Ningxia
| 宁夏回族自治区 Níngxià Huízú Zìzhìqū</font> | |
| Abbreviation(s): 宁 (pinyin: Níng) | |
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| Origin of name | 宁 níng - tranquil 夏 xià - Western Xia "Tranquil Xia" |
| Administration type | Autonomous region |
| Capital and Largest City | Yinchuan |
| CPC Ningxia Committee Secretary | Chen Jianguo |
| Chairman | Ma Qizhi |
| Area | 66,000 km² (27th) |
| Population (2004) - Density | 5,880,000 (29th) 89.1/km² (25th) |
| GDP (2004) - per capita | CNY 46.04 billion (30th) CNY 7830 (23rd) |
| HDI (2005) | 0.712 (26th) — medium |
| Major nationalities (2000) | Han - 79% Hui - 20% Manchu - 0.4% |
| Prefecture-level divisions | 5 |
| County-level divisions | 21 |
| Township-level divisions (December 31, 2004) | 219 |
| ISO 3166-2 | CN-64 |
| Official website: | |
| Source for population and GDP data: 《中国统计年鉴—2005》/ China Statistical Yearbook 2005 ISBN 7503747382 Source for nationalities data: 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》/ Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China ISBN 7105054255 | |
Ningxia (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏; pinyin: Níngxià; Wade-Giles: Ning-hsia; Postal map spelling: Ningsia), full name Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Simplified Chinese: 宁夏回族自治区; Traditional Chinese: 寧夏回族自治區; pinyin: Níngxià Huízú Zìzhìqū), is a Hui autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located on the northwest Loess highland, the Yellow River flows through a vast area of its land.
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History
Ningxia and its surrounding areas were incorporated into the Qin empire as early as the 3rd century BC. Throughout the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty there were further evidence of settlements, and by the 11th century the Tangut tribe had established the Western Xia Dynasty on the outskirts of the then Song Dynasty.
It then came under Mongol domination after Genghis Khan conquered Yinchuan in the early 13th century. After the Mongols departed and its influences faded, Turkish-speaking Muslims slowly began moving into Ningxia from the west. This created unavoidable tensions between the Han and the Hui ethnic groups in the following centuries.
In 1914, Ningxia was merged with the province of Gansu and became a part of it but then in 1928 Ningxia became a province of China. Between 1914 and 1928 the Xibei San Ma brothers (literally "three Ma's of the northwest") ruled the provinces of Qinghai, Ningxia and Gansu. In 1958, Ningxia formally became an autonomous region of China. In 1969, Ningxia's border was extended to the north and acquired parts of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, but was reverted again in 1979.
Geography
Ningxia borders the provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Rivers that flow through Ningxia include the Yellow River.
Ningxia is a relatively dry, desert-like region. There is a significant irrigation in order to support the growing of wolfberries (a commonly consumed fruit throughout the region).
Ningxia's deserts include the Tengger desert in Shapotou.
A 700 by 200 meter fenced area of Ningxia near the remote village of Huangyangtan was discovered in 2006, via satellite images, to be a nearly exact, scaled-down reproduction of a 450 by 350-kilometer border area of Aksai Chin between China and India, complete with mountains, valleys, and lakes. The purpose of this installation is as yet unknown.[1][2][3]
Climate
The region is 1, 200 km from the sea and has a continental climate with average summer temperatures rising to 17°C to 24°C in July and average winter temperatures dropping to -7°C to -10°C in January. Seasonal extremes can reach 39°C in summer and -30°C in winter. The diurnal temperature variation in summer is 17°C. Annual rainfall averages from 190 to 700 millimeters with more rain falling in the south of the region.
Subdivisions
Ningxia is divided into five prefecture-level cities:
- Yinchuan (银川), the capital of Ningxia
- Shizuishan (石嘴山)
- Zhongwei (中卫)
- Wuzhong (吴忠)
- Guyuan (固原)
Demographics
Ningxia is the home of the Hui, one of the officially recognized Chinese minority groups. While ethnically indistinguishable from the Han (the major Chinese ethnic group), the Hui have been Muslims for many centuries. As a stop along the legendary Silk Road, the Hui were converted by the Islamic traders.
Economy
Ningxia is the province with the second smallest GDP (Tibet being the last) of all of the PRC. Its nominal GDP in 2004 was just 46.04 billion yuan (US$5.71 billion) and a per capita GDP of 6,640 yuan (US$801). It contributes to 0.3% of the national economy.
Tourism
One of Ningxia's main tourist spots is the famous Xixia Tomb located 30 kilometres west of Yinchuan. Located within an area of 50 km² are the remnant tombs of 9 emperors of the Western Xia Dynasty and 200 other tombs from that era. Other famous sites in Ningxia include Helan Shan, the mysterious 108 dagobas, the twin pagodas of Baisikou and the desert research outpost at Shapatou.
External links
| Province-level divisions administered by the People's Republic of China |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Provinces: | Anhui | Fujian | Gansu | Guangdong | Guizhou | Hainan | Hebei | Heilongjiang | Henan | Hubei | Hunan | Jiangsu | Jiangxi | Jilin | Liaoning | Qinghai | Shaanxi | Shandong | Shanxi | Sichuan | Taiwan (claimed) | Yunnan | Zhejiang | |
| Autonomous Regions: | Guangxi | Inner Mongolia | Ningxia | Tibet | Xinjiang | |
| Municipalities: | Beijing | Chongqing | Shanghai | Tianjin | |
| Special administrative regions: | Hong Kong | Macau | |
| See also: Political status of Taiwan and Taiwan Province (People's Republic of China) | ||
Categories
Autonomous regions of the People's Republic of China | Ningxia