Urumqi
Overview
Location: located between 86o37'- 88o58' east longitude and 42o45'- 44o08' north latitude, deeply lies in the hinterland of continent, and in the middle--northern of Tianshan Range, the south edge of Zhunger Basins
Neighboring areas: Gansu Province and Qinghai Province, Tibet Autonomous Region
Physical Features: mostly covered by mountains with west part featured as vast plain area
Population: 1.5 million
Urban Population: 1.08 million
Area: 12,000 sq km
Nationalities: Uigur, Han, Hui, Manchu, Kazakstan, Xibe, Russia, Tatar and Mongolian
History: a pasture land in ancient times; troops stationing in the Urumqi area in the Tang Dynasty; set up as a city during the Ming Dynasty; in 1884, established as the capital of Xinjiang Province
Climatic Features: belongs to semiarid continental climate of middle temperate zone, temperate difference between day and night; shorter spring and autumn and longer winter and summer; frost-free period of 179 days and 2,821 hours sunlight annually
Average Temperature: 6.4oC
Rainfall: average annual of 236 mm
Products: crops, grains, vegetable oil, vegetables, melons and grapes
