Xinjiang
- For the county in Shanxi province, see Xinjiang County.
"Xinjiang" or "Ice Jecen" in Manchu, literally means "New Frontier", a name given during the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China. Historically, in the West, the Xinjiang area has sometimes been known as Chinese Turkestan or East Turkestan.
History
Subdivisions
Xinjiang is divided into 2 prefecture-level cities, 7 prefecturess, and 5 autonomous prefectures. (2 of the 7 prefectures are in turn part of Ili, an autonomous prefecture.) Below them, there are 11 districts, 20 county-level cities, 62 counties, and 6 autonomous counties. Four of the county-level cities do not belong to any prefecture, and are de facto administered by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
| Conventional | Uyghur (Kona Yeziq) | Uyghur Latin (Yengi Yeziq) | Hanzi | Pinyin | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prefecture-level cities | |||||
| Ürümqi | ئۈرۈمچى شەھرى | Ürümchi Shehri | 乌鲁木齐市 | Wūlǔmùqí Shì | |
| Karamay | قاراماي شەھرى | Qaramay Shehri | 克拉玛依市 | Kèlāmǎyī Shì | |
| Directly administered county-level cities | |||||
| Shihanza | شىخەنزە شەھرى | Shixenze Shehri | 石河子市 | Shíhézǐ Shì | Administered de facto by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps |
| Tumshuke | تۇمشۇق شەھرى | Tumshuq Shehri | 图木舒克市 | Túmùshūkè Shì | |
| Aral | ئارال شەھرى | Aral Shehri | 阿拉尔市 | Ālā'ěr Shì | |
| Wujiaqu | ئۇجاچۇ شەھرى | Ujachü Shehri | 五家渠市 | Wǔjiāqú Shì | |
| Prefectures | |||||
| Turpan Prefecture | تۇرپان ۋىلايىتى | Turpan Wilayiti | 吐鲁番地区 | Tǔlǔfān Dìqū | |
| Kumul Prefecture | قۇمۇل ۋىلايىتى | Qumul Wilayiti | 哈密地区 | Hāmì Dìqū | |
| Khotan Prefecture | خوتەن ۋىلايىتى | Xoten Wilayiti | 和田地区 | Hétián Dìqū | |
| Aksu Prefecture | ئاقسۇ ۋىلايىتى | Aqsu Wilayiti | 阿克苏地区 | Ākèsū Dìqū | |
| Kashgar Prefecture | قەشقەر ۋىلايىتى | Qeshqer Wilayiti | 喀什地区 | Kāshí Dìqū | |
| Tacheng Prefecture | تارباغاتاي ۋىلايىتى | Tarbaghatay Wilayiti | 塔城地区 | Tǎchéng Dìqū | subordinate to Ili Prefecture |
| Altay Prefecture | ئالتاي ۋىلايىتى | Altay Wilayiti | 阿勒泰地区 | Ālètài Dìqū | |
| Autonomous prefectures | |||||
| Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture | قىزىلسۇ قىرغىز ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى | Qizilsu Qirghiz Aptonom Oblasti | 克孜勒苏柯尔克孜自治州 | Kèzīlèsū Kē'ěrkèzī Zìzhìzhōu | |
| Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture | بايىنغولىن موڭغۇل ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى | Bayin'gholin Mongghol Aptonom Oblasti | 巴音郭楞蒙古自治州 | Bāyīnguōlèng Měnggǔ Zìzhìzhōu | |
| Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture | سانجى خۇيزۇ ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى | Sanji Xuizu Aptonom Oblasti | 昌吉回族自治州 | Chāngjí Huízú Zìzhìzhōu | |
| Börtala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture | بۆرتالا موڭغۇل ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى | Börtala Mongghol Aptonom Oblasti | 博尔塔拉蒙古自治州 | Bó'ěrtǎlā Měnggǔ Zìzhìzhōu | |
| Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture | ئىلى قازاق ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى | Ili Qazaq Aptonom Oblasti | 伊犁哈萨克自治州 | Yīlí Hāsàkè Zìzhìzhōu | |
Geography and Geology
Xinjiang is the largest political subdivision of China - it accounts for more than one sixth of China's total territory and a quarter of its boundary length. It is divided into two basins by Mount Tianshan. Dzungarian Basin is in the north, and Tarim Basin is in the south. Xinjiang's lowest point is 155 metres below sea level (lowest point in the PRC as well). Its highest peak is 8611 metres above sea level on the border with Kashmir.Most of Xinjiang is young geologically, having been formed from the collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate, forming the Tian Shan, Kunlun Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Consequently, Xinjiang is a major earthquake zone. Older geological formations occur principally in the far north where the Junggar Block is geologically part of Kazakhstan, and in the east which is part of the North China Craton.
Xinjiang has within its borders the point of land remotest from the sea (Lat. 46 degrees 16.8 minutes N, Long. 86 degrees 40.2 minutes E) in the Dzoosotoyn Elisen Desert, 1,645 miles (2648 km) from the nearest coastline (straight-line distance).
The Tian Shan mountain range marks the Xinjiang-Kyrgyzstan border at the Torugart Pass (3752 m). The Karakorum highway (KKH) links Islamabad, Pakistan with Kashgar over the Khunjerab Pass.
Rivers include:
Major Cities:
Economy
Xinjiang is known for its fruits and produce, including grapes and melons. Cotton, wheat, silk, walnuts, and sheep are also produced. Xinjiang also has large deposits of minerals and oil.
Xinjiang's nominal GDP was approximately 187 billion RMB (about 23 billion USD) in 2003, and increased to 220 billion RMB in 2004, due to the China Western Development policy introduced by the State Council. Its per capita GDP for 2003 was 9,710 RMB (1172 USD).
Oil and gas extraction industry in Aksu and Karamay is booming, with the West-East Gas Pipeline connecting to Shanghai.
Xinjiang's exports amounted to 3.047 billion USD, while import turned out to be 2.589 billion USD in 2004. Most of the overall import/export volume in Xinjiang was directed to and from Kazakhstan through Ala Pass [1]. China's first border free trade zone (Horgos Free Trade Zone) was located at the Xinjiang-Kazakhstan border city of Horgos [2]. Horgos is the largest land port in China's western region and it has easy access to the Central Asian market. Xinjiang will also open its second border trade market to Kazakhstan in March 2006, the Jeminay Border Trade Zone. [3]
Recently, China Western Development policy was adopted to boost economic development in western China.
Demographics
Xinjiang is home to several Muslim Turkic groups including the Uyghurss and the Kazakhss. Other PRC minority ethnic groups include Hui Chinese, the Kirghiz, the Mongols, the Russianss, the Xibes, the Tajik, the Uzbek, the Tatars, and the Manchus.
The percentage of ethnic Han Chinese in Xinjiang has grown from 6 percent in 1949 to an official tally of over 40 percent at present. This figure does not include military personnel or their families, or the many unregistered migrant workers. Much of this transformation can be attributed to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a semi-military organization of settlers that has built farms, towns, and cities over scattered parts of Xinjiang. The demographic transformation is held by Uyghur independence advocates as a threat to Uyghurs and other non-Han ethnicities in maintaining their culture, similar to the case of Tibet.
| Ethnic groups in Xinjiang, 2000 census | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Population | Percentage |
| Uyghur | 8,345,622 | 45.21 |
| Han | 7,489,919 | 40.58 |
| Kazakh | 1,245,023 | 6.74 |
| Hui | 839,837 | 4.55 |
| Kirghiz | 158,775 | 0.86 |
| Mongol | 149,857 | 0.81 |
| Dongxiang | 55,841 | 0.30 |
| Tajik | 39,493 | 0.21 |
| Xibe | 34,566 | 0.19 |
| Manchu | 19,493 | 0.11 |
| Tujia | 15,787 | 0.086 |
| Uzbek | 12,096 | 0.066 |
| Russian | 8935 | 0.048 |
| Miao | 7006 | 0.038 |
| Tibetan | 6153 | 0.033 |
| Zhuang | 5642 | 0.031 |
| Daur | 5541 | 0.030 |
| Tatar | 4501 | 0.024 |
| Salar | 3762 | 0.020 |
Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (国家民族事务委员会经济发展司), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China (《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民族出版社), 2003. (ISBN 7-105-05425-5)
In general, Uyghurss are the majority in western Xinjiang, including the prefectures of Kashgar, Khotan, Kizilsu, and Aksu, as well as Turpan prefecture in eastern Xinjiang. Han Chinese are the majority in eastern and northern Xinjiang, including the cities of Urumqi, Karamay, Shihezi and the prefectures of Changji, Bortala, Bayin'gholin, Ili (especially the city of Kuitun), and Kumul. Kazakhss are mostly concentrated in Ili prefecture in northern Xinjiang.
| Major ethnic groups in Xinjiang by region, 2000 census | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uyghurss | Han Chinese | Kazakhs | others | |
| Xinjiang | 45.2% | 40.6% | 6.7% | 7.5% |
| Ürümqi PLC | 12.8% | 75.3% | 2.3% | 9.6% |
| Karamay PLC | 13.8% | 78.1% | 3.7% | 4.5% |
| Turpan Prefecture | 70.0% | 23.3% | <0.1% | 6.6% |
| Kumul Prefecture | 18.4% | 68.9% | 8.8% | 3.9% |
| Changji AP + Wujiaqu DACLC | 3.9% | 75.1% | 8.0% | 13.0% |
| Bortala AP | 12.5% | 67.2% | 9.1% | 11.1% |
| Bayin'gholin AP | 32.7% | 57.5% | <0.1% | 9.7% |
| Aksu Prefecture + Alar DACLC | 71.9% | 26.6% | <0.1% | 1.4% |
| Kizilsu AP | 64.0% | 6.4% | <0.1% | 29.6% |
| Kashgar Prefecture + Tumushuke DACLC | 89.3% | 9.2% | <0.1% | 1.5% |
| Khotan Prefecture | 96.4% | 3.3% | <0.1% | 0.2% |
| Ili AP1 | 16.1% | 44.4% | 25.6% | 13.9% |
| - Kuitun DACLC | 0.5% | 94.6% | 1.8% | 3.1% |
| - former Ili Prefecture | 27.2% | 32.4% | 22.6% | 17.8% |
| - Tacheng Prefecture | 4.1% | 58.6% | 24.2% | 13.1% |
| - Aletai Prefecture | 1.8% | 40.9% | 51.4% | 5.9% |
| Shihezi DACLC | 1.2% | 94.5% | 0.6% | 3.7% |
Source: 2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料，民族出版社，2003/9 (ISBN 7-105-05425-5)
Does not include members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.
P = Prefecture; AP = Autonomous prefecture; PLC = Prefecture-level city; DACLC = Directly-administered county-level city
Some Uighur scholars claim descent from both the Turkic Uighurs and the pre-Turkic Tocharians (or Tokharians, whose language was Indo-European), and relatively fair-skin, hair and eyes, as well as other so-called 'Caucasoid' physical traits, are not uncommon among them. In general Uyghurs resemble those peoples who live around them in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan. In 2002, there were 9,632,600 males (growth rate of 1.0%) and 9,419,300 females (growth rate of 2.2%). The population overall growth rate was 10.9‰, with 16.3‰ of birth rate and 5.4‰ mortality rate.
See also
Media
The Xinjiang Networking Transmission Limited operates the Urumqi People Broadcasting Station and the Xinjiang People Broadcasting Station, broadcasting in the Mandarin (dialect), Uyghur (dialect), Kazak, Mongolian, and the Tan Oak languages.Culture
Professional sports teams in Xinjiang include:
External links
- 中国新疆政府网 Xinjiang Government
- Large map of Xinjiang
- Uyghur Culture and History
- [4]
- Xinjiang, China's Final Frontier by Tom Carter Newspaper travel report about Xinjiang
