Meaning of the name of "Xinjiang"
"New Frontier"
Location
In the far west of China, about 2000 km (1200 miles) west of Beijing.
Population
16,900,000. About 45% of the inhabitants are of the Uygur nationality, 40% are Han Chinese, and the remainder belong to various ethnic minorities including Kazaks, Huis, Mongolians, Kirgizes, Tajiks, Xibes, Daurs, Tatars, Ozbeks, Manchus, and Russians.
Description
Xinjiang is the largest of China's provinces and autonomous regions. At 635,900 square miles (1,646,900 square km) it is approximately the same size as the State of Alaska. The topography is a mix of mountains, basins, deserts, oases, and rivers. The elevation ranges from the top of Mount Qogir (K2), the world's second highest mountain at 8611 meters (28,251 feet), to the Turpan Depression which is 154 meters (505 feet) below sea level.
History
Before coming under the loose control of the Han dynasty around 100 BC, Xinjiang was an area of small kingdoms and tribal alliances, populated mainly by Mongolian-speaking herders and oasis farmers. The Han established the Silk Road through this area, over which caravans carried silks to Rome in exchange for precious metals, glassware, and woolen cloth. After the Han empire waned, the area spent periods of centuries in and out of Chinese influence. In the period around 1000 AD Arab influences entered the region, Turkic became the language of the basins, and many inhabitants converted to Islam. Genghis Khan conquered Xinjiang in the 13th century, and the Qing dynasty re-integrated the area into the Chinese empire in 17th century. Only in 1884 did the Qings constitute the area as Xinjiang Province.
After the fall of the last Qing emperor in the revolution of 1911-12 Xinjiang fell into the hands of warlords, and was held and disputed by various parties until the Communist victory in 1949.
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