East Turkistan in the Wikipedia

Xinjiang (Uyghur: شىنجاڭ (Xinjang); Chinese: 新疆; Pinyin: Xīnjiāng; Wade-Giles: Hsin¹-chiang¹; Postal map spelling: Sinkiang) is an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China. It is a large, sparsely populated area which takes up about one sixth of the country’s territory. Xinjiang borders the Tibet Autonomous Region to the south and Qinghai and Gansu provinces to the southeast, Mongolia to the east, Russia to the north, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and the Pakistan- and India-controlled parts of Kashmir to the west. It administers most of Aksai Chin, a region claimed by India as part of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Xinjiang" or "Ice Jecen" in Manchu, literally means "New Frontier", a name given during the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China. It is home to a number of Turkic ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Uyghurs. The region is often referred to as Chinese Turkestan or East Turkestan.

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[edit] History

Main article: History of Xinjiang

[edit] Historic names

Once part of Western Regions, later, East Turkestan.

[edit] Subdivisions

Main article: List of administrative divisions of Xinjiang

Xinjiang is divided into two prefecture-level cities, seven prefectures, and five autonomous prefectures. (Two of the seven prefectures are in turn part of Ili, an autonomous prefecture.) These are then divided into eleven districts, twenty county-level cities, sixty-two counties, and six 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^[1] Uyghur
(kona yezik̡) Uyghur Latin
(yengi yezik̡) Hanzi Pinyin Remarks

Prefecture-level cities

Ürümqi
ئۈرۈمچى شەھرى
Ürümqi Xəh̡ri
乌鲁木齐市
Wūlǔmùqí Shì

Karamay
قاراماي شەھرى
K̡aramay Xəh̡ri
克拉玛依市
Kèlāmǎyī Shì

Directly administered county-level cities

Shihezi
شىخەنزە شەھرى
Xihənzə Xəh̡ri
石河子市
Shíhézǐ Shì
Administered de facto by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps

Tumxuk
تۇمشۇق شەھرى
Tumxuk̡ Xəh̡ri
图木舒克市
Túmùshūkè Shì

Aral
ئارال شەھرى
Aral Xəh̡ri
阿拉尔市
Ālā’ěr Shì

Wujiaqu
ئۇجاچۇ شەھرى
Wujiaqü Xəh̡ri
五家渠市
Wǔjiāqú Shì

Prefectures

Turpan Prefecture
تۇرپان ۋىلايىتى
Turpan Vilayiti
吐鲁番地区
Tǔlǔfān Dìqū

Kumul Prefecture
قۇمۇل ۋىلايىتى
K̡umul Vilayiti
哈密地区
Hāmì Dìqū

Hotan Prefecture
خوتەن ۋىلايىتى
Hotən Vilayiti
和田地区
Hétián Dìqū

Aksu Prefecture
ئاقسۇ ۋىلايىتى
Ak̡su Vilayiti
阿克苏地区
Ākèsū Dìqū

Kashgar Prefecture
قەشقەر ۋىلايىتى
K̡əxk̡ər Vilayiti
喀什地区
Kāshí Dìqū

Tacheng Prefecture
تارباغاتاي ۋىلايىتى
Tarbaƣatay Vilayiti
塔城地区
Tǎchéng Dìqū
subordinate to Ili Prefecture

Altay Prefecture
ئالتاي ۋىلايىتى
Altay Vilayiti
阿勒泰地区
Ālètài Dìqū

Autonomous prefectures

Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture
قىزىلسۇ قىرغىز ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى
K̡izilsu K̡irƣiz Aptonom Oblasti
克孜勒苏柯尔克孜自治州
Kèzīlèsū Kē’ěrkèzī Zìzhìzhōu

Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture
بايىنغولىن موڭغۇل ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى
Bayinƣolin Mongƣol Aptonom Oblasti
巴音郭楞蒙古自治州
Bāyīnguōlèng Měnggǔ Zìzhìzhōu

Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture
سانجى خۇيزۇ ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى
Sanji Huizu Aptonom Oblasti
昌吉回族自治州
Chāngjí Huízú Zìzhìzhōu

Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture
بۆرتالا موڭغۇل ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى
Bɵrtala Mongƣol Aptonom Oblasti
博尔塔拉蒙古自治州
Bó’ěrtǎlā Měnggǔ Zìzhìzhōu

Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
ئىلى قازاق ئاپتونوم ئوبلاستى
Ili K̡azak̡ Aptonom Oblasti
伊犁哈萨克自治州
Yīlí Hāsàkè Zìzhìzhōu

[edit] 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 the Turfan Depression, 155 metres below sea level (lowest point in the PRC as well). Its highest peak, K2, 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.

The Eurasian pole of inaccessibility, the point on land farthest from any ocean, is located approximately 320 km (200 mi) from the city of Urumqi, within the boundary of Xinjiang.

Rivers include:

Tarim River

Major Cities:

[edit] Economy

A panoramic view of Urumqi’s city center taken from Red Mountain (Hong Shan).

Xinjiang is known for its fruits and produce, including grapes, melons, pears, cotton, wheat, silk, walnuts and sheep. 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 (about 28 billion USD) in 2004, due to the China Western Development policy introduced by the State Council to boost economic development in Western China. 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]

[edit] Demographics

The languages of Xinjang.

Xinjiang is home to several Muslim Turkic groups including the Uyghurs and the Kazakhs. Other PRC minority ethnic groups include Hui Chinese, the Kirghiz, the Mongols, the Russians, 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^{[citation needed]} 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. While at the same time, the minorities of Xinjiang were exempted from the One-Child Policy and many Uyghur people emigrated out of Xinjiang to other parts of China, the percentage of Uyghur people in the total population of China has increased steadily.

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

Tuvans
3260

Salar
3762
0.020

Excludes members of the People’s Liberation Army in active service.
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)

Map of Xinjiang indicating leading nationality in each prefecture-level division.

In general, Uyghurs 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. Kazakhs are mostly concentrated in Ili prefecture in northern Xinjiang.

Major ethnic groups in Xinjiang by region, 2000 census Uyghurs 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%

- Altay Prefecture
1.8%
40.9%
51.4%
5.9%

Shihezi DACLC
1.2%
94.5%
0.6%
3.7%

¹—Ili AP is composed of Kuitun DACLC, Tacheng Prefecture, Aletai Prefecture, as well as former Ili Prefecture. Ili Prefecture has been disbanded and its former area is now directly administered by Ili AP.
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.

[edit] HIV/AIDS

With a population of about 20 million and an officially estimated 60,000 infections, Xinjiang has one-tenth of China’s AIDS cases and the highest HIV infection rate in the country. Chinese authorities estimate that Kashgar Prefecture, with a population of about three million, has 780 cases, but public health experts here say the real figure is probably four times that and rising fast.

Until recently, addicts were largely left to the police, who regarded them as simple criminals whose drug use was to be combated mercilessly. Resistance to treating drug addiction as a public health concern has been high, mirroring what some international health experts say was, more generally, a slow response to HIV/AIDS in China^[2].