◀ Xinhua News Agency

Comprehensive index starts

in volume 5, page 2667.

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Wéiwú’ěrzú Zìzhìqū  维吾尔族自治区 20.95 million est. pop. 2007 1.6 million square km

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the largest political unit in China but also one of the least populated. Muslim Uygurs make up Xinjiang’s largest ethnic population (although several other minorities reside there as well). CCP authorities have had a policy of set ling Han (China’s majority ethnicity) in the region in an at empt to solidify government rule.

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, located in northwestern China, is bordered by Russia to the north, Mongolia to the northeast, the Chinese

provinces of Gansu and Qinghai to the east, Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region to the southeast, Afghanistan and India to the south and southwest, and Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan to the west. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the largest political unit in China, covering 1.6 million square kilometers: slightly smaller than Iran. However, despite its size, Xinjiang is one of the least- populated regions of China. Its geography and climate help explain its low population density: Much of the southern half of the region is covered by the vast Taklimakan Desert, whereas the center is dominated by the uninhabitable Tian Shan range.

Xinjiang has long been China’s gateway to central Asia. As far back as the Han (206 bce– 220 ce) and

View of the Tian Shan range, Xinjiang’s most scenic mountains. Photo by Joan Lebold Cohen.

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