Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, provincial-level administrative region of China, in the extreme north-western part of the country. Also called Sinkiang Uighur Autonomous Region, it is bounded on the west and north-west by Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, on the north-east by the Republic of Mongolia, on the east by the provinces of Gansu (Kansu) and Qinghai (Ch'ing-hai), on the south by Tibet, and on the south-west by India and Afghanistan. Much of the region is surrounded by mountains. In the centre the Tian Mountains cross the region from east to west; several fertile valleys and plains are interspersed among the lofty peaks of the Tian Mountains. On one such plain is situated the capital and chief city, Urumqi (Urumchi). To the south of the Tian Mountains lies the vast Tarim Basin. A dry region, it is dominated by the Takla Makan Desert. To the east of the desert is Lop Nur (Lake Lop), an area of ephemeral marshland and lakes. The Tarim River is the region's principal stream. To the north of the Tian Mountains lies the semi-arid Junggar Pendi (Dzungarian Basin).

Agriculture in the region depends on irrigation; products include fruit, wheat, corn, and cotton. Xinjiang is rich in mineral resources, including petroleum, coal, gold, lead, copper, zinc, and uranium. Industries in the region include oil and sugar refineries, steelworks, and chemical plants; cement and textiles are also produced. The region's first railway, linking Urumqi to the national network, was completed in 1963. The Uygur, a Muslim, Turkic-speaking people, are the largest ethnic group but do not constitute a majority. Chinese form the second-largest population group; Kazakhs and Mongols are other minority groups. Area 1,646,800 sq km (635,833 sq mi); population 19,339,500 (2003 estimate).