under the name Southern Mongolia. Organisations abroad use the term Southern Mongolia State to emphasize continuity with the historic Mongol nation and to express resistance to cultural erosion. 

Today the Southern Mongolia movement remains centred on cultural preservation, land rights, and the protection of pastoral traditions. While independence remains primarily a diaspora led aspiration, the idea of a Southern Mongolia State symbolizes a broader struggle for recognition and cultural continuity within a rapidly changing social landscape.