Gertse County (), Gêrzê County , United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency or Gaize County ( zh, s=改则县) is a county located in Ngari Prefecture in the northwest of the

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...

, China, bordering

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

to the north.

Name

Gêrzê is the Tibetan word for a special type of local-style dwelling built on the peak of a mountain.

History

The area was originally inhabited by nomadic tribes. In the aftermath of the

annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China Tibet came under the control of China, People's Republic of China (PRC) after the Ganden Phodrang, Government of Tibet signed the Seventeen Point Agreement which the 14th Dalai Lama ratified on 24 October 1951, but later repudiated on the grou ...

in the early 1950s,

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

troops were stationed in Gêrzê. On May 3, 1960, the Gêrzê County Committee of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

was established. On October 1, 1960, the Gêrzê County government was established. At 2:01 AM on February 21, 2020, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck in Gêrzê County (epicenter: ). At 2:12 AM on March 10, 2020, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck in Gêrzê County (epicenter: ) followed by a 3.7 magnitude and a 3.4 magnitude aftershock. No casualties were reported. On May 8, 2020, eight suspects were arrested and eighty-nine antelope skins were confiscated in connection with reported Tibetan antelope poaching in the county.

Geography

Gêrzê County is bordered to the north by Keriya County (Yutian) in Hotan Prefecture (Hetian), Xinjiang and to the west by Rutog County. There are numerous lakes in Gêrzê County including Tong Tso. Thermal springs in Gêrzê County include Lugu (70 °C; ; altitude ), Nagezhong (60 °C; ; altitude ) and Yarlhaingari (60 °C; ; altitude ).

Climate

Gêrzê County has a cold semi-arid climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''BSk''), with strong dry-winter

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental 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 ...

tendencies (Köppen: ''Dwc'').

Administrative divisions

Gêrzê county is divided into 1

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and 6 townships:

Demographics

, the residents of the county were Tibetan. In 1999, the population of the county was 16,623.

Economy

The main economic activity in Gêrzê County is

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

which includes the raising of yak, dzo, sheep, goats, and horses. The county also has wild yak, wild donkeys, wild sheep, bears and Tibetan antelope.

Transportation

*Nagqu–Ngari Highway ()

Historical maps

Historical maps including Gêrzê: File:China West 1906-08 Sven Hedin.jpg, Map of the expeditions of Sven Hedin (1906–8) including the modern-day Gêrzê County area ( RGS, early 20th century) File:Txu-oclc-6654394-ni-45-4th-ed.jpg, Map including Gêrzê (labeled as Kai-tse) ( DMA, 1975) File:Operational Navigation Chart G-7, 6th edition.jpg, Map including Gêrzê (Kai-tse) ( DMA, 1980) File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 g-7c.jpg, Map of the Gêrzê area ( DMA, 1990)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerze County Counties of Tibet Ngari Prefecture