- Qinghai
Province - Qinghai
ProvinceUrban population: 1.4 million
Nationalities: Han, Tibetan, Hui, Tu, Salar, Mongolian, and Kazak.
Area: 720,000 square kilometers
Altitude: 2,500 - 4,500 meters.
Climatic features: Continental highland climate; mostly dry and cold with frequent winds and little rainfall; long winters; short, cool summers; long hours of sunshine and strong sunight; drastic temperature changes from day to night; sandstorms from February to April.
Average temperature: -18.2 C to -7 C in January, 5 C to 21 C in July.
Annual average rainfall: 700 mm in the eastern river valley, under 50 mm in the Qaidam Basin; precipitation decreases from east to west.
Physical features: Covers the northeast portion of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; includes the 200,000 quare kilometer Qaidam Basin in the northwest; in the northeast are the Yellow and Huangshui River Valleys.
Mountains: Altun and Gilian Mountains in the north; Kunlun, Hoh Xil, and Qimantag in the west; Tanggula, where China's longest river, the Yangtze, has its source, in the southwest; Anyemaqen and Bayan Har in the southeast, with the 5,464 kilometer Yellow River originating from the latter.
Rivers: Yellow River and tributaries, Tuotuo-Tongtian River, which is the upper reach of the Yangtze River; inland intermittent rivers in the basin.
Lakes: Qinghai Lake, China's largest salt lake with an area of 4,583 square kilometers; Gyaring and Ngoring Lakes, two adjacent fresh water lakes; many smaller lakes, salt lakes, and marshes.
Products: Wheat, highland barley, millet, rice, potatoes, rapeseed, broad beans, peas; leather, musk, antlers; rhubarb, Chinese caterpillar fungus; petroleum, salt, sylvite, coal, lead, zinc.
Specialties: Xining wool
Administrative divisions: 6 autonomous prefectures, 2 cities, 30 counties, and 7 autonomous counties.
Capital: Xining
Neighboring Areas: Gansu, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang.
Major Cities: Xining, Golmud, Lenghu, Da Qaidam, Yushu, Gonghe, Delingha
Tourist attraction: Tar Lamasery, 20 kilometers southwest of Xining.
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