- Xinjiang

Population: 13.8 million

Urban population: 6 million

Nationalities: Uygur, Han, Kazak, Hui, Mongolian, Xibe, Kirgiz, Ozbek, Tajik, Russian, Manchu, Daur, and Tatar.

Area: 1,600,000 square kilometers

Altitude: 8,611 meters at the Qogir Peak; 155 meters below sea level at the bottom of the Turpan Depression, the lowest point on the China continent.

Climatic features: Temperate, continental climate; warmer in the south; extreme temperature changes; little precipitation; frequent gales in spring and autumn.

Average temperature: -20 C to -15 C in January in the north and -10 C to -5 C in the south; in July, 22 C to 26 C.

Annual average rainfall: 150 mm; higher precipitation in the north; only 10 mm around Qarqan and Qarklik.

Physical features: Three major mountain ranges separate the lowlands into various-sized basins and valleylands; conspicuous differences in land elevation.

Mountains: Tianshan Range in the central area; Altay Range in the north; Karakorum, Kunlun, and Altun Mountains in the south.

Rivers: The 2,137 km Tarim River, China's longest inland river; Ili and Ertix Rivers.

Deserts: Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin; Gurbantunggut Desert in the Junggar Basin; Gumtay Desert in the east.

Basins: Junggar Basin between the Tianshan and Altay Ranges; Tarim Basin between the Tianshan and Kunlun Ranges; Turpan Depression between the Bogda and Qoltag Mountains; east of the Turpan is the Hami Basin.

Lakes: Lop Nur; Bosten Lake; Aydingkol Lake in the Turpan Depression.

Products: Wheat, rice, corn, millet, sorghum, potatoes, rapeseed, sesame, sugar beet, peanuts; peaches, grappes, cotton, silk cocoons; iron, coal, petroleum, gold, copper, salt, jade, sulphur.

Specialties: Turpan grapes, Hami melons.

Administrative divisions: 5 autonomous prefectures, 16 cities, 65 counties, and 6 autonomous counties.

Capital: Urumqi

Neighboring Areas: Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet.

Major Cities: Urumqi, Kashi, Yining, Hami, Karamay, Aksu, Shihezi, Hotan, Korla.

Neighboring countries: Mongolia, the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

Source: Atlas of the Peoples Republic of China, Beijing, 1989.

Last modified: Tuesday, December 16, 2003