Xinjiang
Xinjiang,[a] officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,[11][12] 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. Being the largest province-level division of China by area and the 8th-largest country subdivision in the world, Xinjiang spans over 1.6 million square kilometres (620,000 sq mi) and has about 25 million inhabitants.[1][13] Xinjiang borders the countries of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and India. The rugged Karakoram, Kunlun and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of Xinjiang's borders, as well as its western and southern regions. The Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract regions are claimed by India but administered by China.[14][15][16] Xinjiang also borders the Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The most well-known route of the historic Silk Road ran through the territory from the east to its northwestern border.
This article is about the administrative division of the People's Republic of China. For the geographical region, see East Turkestan and Chinese Turkestan. For other uses, see Xinjiang (disambiguation).
Xinjiang
新疆维吾尔自治区
(Xīnjiāng Wéiwú'ěr Zìzhìqū)
شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى
(Shinjang Uyghur Aptonom Rayoni)
XJ / 新 (Xīn)
14 prefectures
95 counties
1142 towns and subdistricts
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional People's Congress
60 deputies
1,664,897 km2 (642,820 sq mi)
8,611 m (28,251 ft)
−154 m (−505 ft)
25,890,000
16/km2 (40/sq mi)
44 languages;[5] including the two lingua francas, Chinese and Uyghur[6]
CN¥ 68,552
US$ 10,191
CN-XJ
www
Uyghur version
Xinjiang is divided into the Dzungarian Basin (Dzungaria) in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south by a mountain range and only about 9.7 percent of Xinjiang's land area is fit for human habitation.[17] It is home to a number of ethnic groups, including the Chinese Tajiks (Pamiris), Han Chinese, Hui, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Russians, Sibe, Tibetans, and Uyghurs.[18] There are more than a dozen autonomous prefectures and counties for minorities in Xinjiang. Older English-language reference works often refer to the area as Chinese Turkestan,[19][20] Chinese Turkistan,[21] East Turkestan[22] and East Turkistan.[23]
With a documented history of at least 2,500 years, a succession of people and empires have vied for control over all or parts of this territory. The territory came under the rule of the Qing dynasty in the 18th century, which was later replaced by the Republic of China. Since 1949 and the Chinese Civil War, it has been part of the People's Republic of China. In 1954, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) established the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) to strengthen border defense against the Soviet Union and promote the local economy by settling soldiers into the region.[24] In 1955, Xinjiang was administratively changed from a province into an autonomous region. In recent decades, abundant oil and mineral reserves have been found in Xinjiang and it is currently China's largest natural-gas-producing region.
From the 1990s to the 2010s, the East Turkestan independence movement, separatist conflict and the influence of radical Islam have resulted in unrest in the region with occasional terrorist attacks and clashes between separatist and government forces.[25][26] These conflicts prompted the Chinese government to commit a series of ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the province including, according to some, genocide.[27][28]
Xinjiang
Xīnjiāng
Sinkiang
"New Frontier"
Xīnjiāng
Xīnjiāng
ㄒㄧㄣ ㄐㄧㄤ
Shinjiang
Hsin1-chiang1
Sinjiang
Syīnjyāng
Shinjiang
ثٍڭِیَانْ
Щинҗён
Sîn-kiông
Sān'gēung
san1 goeng1
Sin-kiong
Sing-kiang
Sĭng-giŏng
Xīnjiāng Wéiwú'ěr Zìzhìqū
Xīnjiāng Wéiwú'ěr Zìzhìqū
Xīnjiāng Wéiwú'ěr Zìzhìqū
- ㄒㄧㄣ ㄐㄧㄤ
- ㄨㄟˊ ㄨˊ ㄦˇ
- ㄗˋ ㄓˋ ㄑㄩ
Shinjiang Weiwueel Tzyhjyhchiu
Hsin1-chiang1 Wei2-wu2-erh3 Tzu4-chih4-chʻü1
Sinjiang Wéiwú'ěr Zìhjhìhcyu
Syīnjyāng Wéiwúěr Dz̀jr̀chyū
Shinjiang Wheihuel Tzyhgukhickhu
ثٍڭِیَانْ وِوُعَر زِجِکِیُوِ
Щинҗён Уйгур Зыҗычү
sin cian vi ng el zy zy chiu
Sîn-kiông Vì-ngâ-ngì Tshṳ-tshṳ-khî
Sin-kiong Ûi-ngô͘-ní Chū-tī-khu
Sing-kiang Jûi-û-jéu Tsĕu-tī-khu
Sĭng-giŏng Mì-ngù-ī Cê̤ṳ-dê-kṳ̆
Шиньжян Уйгурын өөртөө засах орон
ᠰᠢᠨᠵᠢᠶᠠᠩ
ᠤᠶᠢᠭᠤᠷ
ᠤᠨ
ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠡᠨ
ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ
ᠣᠷᠤᠨ
Sinjiyaŋ Uyiɣur-un öbertegen jasaqu orun
(Classical)
Sinjiyaŋ Uyiɣur-un öbertegen jasaqu orun
(Classical)
شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى
Shinjang Uyghur Aptonom Rayoni
Shinjang Uyghur Aptonom Rayoni
Xinjang Uyƣur Aptonom Rayoni
Xinjang Uyĝur Aptonom Rayoni
Шинҗаң Уйғур Аптоном Райони
ᡳᠴᡝ
ᠵᡝᠴᡝᠨ
ᡠᡳᡤᡠᡵ
ᠪᡝᠶᡝ
ᡩᠠᠰᠠᠩᡤᠠ
ᡤᠣᠯᠣ
Ice Jecen Uigur beye dasangga golo
شينجياڭ ۇيعۇر اۆتونوميالىق رايونى
Шыңжаң Ұйғыр автономиялық ауданы
Shyńjań Uıǵyr aýtonomııalyq aýdany
شئنجاڭ ۇيعۇر اپتونوم رايونۇ
Шинжаң-Уйгур автоном району
Şincañ-Uyğur avtonom rayonu
ᠱᡅᠨᡓᡅᡕᠠᡊ
ᡇᡕᡅᡎᡇᠷ
ᡅᠨ
ᡄᡋᡄᠷᡄᡃᠨ
ᠴᠠᠰᠠᡍᡇ
ᡆᠷᡇᠨ
Šinǰiyang Uyiγur-in ebereen zasaqu orun
ᠰᡞᠨᡪᠶᠠᡢ
ᡠᡞᡤᡠᠷ
ᠪᡝᠶᡝ
ᡩᠠᠰᠠᡢᡤᠠ
ᡤᠣᠯᠣ
Sinjyang Uigur beye dasangga golo
شىنجوڭ ئۈىغۈر ئوفتۇنۇم رايۇن
Xinjong Üighür Oftunum Rayun[b]
Sports
Xinjiang is home to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers professional basketball team of the Chinese Basketball Association, and to Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard F.C., a football team that plays in China League One.
The capital, Ürümqi, is home to the Xinjiang University baseball team, an integrated Uyghur and Han group profiled in the documentary film Diamond in the Dunes.
