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| CHINA |
| Xinijiang Uygur Region |
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Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is an autonomous
region 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, Hui,
Kyrgyz, and Mongol, with a majority of the population adhering to
Islam. More than a dozen autonomous prefectures and counties for
minorities are in Xinjiang. 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.With a documented history of at least 2,500
years, a succession of peoples and empires has vied for control
over all or parts of this territory. Before the 21st century, all
or part of the region has been ruled, controlled, influenced by
the Tocharians, Yuezhi, Xiongnu Empire, Kushan Empire, Han
Empire, Former Liang, Former Qin, Later Liang, Western Liáng,
Tang Dynasty, Uyghur Khaganate, Kara-Khanid Khanate, Mongol
Empire (Yuan Dynasty), Dzungar Khanate, Qing Dynasty, the
Republic of China and, since 1950, the People's Republic.
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