Xinjiang | History, Map, Population, People, & Facts | Britannica

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 ... Xinjiang TableofContents IntroductionLandReliefDrainageClimatePlantandanimallifePeoplePopulationcompositionSettlementpatternsEconomyAgricultureResourcesandmanufacturingTransportationGovernmentandsocietyConstitutionalframeworkEducationCulturallifeHistory FastFacts 2-MinSummary RelatedContent Media Videos Images More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Contributors ArticleHistory Home Geography&Travel States&OtherSubdivisions Xinjiang autonomousregion,China Alternatetitles:ChineseTurkistan,Hsin-chiangWei-wu-erhTzu-chih-ch’ü,UighurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,UyghurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,UygurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,XinjiangUygurZizhiqu,XinjiangWeiwu’erZizhiqu Print print Print Pleaseselectwhichsectionsyouwouldliketoprint: TableOfContents Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. SelectCitationStyle MLA APA ChicagoManualofStyle CopyCitation Share Share Sharetosocialmedia Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/place/Xinjiang More GiveFeedback ExternalWebsites Feedback Corrections?Updates?Omissions?Letusknowifyouhavesuggestionstoimprovethisarticle(requireslogin). FeedbackType Selectatype(Required) FactualCorrection Spelling/GrammarCorrection LinkCorrection AdditionalInformation Other YourFeedback SubmitFeedback Thankyouforyourfeedback Oureditorswillreviewwhatyou’vesubmittedanddeterminewhethertorevisethearticle. JoinBritannica'sPublishingPartnerProgramandourcommunityofexpertstogainaglobalaudienceforyourwork! ExternalWebsites ChinaKnowledge.de-Xinjiang BritannicaWebsites ArticlesfromBritannicaEncyclopediasforelementaryandhighschoolstudents. Xinjiang-StudentEncyclopedia(Ages11andup) By Chiao-MinHsieh |SeeAll • EditHistory Xinjiang,conventionalSinkiang,infullUygurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,officiallyXinjiangUygurZizhiqu,Chinese(Pinyin)XinjiangWeiwu’erZizhiquor(Wade-Gilesromanization)Hsin-chiangWei-wu-erhTzu-chih-ch’ü,UyguralsospelledUighurorUyghur,autonomousregionofChina,occupyingthenorthwesterncornerofthecountry.ItisborderedbytheChineseprovincesofQinghaiandGansutotheeast,theTibetAutonomousRegiontothesouth,AfghanistanandthedisputedterritoryofKashmirtothesouthwest,KyrgyzstanandTajikistantothewest,Kazakhstantothenorthwest,Russiatothenorth,andMongoliatothenortheast.ItisChina’slargestpoliticalunit.ItscapitalisatÜrümqi(Wulumuqi).pagodanearTianLakePagodaclosetoTianLake,Ürümqi,UygurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,China.StuartTaylor/Shutterstock.comUygurAutonomousRegionUygurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,China.EncyclopædiaBritannica,Inc.KnowntotheChineseasXiyu(“WesternRegions”)forcenturies,theareabecameXinjiang(“NewBorders”)uponitsannexationundertheQing(Manchu)dynastyinthe18thcentury.WesternerslongcalleditChineseTurkistantodistinguishitfromRussianTurkistan.Xinjiangisanareaoflonely,ruggedmountainsandvastdesertbasins.Itsindigenouspopulationofagriculturalistsandpastoralists(principallyUighurs)inhabitoasesstrungoutalongthemountainfoothillsorwanderthearidplainsinsearchofpasturage.SincetheestablishmentoffirmChinesecontrolin1949,seriouseffortshavebeenmadetointegratetheregionaleconomyintothatofthecountry,andtheseeffortshavebeenaccompaniedbyagreatincreaseintheHan(Chinese)populationthere.ThepolicyoftheChinesegovernmentistoallowtheethnicgroupstodevelopandmaintaintheirownculturalidentities.However,theextenttowhichthatpolicyhasbeensuccessfulinXinjianghasbeeninterpretedvariously;ethnictensionsexist,especiallybetweenUighursandHan.Area635,900squaremiles(1,646,900squarekm).Pop.(2020)25,852,345.LandReliefXinjiangcanbedividedintofivephysiographicregions:theNorthernHighlands,theJunggar(Dzungarian)Basin,theTien(Tian)Shan(“CelestialMountains”),theTarimBasin,andtheKunlunMountains.Theseregionsrunroughlyfromeasttowest,thehighmountainsalternatingwithlargebasins.alluvialfan,ChinaSatelliteimageofariver'slargealluvialfanbetweentheKunlunandAltunranges,UygurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,westernChina.ImageprovidedbytheUSGSEROSDataCenterInthenorththeNorthernHighlandsextendinasemicirclealongtheMongolianborder.ThemajorrangeinthisareaistheAltaiMountains,withaverageheightsofapproximately4,500feet(1,400metres)abovesealevel.TheslopesoftheAltaiMountainsontheChinese(western)sidearerelativelygentle,withnumerousrollinganddome-shapedhills.Thetriangular-shapedJunggarBasin,orDzungaria,withanareaofsome147,000squaremiles(380,000squarekm),isborderedbytheAltaiMountainsonthenortheast,theTienShanonthesouth,andtheZhongghar(Dzungarian)Alatau(Alataw)Mountains(principallyofKazakhstan)onthenorthwest.Thebasinisopenonboththeeastandwest.Itcontainsaringofoasesatthefootoftheenclosingmountainsandasteppeanddesertbeltinthecentreofthedepression.TheTienShanoccupiesnearlyone-fourthoftheareaofXinjiang.ThemountainsstretchintotheregionfromKazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,andTajikistanandruneastwardfromtheborderforabout1,000miles(1,600km).Theyarehighestinthewestandtaperoffslightlytotheeast.ThehighestmountainsareKhanTängiri(Hantengri)PeakontheKazakhborder,whichrisestoanelevationof22,949feet(6,995metres);andVictoryPeak(RussianPikPobedy)ontheKyrgyzborder,whichattains24,406feet(7,439metres).Theyarefoundinaclusterofmountains,fromwhichridgesextendsouthwestwardalongtheboundarybetweenChinaandKyrgyzstan.TheTienShanisperpetuallycoveredbysnow,andnumerouslongglaciersdescenditsslopesfromextensivesnowfields.TheTarimBasinissurroundedbytheTienShantothenorth,thePamirsrangetothewest,andtheKunlunMountainstothesouth.ItoccupiesabouthalfofXinjiang,extendingsome850miles(1,370km)fromwesttoeastandabout350(560km)milesfromnorthtosouth.Thebasinconsistsofacentraldesert,alluvialfansatthefootofthemountains,andisolatedoases.Thedesert—theTaklaMakan—coversanareaofapproximately123,550squaremiles(320,000squarekm)andisnearlybarren.Thecoreofthebasinhasanelevationrangingfromabout4,000feet(1,200metres)abovesealevelinthewesttoabout2,500feet(760metres)intheeast.However,theTurfan(Tulufan)Depression—northeastoftheTaklaMakanandbetweentheBogdaandQoltagmountainrangestothenorthandsouth,respectively—is505feet(154metres)belowsealevel.TheKunlunMountainsformthenorthernrampartofthePlateauofTibet.Withitstallestpeakssurpassing24,000feet(7,300metres),thecentralpartoftherangeformsanalmostimpenetrablebarriertomovementfromnorthtosouth.Therearepassesonthewestandeast,suchastheKarakoramintheKashmirregionandtheKorganinXinjiang.IntheeasttheAltunMountainsturnnortheastandeventuallymergewiththeQilianMountainsinGansuprovince.DrainageThedrainagepatternofXinjiangisuniquewithinChina.TheonlystreamwhosewatersreachtheseaistheIrtyshRiver,whichrisesinnorth-centralXinjiang(astheErtixRiver),flowswestandcrossesintoKazakhstan(whereitiscalledtheErtis),and,astheIrtysh,flowsthroughRussiaintotheObRiver,whichthenemptiesintotheArcticOcean.OtherstreamsinXinjiangissuefromthemountainsanddisappearintoinlanddesertsorsaltlakes.Theprincipalriveroftheregion,theTarim,isfedbylargelyintermittentstreamsthatriseintheKunlunMountainsandintheTienShan.ItflowsgenerallyeastwardacrosstheTarimBasin,becomingintermittentinitslowerreaches.lakeinthePamirsLakeinthePamirs,westernUygurAutonomousRegionofXinjiang,westernChina.©cam/Shutterstock.com 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