| Autonomous regions | |
| Category: | Unitary state |
| Territory: | China |
| Current Number: | 5 (Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang) |
| Population Range: | 110,879,058 |
| Area Range: | 4380000km2 |
| Government: | Regional People's Government, Central People's Government |
| Subdivision: | Prefecture-level city, prefecture, league, sub-provincial autonomous prefecture, autonomous prefecture |
The autonomous regions are one of four types of province-level divisions of China. Like Chinese provinces, an autonomous region has its own local government, but under the law of the People's Republic of China, an autonomous region has more legislative rights, such as the right to "formulate self-government regulations and other separate regulations."[1] An autonomous region is the highest level of minority autonomous entity in China, which has a comparably higher population of a particular minority ethnic group.
There are five autonomous regions in China: Guangxi, Inner Mongolia (Nei Menggu), Ningxia, Tibet (Xizang), and Xinjiang (Chinese Turkestan).
Established in 1947, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region became the first autonomous region in the Chinese liberated zone. Xinjiang was made autonomous in 1955 after the PRC's founding, and Guangxi and Ningxia were made autonomous in 1958. Tibet was annexed by the People's Republic of China in 1951, and was declared an autonomous region in 1965. The designation of Guangxi and Ningxia as Zhuang and Hui autonomous areas, respectively, was bitterly protested by the local Han Chinese, who made up two-thirds of the population of each region. Although Mongols made up an even smaller percentage of Inner Mongolia than either of these, the ensuing Chinese Civil War gave little opportunity for protest.[2]
Autonomous regions in China have no legal right to secede, unlike in the Soviet Union – the Law of the People's Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy, written in 1984, states that "each and every ethnic autonomous region is an inseparable part of the People's Republic of China," and that "any form of... separatism... is absolutely prohibited."[3] [4] [5]
| Name in English | Simplified Chinese Pinyin | Abbreviation | Local name SASM/GNC romanization (Language) | Capital | Designated minority | Language | Pre-1949 ROC subdivision | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | Chinese: 内蒙古自治区 | Chinese: {{linktext|蒙 (IMAR) | Mongolian: {{MongolUnicode|ᠦᠪᠦᠷ ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠤᠯ ᠤᠨ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠭᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠣ ᠣᠷᠣᠨ (Mongolian) | Hohhot (Chinese: 呼和浩特; Mongolian: {{MongolUnicode|ᠬᠥᠬᠡᠬᠣᠲᠠ) | Mongol | Mongolian | Suiyuan, Chahar, Rehe, Liaobei, Xing'an, Gansu and Ningxia. | |
| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | Chinese: 广西壮族自治区 | Chinese: {{linktext|桂 (GZAR) | Zhuang; Chuang: Gvangjsih Bouxcuengh Swcigih (Standard Zhuang/Zhuang) | Nanning (Chinese: 南宁; Zhuang; Chuang: Nanzningz) | Zhuang | Zhuang, Standard Zhuang language (Vahcuengh) | Guangxi (province) | |
| Tibet Autonomous Region | Chinese: 西藏自治区 | Chinese: {{linktext|藏 (TAR) | (Standard Tibetan) | Lhasa (Chinese: 拉萨;) | Tibetan | Standard Tibetan | Tibet Area, Xikang | |
| Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region | Chinese: 宁夏回族自治区 | Chinese: {{linktext|宁 (NHAR) | Yinchuan (Chinese: 银川) | Hui | Dungan, Chinese | Ningxia (province) | ||
| Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region | Chinese: 新疆维吾尔自治区 | Chinese: {{linktext|新 (XUAR) | Uighur; Uyghur: شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى (Uyghur) | Ürümqi (Chinese: 乌鲁木齐; Uighur; Uyghur: ئۈرۈمچی) | Uyghur | Uyghur | Xinjiang (province) |
| Administrative Division | National Share (%) | 2020 Census[6] | 2010 Census[7] | 2000 Census[8] | 1990 Census[9] | 1982 Census[10] | 1964 Census[11] | 1954 Census[12] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.55 | 50,126,804 | 46,026,629 | 43,854,538 | 42,245,765 | 36,420,960 | 20,845,017 | 19,560,822 | ||
| 1.70 | 24,049,155 | 24,706,321 | 23,323,347 | 21,456,798 | 19,274,279 | 12,348,638 | 6,100,104 | ||
| 0.51 | 7,202,654 | 6,176,900 | 5,486,393 | 4,655,451 | 3,895,578 | ||||
| 0.26 | 3,648,100 | 3,002,166 | 2,616,329 | 2,196,010 | 1,892,393 | 1,251,225 | 1,273,969 | ||
| 1.83 | 25,852,345 | 21,813,334 | 18,459,511 | 15,155,778 | 13,081,681 | 7,270,067 | 4,873,608 | ||
| Total | 7.85 | 110,879,058 | 101,725,350 | 93,740,118 | 85,709,802 | 74,561,891 | 41.714,947 | 31,808,503 |
| Administrative Division | Titular Ethnic Group | Han Chinese | Other ethnic minorities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xinjiang (Uyghur) | 45.0% | 42.2% | 12.8% | |
| Tibet (Tibetan) | 86.0% | 12.2% | 1.8% | |
| Inner Mongolia (Mongol) | 17.7% | 78.7% | 3.6% | |
| Ningxia (Hui) | 35.0% | 64.1 % | 0.9% | |
| Guangxi (Zhuang) | 31.4% | 62.5 % | 6.1% |