Urumqi

Urumqi Overview

Urumqi or Urumchi,is the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.The city's name in Uighur means “fine pasture”.Nowadays, as the capital city of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi includes five districts and the Urumqi County. Because of its particular position, it is a transportation hub for linking the south and north area of the Tianshan Mountains as well as connecting Xinjiang and central China.

Facts of Urumqi

Location: at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains,northwest of Xinjiang Region
Area: 10,989 square kilometers
Administrative Divisions: 7 districts and 1 county
Population: 2.43 million people
Time Zone: China Standard Time (UTC+8); Urumqi Time (two hours later than Beijing Time)
Language: Mandarin Chinese, Uygur

Geography of Urumqi

Urumqi City lies in the shadow of the lofty ice-capped Bogda Peak with vast Salt Lake to the east, the rolling pine-covered Southern Hill to the south, and the alternating fields and sand dunes of Zunggar Basin to the northwest.The city of Urumqi commands the northern end of a gap leading from the Tarim Basin into the Junggar (Dzungarian) Basin.Urumqi City is just like a piece of emerald embedded at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains.