Xinjiang (Uyghur: شىنجاڭ, ULY: Shinjang; Mandarin pronunciation: [ɕíntɕjɑ́ŋ]; Chinese: 新疆; pinyin: Xīnjiāng; Wade–Giles: Hsin1-chiang1; postal map spelling: Sinkiang), officially Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,[2] is an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China in the northwest of the country. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2. Xinjiang borders Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It has abundant oil reserves and is China’s largest natural gas-producing region.It is home to a number of ethnic groups including the Uyghur, Han, Kazakh, Tajiks, Hui, Kyrgyz, and Mongol, with a majority of the population adhering to Islam.[3] More than a dozen autonomous prefectures and counties for minorities are in Xinjiang. Older English-language reference works often refer to the area as Chinese Turkestan.[4] Xinjiang is divided into the Dzungarian Basin in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south by a mountain range. Only about 4.3% of Xinjiang’s land area is fit for human habitation.[5
Travel notes
FOLLOWING IN THE STEPS OF THE SILK CARAVANS
The dawn swelling in the east imperceptibly rarefied the inky night that was enveloping the desert oasis. The silhouettes of hundreds of two-humped camels lying down in the sand were cut out in the …
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Всеки знае, че Централна Азия е пространно географско понятие, намиращо се някъде в средата на най-големия континент на света. Малко известен обаче е фактът, че сред тази обширна територия, разположена поне в седем държави …
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When they learned that I was going to embark on an individual trip to North Caucasus, my friends, one and all, were dumbfounded. “Even if we sell all our property we won’t be able …
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В Памир е хвърлен пъпът на света
От Средиземноморието тръгва човешката цивилизация. В центъра на Централна Азия – Памир – се кръстосват нейните рамзклонения в течение на историята, много преди венецианецът Марко Поло да опише тияа места в началото …
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