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Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest of the country at the crossroads of Central Asia and East Asia.
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The East Turkestan independence movement is a political...
- Karakul
The Karakul or Karakuli (Uyghur: قاراكۆل, romanized:...
- Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture
Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous...
- Kashgar Prefecture
Kashgar Prefecture, also known as Kashi Prefecture, is...
- Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture
Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous...
- Nurlan Abilmazhinuly
Nūrlan Äbılmäjınūly was born in Huocheng County, Xinjiang,...
- 8th-Largest Country Subdivision
Country Number of subdivisions United States: 40 Russia: 39...
- Flaming Mountains
The Flaming Mountains. The Flaming Mountains (Chinese: 火 焰...
- Dzungaria
Dzungaria (/(d) z ʊ ŋ ˈ ɡ ɛər i ə /; from the Mongolian...
- History
History of Xinjiang. Xinjiang is historically consisted of...
- East Turkestan Independence Movement
History of Xinjiang. Xinjiang is historically consisted of two main geographically, historically, and ethnically distinct regions with different historical names: Dzungaria north of the Tianshan Mountains; and the Tarim Basin south of the Tianshan Mountains, currently mainly inhabited by the Uyghurs.
Since the release of the Xinjiang papers and the China Cables in November 2019, various journalists and researchers have called the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs an ethnocide or a cultural genocide.
- Overview
- Relief
- Drainage
Xinjiang, autonomous region of China, occupying the northwestern corner of the country. It is bordered by the Chinese provinces of Qinghai and Gansu to the east, the Tibet Autonomous Region to the south, Afghanistan and the disputed territory of Kashmir to the southwest, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the west, Kazakhstan to the northwest, Russia to the north, and Mongolia to the northeast. It is China’s largest political unit. Its capital is at Ürümqi (Wulumuqi).
Known to the Chinese as Xiyu (“Western Regions”) for centuries, the area became Xinjiang (“New Borders”) upon its annexation under the Qing (Manchu) dynasty in the 18th century. Westerners long called it Chinese Turkistan to distinguish it from Russian Turkistan. Xinjiang is an area of lonely, rugged mountains and vast desert basins. Its indigenous population of agriculturalists and pastoralists (principally Uyghurs) inhabit oases strung out along the mountain foothills or wander the arid plains in search of pasturage. Since the establishment of firm Chinese control in 1949, serious efforts have been made to integrate the regional economy into that of the country, and these efforts have been accompanied by a great increase in the Han (Chinese) population there. The policy of the Chinese government is to allow the ethnic groups to develop and maintain their own cultural identities, although it asserted an assimilative education policy in the 21st century. The extent to which that policy has been successful in Xinjiang has been interpreted variously; ethnic tensions exist, especially between Uyghurs and Han. Area 635,900 square miles (1,646,900 square km). Pop. (2020) 25,852,345.
Xinjiang can be divided into five physiographic regions: the Northern Highlands, the Junggar (Dzungarian) Basin, the Tien (Tian) Shan (“Celestial Mountains”), the Tarim Basin, and the Kunlun Mountains. These regions run roughly from east to west, the high mountains alternating with large basins.
In the north the Northern Highlands extend in a semicircle along the Mongolian border. The major range in this area is the Altai Mountains, with average heights of approximately 4,500 feet (1,400 metres) above sea level. The slopes of the Altai Mountains on the Chinese (western) side are relatively gentle, with numerous rolling and dome-shaped hills.
The triangular-shaped Junggar Basin, or Dzungaria, with an area of some 147,000 square miles (380,000 square km), is bordered by the Altai Mountains on the northeast, the Tien Shan on the south, and the Zhongghar (Dzungarian) Alatau (Alataw) Mountains (principally of Kazakhstan) on the northwest. The basin is open on both the east and west. It contains a ring of oases at the foot of the enclosing mountains and a steppe and desert belt in the centre of the depression.
The Tien Shan occupies nearly one-fourth of the area of Xinjiang. The mountains stretch into the region from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan and run eastward from the border for about 1,000 miles (1,600 km). They are highest in the west and taper off slightly to the east. The highest mountains are Khan Tängiri (Hantengri) Peak on the Kazakh border, which rises to an elevation of 22,949 feet (6,995 metres); and Victory Peak (Russian Pik Pobedy) on the Kyrgyz border, which attains 24,406 feet (7,439 metres). They are found in a cluster of mountains, from which ridges extend southwestward along the boundary between China and Kyrgyzstan. The Tien Shan is perpetually covered by snow, and numerous long glaciers descend its slopes from extensive snowfields.
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The drainage pattern of Xinjiang is unique within China. The only stream whose waters reach the sea is the Irtysh River, which rises in north-central Xinjiang (as the Ertix River), flows west and crosses into Kazakhstan (where it is called the Ertis), and, as the Irtysh, flows through Russia into the Ob River, which then empties into the Arctic Oce...
May 24, 2022 · 24 May 2022. Getty Images. The Uyghurs are the largest minority ethnic group in China's north-western province of Xinjiang. China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and ...
Xinjiang (also transliterated as Sinkiang) is a northwestern region of the People's Republic of China. Like all of China, it is also claimed by the Republic of China. It is a large area with few people. It is over 1.6 million km 2, which takes up about one sixth of the country's land.
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Area: 635,900 sq mi (1,646,900 sq km). Population: (2020) 25,852,345. Capital: Ürümqi. Bordered by the Kashmir region, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, Gansu and Qinghai provinces, and Tibet autonomous region, Xinjiang is China’s largest political unit in area.
