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Xinjiang is shown in
black. Note that Chinese names are in MingLiU (Chinese Traditional) screen
font. This may appear as question
marks or other symbols if that font is not installed on your browser. |
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Regional Capital: Urumqi Average temperatures: North:
-20 deg C to -15 deg C in January and 22 deg C to 26 deg C in
July. South: -10 deg C to -5 deg C in January and the same temperature range
as in the north in July. Physical features: The
autonomous region consists of 1,650,000 square kilometres, which is 16 per
cent of China’s total land area. Three major mountain ranges separate the
lowlands into various basins and valleys with a substantial difference in
elevation. The region has very little
precipitation and experiences frequent gales in the spring and autumn. Rivers: The Tarim River and its
tributaries (Hotan and Yarkant) comprise China's longest inland river.
Ulanqur River is in the north of the region. Administrative divisions: 16
cities, 5 autonomous prefectures, 65 counties and 6 autonomous counties. Historical significance:
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has a long history of conflict, stemming from
the silk trade (which dates back to the Roman era), and a collection of
nomadic tribes that occasionally intruded into China. It was part of China during the Qing
Dynasty but was ruled by warlords when the Qing Dynasty collapsed. Apart from a portion that became independent as the
Republic of Turkestan in 1945 (now separated into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan) the region remained with China. Major ethnic groups in the
region are Uygur（維吾爾）and Han（漢）, accounting for 47 per cent and 39 per cent,
respectively, of the region's population.
Other ethnic groups include Kazak（哈薩克）, Hui（回）, Kirgiz（柯爾克孜）, Mongolian（蒙古）, Tatar（塔塔爾）, Daur（達幹爾）, Xibe（錫伯）, Russian（俄羅斯）, Tajik（塔吉克）and Uzbek（烏孜別克）. |
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It has the largest reserves of
oil, natural gas and coal in the country.
Its coal reserves amount to 27 million tons (40 per cent of the
country’s total) and oil reserves amount to 30 billion tons. Crude oil output, which reached 17.4
million tons in 1999, was the third highest in the country. The oil and gas reserves found in Tarim,
Junggar and Turpan-Hami basins in the region account for one-fourth and
one-third, respectively, of the country's total. Xinjiang's reserves of mineral
resources are also substantial. The
region's reserves of beryllium（鈹） and
mica（雲母） are the highest in China. Some of the region’s granite products such
as “Xinjiang Red,” Tianshan White” and “Snowflower Black” are famous brands
in the country. The country’s largest
copper mine is also found in Xinjiang. |
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Notes: *In real terms |
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Roadways － The
total length of roads and highways in the region reached 35,600 kilometres by
the end of 2000, covering over 99 per cent of the counties, townships and villages. Major highways include Tur-U-Dai（吐烏大: Turpan-Urumqi-Daihuangshan 吐魯番－烏魯木齊－大黃山）, U-Kui Expressway（烏奎 : Urumqi-Kuitun 烏魯木齊－奎屯）, LanXin line（蘭新線: Lanzhou-Xinjiang 蘭州－新疆）, QinXin line（青新線: Qinghai-Xinjiang 青海－新疆）and Xin-Tibet line（新藏線: Xinjiang-Tibet 新疆－西藏）. Air Transport － The Urumqi
Airport has flight services to 59 international and domestic destinations
including Ningbo, Shenyang, Xi'an, Moscow,
Siberian and Islamabad. The
reconstructions of the Yili Airport in 1998 and the Karsh
Airport in 1999 have improved the aviation services of Xinjiang. Telecommunications － Program-controlled
telephone exchanges are available in 98 per cent of township and 52 per cent
of administrative villages in Xinjiang.
At present, there are about 1.7 million telephone users in the
region. Direct dial service for international
calls is also available. Mobile phone
service is increasingly popular. By
the end of 1999, there were 180,000 mobile phone users in Urumqi. Xinjiang built a digital
microwave telecommunications trunk which links cities on both sides of the
Tianshan Mountain, and an optical fibre cable system leading to neighbouring
countries with a total length of 25,000 kilometres, and 10 satellite ground
stations. The region has also set up
a digital data network, a conference TV system, a smart terminal and a multi-media
network. The number of data transmission
users has risen to more than 105,000. Wind Power － More than 200
power-generating units are in operation at the wind power centre in
Dabancheng（大板城）.
The generating capacity of the canter makes up one-third of the total
installed wind power capacity in the country. Gas Supply － Under China's energy
development strategy, a major gas pipeline running from the Tarim Basin to
Shanghai with a total length of 4,167 kilometres will start construction in
the last quarter of 2001. The
pipeline, which runs through Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu
and Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region, will be able to transmit 12 billion cubic metres of
gas annually from the west to the east upon completion by end of 2003. |
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It provides more than 40 per cent of the country's total
fine-sheep wool and its milk production in the region ranked the fourth in
China in 1999. Xinjiang is also a
major producer of grain, sugar beets and fruits, of which, Yining
apples, Korla pears, seedless white grapes and Hami melons are famous at home
and abroad. |
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Heavy industries like oil,
petrochemicals and coal production formed a fundamental part of Xinjiang’s
industrial development, accounting for 69 per cent of the region’s total
industrial output in 1999. Besides,
the region has developed light industries like textiles and garments
(especially wool and cashmere), leather processing, papermaking, sugar
refining and carpet weaving. The
Xinjiang’s government targets to accelerate development of information,
biotech, energy and environmental protection industries in the current
Five-Year Plan period. Major export items included
canned food, cotton, garment, silk products and woolen yarn. |
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This zone engages in the chemical industry, textiles, foodstuffs,
construction materials, medicines and other light industries. An International Trade/Tourist Shopping
Market （國際貿易旅遊購物市場）was open in the zone during 1998 to attract more foreign investment. Urumqi High-tech Development Zone（烏魯木齊高新技術產業開發區） This zone focuses on high-tech and service industries. It achieved an output of RMB 702 million
and total trade US$71.8 million during 1999.
Shihezi Economic
and Technological Development Zone （石河子經濟技術開發區） This zone is devoted mainly to
light industries. In 1999, there were
244 enterprises located in the zone, with an industrial output of RMB 571
million and foreign trade of US$13.6 million. Yining Border
Economic Cooperation Zone（伊寧邊境經濟合作區）, This was approved by the State
Council in June 1992 as an important base for agricultural products. Bole City Border
Economic Cooperation Zone（博樂市邊境經濟合作區）, This state-level zone approved
by the State Council in December 1992, mainly engages in export processing industry,
machinery, science and technology, medicine processing and mining industry. Kuytun Economic and Technological Development
Zone（奎屯經濟技術開發區）, This is located to the west of Urumqi and is the
third largest industrial production centre in Xinjiang. |
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Major department stores and
shopping centres in Xinjiang include Urumqi Tianshan Department Store（烏魯木齊市天山百貨大樓）, Urumqi Youhao Department Store（烏魯木齊市友好商場股份有限公司）, Xinjiang Department Store（新疆百貨大樓）, Hongshan Shopping Arcade（紅山商場）, Urumqi Dashizi Commercial Building （烏市大十字商業大廈）, Tulufan Department Store（吐魯番百貨站）, Hami Department Store（哈密百貨站）and Xinjian Shengchan Jianshe Bingtuan
Department Store（新疆生產建設兵團百貨公司）. |
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Ø
Urumqi Ø
Yili Ø Changji Ø Ba Ø Karamay Western industrial zone – this includes the western
portion of the Tarim Basin. Ø
Kashi |
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As with many of the far western communities, Urumqi amounted
to very little before the construction of the rail line from Lanzhou in the
1950s. The city is noted for the
relatively high percentage of people with Turkic ancestry. |
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The full name is Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, which gives
it an administrative level that is between a province and a
municipality. Autonomous prefectures
are associated mainly with minority national areas. The data reported above include Yining, which is the
capital city of the Yili Autonomous Prefecture, as well as much of the
surrounding region along the Ili River.
This river flows westward from the mountains lying to the southwest of
Urumqi into Kazakhstan. Agriculture is the principal activity in the autonomous
prefecture. |
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Changji is relatively close to Urumqi
(about 35 km, which is very close in relation to the distances within
Xinjiang). It is connected to the
capital by road, but not by rail. |
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