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Geography of
Xinjiang |
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Located in the
northwestern border of China, Xinjiang (Full Name: "Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region") is the
largest province in China. Taklimakan Desert which is the largest desert
in China, and Turpan Basin which is the lowest land below sea level in
China are all in Xinjiang Region.
Xinjiang covers an area of over
1,600,000 square kilometers with a population 20.95 million (by the end
of 2007) subdividing
into the
Uygur (45%), the
Han (41%),
the Kazak (7%), the
Hui (5%), the
Kirgiz
(0.9%), the
Mongol (0.8%), the
Russia and many other nationalities.
Urumqi is the capital city of
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Xinjiang has a typical
temperate continental climate which is dry in the southern part of the
region and rainy in the northern region, average annual temperature:
10.4 C° (50.72 °F ), average annual rainfall: 190mm.
Wheat, corn, cotton and
silkworm cocoon are its main crops. It abounds in long staple cotton and
melon and fruits, such as grape, hami melon, apple, pear and licorice
root are its important local and special products.
The major scenic spots
include
Heavenly Lake, Jiahu Lake, Huoyan Mountain, and Mosque of Kashi... |
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Xinjiang Climate |
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Xinjiang, situated in the hinterland of Asia, has a distinctive
continental climate characterized by drastic change in temperature,
abundance of sunshine and low precipitation. In January, the coldest
month, the minimum temperature averages below -20ºC (-4 °F ), in Hunggar Basin,
rises to -10ºC in Tarim Basin and drops sharply to as low as -52ºC
(-61.6 °F ), in Fuyun and Qinhhe area on the Junggar Basin fringes which are known
as the coldest areas in China. In July, the hottest month, the mean
temperature remain above 33ºC (91.4 °F ), in Turpan Basin, China's lowest area, and
may reach as high as 48ºC (111.2 °F ),. Hence, Turpan is reputed as a "flaming
place". However, the temperature is still below zero on the high
mountains where permanent snow and active glacial activities are found. |
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Brief History of
Xinjiang |
History has seen various administrations established in Xinjiang. The
Xinjiang region was under the rule of Xiyuduhu in the Han Dynasty (206
B.C.-220 A.D.), the rule of Beiting and Anxi in the Tang Dynasty
(618-907), administered by Alimali and Bieshibali Provincial authorities
of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The Imperial Government of the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911), after suppressing the rebellion in the western
frontier, named the region "Xinjiang" meaning the new frontier area
where a rebellion has just been put down, and set up the administration
of Jiangjunfu in Ili. Xinjiang, as a province of China, was set up
by the Qing Imperial Government in 1884. After
Chinese Communist Party took over China
(1949), Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was proclaimed in
1955.
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Places of Interests and Tourist Attractions of
Xinjiang |
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Useful Links
about
Xinjiang |
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Xinjiang Articles and Report Links |
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After Long Ban, Western China
Is Back Online (click
for details)
China allows texting in Xinjiang six months after
riots (link to BBC News)
China Nearly Doubles Security Budget for Western
Region (The New York Times)
China reconnects Xinjiang Province to the Web –
very slightly - Almost six months after China cut off communications in
a bid to control race riots in restive Xinjiang Province, it has given
residents access to two party-controlled websites. But phone calls and
text messages remain restricted.
(Christina Science Monitor)
China Ousts Top Official After Protests
Bomb hits
China's Xinjiang region April 2,
2009
Clocks square off in China's far west
No off-season for
traveling China's "Ness" lake in NW Xinjiang
A photographic
festival was held on the second day of the new year in the Kanasi Nature
Reserve, known as the most alluring resort in northwest China's
Xinjiang, as the reserve's winter scenery was opened for tourism for the
first time.
Kanasi, whose name
means "rich, beautiful and mysterious" in Mongolian, boasts pristine
lakes, glaciers, forests and grasslands. The Kanasi Lake is also China's
deepest alpine lake, reputed for mysterious lake creatures similar to "Nessies"
in Scotland.
Chi Chongqing, an
official from the Xinjiang regional tourist bureau said that the
festival was held to draw photographic fans to catch the beautiful
sceneries and cultures and life of locals in Kanasi, which would help
promote tourism.
The reserve used to
be open for tourism from June to October. Winter season lasts for seven
months here, when the lowest temperature can reach 37 degree Celsius
below zero.
However, with the
convenient air travel directly to Kanansi and better facilitated tourist
infrastructures, the reserve now has the condition to receive tourists
in winter, said Chi.
Kanasi host 752,000
tourists from home and abroad in 2008. (Xinhua Jan. 2, 2009)
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Chinese Cities and Province Information
