Gānnán Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (; ) is an

autonomous prefecture Autonomous prefectures () are one type of autonomous administrative divisions of China, existing at the prefectural level, with either ethnic minorities forming over 50% of the population or being the historic home of significant minorities. A ...

in southern

Gansu Province Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibeta ...

, China, bordering Linxia to the north, Dingxi to the northeast, Longnan to the east and Aba (

Sichuan province Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

) to the south . It includes

Xiahe Xiahe (; ) is a county in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu province, the People's Republic of China, bordering Qinghai province to the west. It is home to the famed Labrang Tibetan Buddhist monastery, one of the largest Tibetan Buddhi ...

and the

Labrang Labrang Monastery (; Chinese: Lāboléng Sì, 拉卜楞寺) is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is ''Genden Shédrup Dargyé Trashi Gyésu khyilwé Ling'' (). Labrang is located in Xiah ...

Monastery, Luqu, Maqu and other mostly Tibetan towns and villages. Gannan has an area of and its capital is Hezuo city (Zoi). In the first year of the proclamation of Gannan Autonomous District, the district-seat was at the Labrang Town of Sangqu.

Population

According to the 2010 census, Gannan has 689,132 inhabitantsCensus 2012 http://www.geohive.com/cntry/cn-62.aspx (population density: 17.14 inhabitants per km²).

Ethnic groups in Gannan, 2000 census

Transport

In the prefecture is high-way G213. In 2013, the Gannan Xiahe Airport was opened.

Subdivisions

1 county level city, 7 counties.

Climate

Gannan, as illustrated by this chart for Xiahe, has an alpine

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dwc'') that grades into an alpine climate (''ETH'') at the highest elevations. The climate is characterised by mild, rainy summers and frigid, but dry and sunny, winters.

References

External links

Official website of Gansu Government
{{authority control Prefecture-level divisions of Gansu Tibetan autonomous prefectures