Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is an autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Urumqi. Xinjiang borders the countries of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, and the region also has a border with Tibet Autonomous Region to the south, making Xinjiang the only autonomous region of China to do so.
The region was once the ancestral homeland of the Uyghur people, a Turkic ethnic group living in a majority of the Central Asian countries. Up until the late 19th century, the Uyghur people were in control of much of the region, following the Islamic faith, with Chinese influence restricted to the southernmost region near the Tarim basin. However, as the 1900s progressed, Chinese control of the region began to expand as the Chinese Empire moved into the area, leading to an influx of Han Chinese settlers and an increasing presence of Chinese military and administration. This eventually led to a series of uprisings which were ultimately suppressed by the Chinese government, resulting in the modern-day autonomy of the region.
Today, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is home to over 22 million people, with a diverse population of over 47 ethnic groups, including Uyghur, Turkic and non-Turkic. The region is noted for its abundant resources, with some of the most expansive amounts of oil, natural gas, coal and uranium found in the country, as well as potentially lucrative deposits of minerals and ores. The area is also an important agricultural hub, with an abundance of arid or semi-arid land suitable for farming.
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is known to be politically sensitive, with tensions between the government and the non-Chinese population often boiling over, resulting in violence. There have been a number of riots in the region over the past decade, such as the 2009 Ürümqi riots, and the region is subject to a high number of security personnel in order to maintain order. In addition, the region is known to have some of the strictest control of media, travel and internet access, with the Chinese government often placing restrictions on the activities of those within the region.
Overall, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is an important region of China, home to a diverse ethno-cultural population, a variety of natural resources, and numerous political challenges and restrictions. With a population of over 22 million people, this region provides a unique example of how an autonomous region can exist within an authoritarian nation.
