China’s Inland City－Urumqi

Located 3,270 km. (2,050 miles) away from Beijing, Urumqi is five-hour flight apart from China’s capital. With an urban population of over 2 million people, Urumqi is by far the largest city on China's vast Western interior.

Urumqi has a majority

Han Chinese population, with the largest minorities being the Turkic ethnic groups Uyghur people and Kazakhs with Chinese ethnic group Hui people. Xinjiang covers 16% of the total land area of China and is populated by 13 of China's 55 minority nationalities. According to the 2000 census, Urumqi has 2,081,834 inhabitants, with a population density of 174.53 inhabitants/km². Of these, 75.3% are Han Chinese, 15.8% are Uyghurs, 8.0% are Hui and 2.3% are Kazakhs and Kyrgyz.

In ancient Mongolian language used by the Junggar tribe 2000 years ago, Urumqi means "A beautiful Pasture land ".Urumqi is a city where multiethnic groups of people live in compact of mixed communities. The city's uniqueness, the strong colorful ethnic life styles and local customs are quite attractive to visitors.

In Urumqi a continental

steppe climate with hot and dry summers prevails, with average temperatures in July at 24°C (75°F) as well as damp and cold winters with average temperatures in January at -16°C (3°F). The annual average temperature amounts to 5.4°C (41.7°F), and the yearly precipitation is about 273 mm.

Urumqi is the most "inland" city in the world - the furthest from any major body of water. Urumqi has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world. It is about 1,400 miles (2,500 km) from the nearest coastline. The city has an area of 10,989 km². The average elevation is 800 metres.

Historically a poor region, Xinjiang has been developed both agriculturally and industrially in recent years. Because rainfall is scarce, many parts of Xinjiang are barren. The main source of irrigation water is the snow and ice at the higher reaches of the Tian Mountain range. To harness this supply, rivers have been re-channeled and irrigation canals dug. Xinjiang now has over 400 reservoirs and 30,000 km. re-channeled waterways.

Urumqi was once an important town on the new northern route of the Silk Road, which made important contribution in promoting Sino-foreign economic and cultural exchanges. rumqi has many educational campuses including

Xinjiang University, Xinjiang Normal University, Xinjiang Agricultural University , Xinjiang Medical University and many others. There are eight universities in Xinjiang, including two medical schools. One medical college specializes in cancer research . Uygur people have a high incidence of laryngeal cancer, attributed to drinking hot liquids.

Islam is the dominant religion in Xinjiang. In cities such as Urumqi and Kashi, huge mosques are still in use. Religious festival days are still observed and it is even possible to encounter older women wearing veils.

Since the 1990s Urumqi has become gradually developed economically and now serves as a regional transport node and commercial centre. Like Urumqi, China has so much to offer in its variety of cultural heritage.