Kashgar Prefecture,
also known as Kashi Prefecture, is located in southwestern
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
, China, located in the
Tarim Basin
The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Northwest China occupying an area of about and one of the largest basins in Northwest China.Chen, Yaning, et al. "Regional climate change and its effects on river runoff in the Tarim Basin, China." Hyd ...
region (roughly the southern half of Xinjiang). It has an area of and 4,499,158 inhabitants at the 2015 census with a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
of 35.5 inhabitants/km
2. The capital of the prefecture is the city of
Kashgar which has a population 506,640.
Kashgar Prefecture borders the
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
,
Badakhshan Province
Badakhshan Province (Persian/ Uzbek: , ''Badaxšān'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan in the north and the Pakistani regions of Lowe ...
of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
,
Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
in the far south.
History
After the Communist takeover, Kashgar Prefecture () and Yarkant Prefecture () were established.
In 1902, a
magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the prefecture.
It caused extreme devastation, destroying 30,000 homes and killing as many as 10,000 people.
One of the most mysterious events that occurred in the early 1950s (and perhaps earlier), was the closure of the Indian Consulate in Kashgar.
In 1955,
Barin,
Jamaterek and
Ujme, which were part of
Yengisar County, became part of
Akto County and
Bulungkol
Bulungkol Township, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (بۇلۇڭكۆل يېزىسى;, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ) is a township of Akto County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Located i ...
was transferred to Akto County in
Kizilsu from
Tashkurgan County in today's Kashgar Prefecture.
In June 1956, Yarkant Prefecture was dissolved and made part of Kashgar Prefecture.
In January 1979, Kashgar ''zhuānqū'' Prefecture () became Kashgar ''dìqū'' Prefecture ().
In August 1982, Kashgar Prefecture opened a frontier post to exchange goods with Pakistan.
In 1992, it was proposed for 500,000 persons displaced by the
Three Gorges Dam project, primarily Han Chinese, to be relocated to Kashgar Prefecture. The plans were met with widespread criticism in Xinjiang and internationally and were dropped.
In February 2002, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake killed 267 people in
Maralbexi County and
Payzawat County
Payzawat County,, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also via SASM/GNC romanization#Uyghur, SASM/GNC romanization as Payziwat County (; ), (also Faizabad and Fayzawat) and via Mandarin Ch ...
.
After a lengthy detention, in December 2009,
Alimujiang Yimiti / Alimjan Yimit, Uyghur leader of an
unregistered Christian church, was sentenced to 15 years in jail by the Kashgar Prefecture Intermediate People's Court for "illegally providing state secrets or intelligence to foreign entities". In 2008, his detention was ruled in violation of international standards of due process by the UN
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Geography
Most of the prefecture has a
cold desert climate.
The second-highest peak on Earth,
K2, is located on the
China–Pakistan border in southern Kashgar Prefecture in an area claimed by India as part of the
Trans-Karakoram Tract
The Trans-Karakoram Tract (), also known as the Shaksgam Tract ( ur, , translit=Shaksgām), is an area of approximately north of the Karakoram watershed, including the Shaksgam valley. The tract is administered by China as part of its Taxkorga ...
.
Administrative divisions
Demographics
As of the end of 2017, 4,295,200 of the 4,649,700 residents of the prefecture were
Uyghur, 288,000 were
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...
and 66,500 were from other ethnic groups.
The population of Kashgar Prefecture was 4,499,158 according to the 2015 census. It has a population density of 35.5 inhabitants per km
2.
As of 2015, 4,140,255 of the 4,499,158 residents of the prefecture were Uyghur, 292,972 were
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive v ...
and 65,931 were from other ethnic groups.
The population growth of Kashgar declined significantly between 2015 and 2018.
As of 1999, 89.37% of the population of Kashgar (Kasi) Prefecture was Uyghur and 9.1% of the population was Han Chinese.
In 1997, the population of Kashgar Prefecture was 3,145,000 with Uyghurs making up 89.4% of the total.
As of 1983-4, Kashgar Prefecture had 6,180
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s.
In the mid-1980's, there were two million Uyghurs in Kashgar Prefecture and 360,000 Han Chinese.
;Population by ethnicity
Historical maps
Historical English-language maps including modern-day Kashgar Prefecture area:
File:STANFORD(1917) p61 PLATE19. SINKIANG (14597194848).jpg, Map including Kashgar (1917)
File:Txu-oclc-6654394-nj-43-5th-ed.jpg, Map including Kashgar and surrounding region from the International Map of the World ( AMS, 1966)
File:Operational Navigation Chart G-7, 6th edition.jpg, From the Operational Navigation Chart; map including Kashgar Prefecture area (DMA
DMA may refer to:
Arts
* DMA (magazine), ''DMA'' (magazine), a defunct dance music magazine
* Dallas Museum of Art, an art museum in Texas, US
* Danish Music Awards, an award show held in Denmark
* BT Digital Music Awards, an annual event in the U ...
, 1980)
File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 g-7a.jpg, Map including Kashgar Prefecture area (northwest) (DMA
DMA may refer to:
Arts
* DMA (magazine), ''DMA'' (magazine), a defunct dance music magazine
* Dallas Museum of Art, an art museum in Texas, US
* Danish Music Awards, an award show held in Denmark
* BT Digital Music Awards, an annual event in the U ...
, 1984)
File:Kashmir Region November 2019.jpg, "Territory ceded by Pakistan to China in 1963 and never recognized by India" (Trans-Karakoram Tract
The Trans-Karakoram Tract (), also known as the Shaksgam Tract ( ur, , translit=Shaksgām), is an area of approximately north of the Karakoram watershed, including the Shaksgam valley. The tract is administered by China as part of its Taxkorga ...
in southern Kashgar Prefecture)
See also
*
First East Turkestan Republic
The Turkic Islamic Republic of East Turkestan (TIRET; ug, شەرقىي تۈركىستان تۈرك ئىسلام جۇمھۇرىيىتى, , Шәрқий Түркистан Түрк-Ислам Җумхурийити; ) was a short-lived breakaway ...
*
Shaksgam River
The Shaksgam River (, hi, शक्सगाम नदी, translit=Shaksgām Nadi, ur, دریائے شکسگام, translit=Daryá-e-Shaksgám) is a left tributary of the Yarkand River. The river is also known as the Kelechin River ( zh, 克勒 ...
*
Tumxuk
Notes
References
External links
Building a New Old Kashgar
{{Authority control
Prefecture-level divisions of Xinjiang