Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County Explained

Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County
Settlement Type:Autonomous county
Pushpin Map:China Xinjiang Southern#Xinjiang#China
Pushpin Label:Tashkurgan
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of county seat in Xinjiang
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:China
Subdivision Type1:Autonomous region
Subdivision Name1:Xinjiang
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Subdivision Name2:Kashgar
Demographics Type2:Ethnic groups
Demographics2 Title1:Major ethnic groups
Demographics2 Info1:Mountain Tajiks (China)[1]
Seat Type:County seat
Seat:Tashkurgan
Parts:12
Parts Type:Township-level divisions
Area Total Km2:25000
Population As Of:2020
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:39,946
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:China Standard
Utc Offset:+8
Coordinates:37.7721°N 75.2299°W
Elevation M:3094
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:845250
Area Code:998
Showflag:p
Order:st
Pic:Welcome to Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County.jpg
Picsize:290px
Piccap:A sign welcoming motorists to Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County
S:塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县
P:Tǎshíkù'ěrgān Tǎjíkè Zìzhìxiàn
Gr:Taashyrkuh'eelgan Taajyikeh Tzyhjyhshiann
W:Tʻa3-shih2-kʻu4-êrh3-kan1 Tʻa3-chi2-kʻo4 Tzŭ4-chih4-hsien4
Myr:Tǎshŕkùěrgān Tǎjíkè Dz̀jr̀syàn
Uig:تاشقۇرغان تاجىك ئاپتونوم ناھىيىسى
Uly:Tashqurghan Tajik Aptonom Nahiyisi
Uyy:Taxk̡urƣan Tajik Aptonom Nah̡iyisi
Usy:Tашқурған таҗик аптоном наһийиси
Lang1:srh
Lang1 Content:تاشقۈرغان تۇجىك ئافتۇنۇم نايە
Toxkhürghon Tujik Oftunum Noya
pronounced as /tɔʃqyrʁɔn tuʤik ɔftunum nɔja/

Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County[3] [4] [5] (often shortened to Tashkurgan County and officially spelled Taxkorgan) is an autonomous county of Kashgar Prefecture, in western Xinjiang, China. The county seat is Tashkurgan. The county is the only Tajik (Pamiri) autonomous county in China.

History

During the Han dynasty, the town of Tashkurgan was known as Puli ;[6] during the Tang dynasty, it was a protectorate of the Sassanids, during the Yuan dynasty it was part of the Chaghatai empire. It was part of China during the Qing dynasty.

Many centuries later, Tashkurgan became the capital of the Sarikol kingdom (Chinese: 色勒库尔), a kingdom of the Pamir Mountains, and later of Qiepantuo (Chinese: 朅盘陀) under the Persian Empire. At the northeast corner of the town is a huge fortress known as the Princess Castle dating from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368 CE) and the subject of many colourful local legends. A ruined fire temple is near the fortress.

The region came under Chinese rule from Qing dynasty, to the Republic of China and later on to the People's Republic of China.

On September 17, 1954, Tashkurgan was made an autonomous region . In February 1955, it was made an autonomous county .[7]

In 1955, Bulungkol was transferred to Akto County from Tashkurgan County.[8]

In August 2013, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences announced that they excavated a cluster of Zoroastrian tombs in Tashkurgan.[9]

In May 2017, the county was hit with a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that killed eight and injured 29.[10]

Geography

Tashkurgan County is located in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau, where the Kunlun, Karakoram, Hindukush and Tian Shan mountains come together, at the borders with Afghanistan (Wakhan Corridor), Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Province), Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan) and India (Ladakh). The county seat is Tashkurgan Town.

The territorial expanse of the county is from north to south and from east to west, the total area is about 25000km2, with an average altitude above 4000m (13,000feet). The county includes a significant part of the Trans-Karakoram Tract, disputed by India and Pakistan in the ongoing Kashmir conflict; while Pakistan and China settled the border issue in 1963, India continues to claim it as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Muztagh Ata, at, and the Kongur Tagh, at, are the main peaks in the county, while the two main rivers are the Tashkurgan River and the Tiznap River. By including the Trans-Karakoram Tract, the county also borders several eight-thousanders, including K2, at the second-highest mountain in the world. There are several hot springs and resources of gold, iron, and copper.

Climate

Tashkurgan has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from NaN°C in January to 16.4°C in July, while the annual mean is 3.58°C. An average of only 68mm of precipitation falls per year

Administrative divisions

The county administers 2 towns, 9 townships and 1 ethnic township, which then administer 50 village-level divisions.

Name Sarikoli
(Uyghur Arabic)
Sarikoli
(in IPA)
Uyghur
(Erep Yeziⱪi)
Uyghur
(Siril Yezik)
Uyghur
(Yenɡi Yeziⱪ)
Chinese (Simplified)[11] [12] [13] Pinyin
Tashkurgan Townتاشقۈرغان بۇزۇرpronounced as /tɔʃqyrʁɔn buzur/Uighur; Uyghur: تاشقۇرغان بازىرىТашқурған базириTaxⱪurƣan baziriChinese: 塔什库尔干镇Tǎshíkù’ěrgān Zhèn
تۇجىك ئاباد بۇزۇرtudʒikobod buzurUighur; Uyghur: تاجىك ئابات بازىرىТаҗик Абaт базириTajik Abat baziriChinese: 塔吉克阿巴提镇Tǎjíkè Ābātí Zhèn
تاشقۈرغان دىيۇرpronounced as /tɔʃqyrʁɔn diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: تاشقۇرغان يېزىسىТашқурған йәзисиTaxⱪurƣan yezisiChinese: 塔什库尔干乡Tǎshíkù’ěrgān Xiāng
تەغەرمى دىيۇرpronounced as /taʁarmi diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: تاغارما يېزىسىТағарма йәзисиTaƣarma yezisiChinese: 塔合曼乡Tǎhémàn Xiāng
تىزنېف دىيۇرpronounced as /tiznef diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: تىزناپ يېزىسىТизнап йәзисиTiznap yezisiChinese: 提孜那甫乡Tízīnàfǔ Xiāng
Dafdar Townshipذەۋذار دىيۇرpronounced as /ðavðɔr diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: دەفتەر يېزىسىДәфтәр йәзисиDefter yezisiChinese: 达布达尔乡Dábùdá’ěr Xiāng
ۋەچە دىيۇرpronounced as /watʃa diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: ۋەچە يېزىسىВәчә йәзисиWeqe yezisiChinese: 瓦恰乡Wǎqià Xiāng
بەلدىر دىيۇرpronounced as /baldir diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: بەلدىر يېزىسىБалдир йәзисиBaldir yezisiChinese: 班迪尔乡Bāndí’ěr Xiāng
مەرياڭ دىيۇرpronounced as /marjɔŋ diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: مارياڭ يېزىسىМаряң йәзисиMaryang yezisiChinese: 马尔洋乡Mǎ'ěryáng Xiāng
Burumsal Townshipبرۈڭسال دىيۇرpronounced as /bryŋsol diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: بۇرۇمسال يېزىسىБурумсал йәзисиBurumsal yezisiChinese: 布倫木沙鄉Bùlúnmùshā-->
تۈڭ دىيۇرpronounced as /tyŋ diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: داتۇڭ يېزىسىДатуң йәзисиDatung yezisiChinese: 大同乡Dàtóng Xiāng
قۇغۇشلۇغ دىيۇرpronounced as /quʁuʃluʁ diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: قوغۇشلۇق يېزىسىҚоғухлуқ йәзисиⱩoƣuxluⱪ yezisiChinese: 库科西鲁格乡Kùkēxīlǔgé Xiāng
1کاکيەر قىرغىز مىلى دىيۇرpronounced as /kɔkjar qirʁiz mili diyur/Uighur; Uyghur: كۆكيار قىرغىز مىللىي يېزىسىКөкяр Қирғиз миллий йәзисиKɵkyar Ⱪirƣiz milliy yezisiChinese: 科克亚尔柯尔克孜族乡Kēkèyà’ěr Kē’ěrkèzīzú xiāng
Mazarpronounced as /mazur mutʃaŋ/مازارМазарMazarChinese: 麻扎Mázhā-->
pronounced as /mulin tʃaŋ/-->

Notes

  1. Official Kyrgyz name of Kokyar Kyrgyz Township: Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: كۅكجار قىرعىز ۇلۇتتۇق ايىلى (Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: Көкжар Кыргыз улуттуқ айылы / Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: Kökcar Kyrgyz ayyly)

Demographics

As of 2018, Tashkurgan County had a population of 40,999,[14] up slightly from the 40,381 reported in 2015,[15] and the 37,843 counted in the 2010 Chinese census.

Ethnic composition

2015! colspan="2"
2018
Mountain Tajiks32,86781.39%33,71882.24%
Han Chinese2,9117.21%2,6906.56%
Kyrgyz2,3205.75%2,3695.78%
Uyghur2,1795.40%2,1315.20%
Hui300.07%290.07%
Kazakh150.04%150.04%
Manchu90.02%60.01%
Mongol90.02%60.01%
Sibe70.02%60.01%
Russian1< 0.01%00.00%
Others330.08%290.07%
Total40,381100.00%40,999100.00%
Mountain Tajiks make up a supermajority of the county's population, with recent figures indicating they make up somewhere from 80.9% of the population,[11] to 82.24%. Other prominent ethnic groups include the Han Chinese, the Kyrgyz, and Uyghurs.

In 1999, 6.28% of the population of Tashkurgan County was Han Chinese and 5.08% of the population was Uyghur.[16]

In 1995, the total population of Tashkurgan was 27,800, among them 84% Tajiks of Xinjiang, who speak the Sarikoli language, 4% Han and 12% other nationalities.

Economy

Animal husbandry is the primary economic mode with agriculture. The well-known Dunbashi fat-tailed sheep (Chinese: 敦巴什大尾羊) are raised in the county as well as domestic yaks. Agricultural products include highland barley, wheat, and others. Mineral resources include iron, sulfur, and asbestos.[7] In 2011, the county was considered relatively poor. 90% of the residents were engaged in animal husbandry.[17]

The annual per capita disposable income 2018 totaled ¥29,053 for the county's urban residents, and ¥7,630 for the county's rural residents. These figures increased 6.7% and 10.2%, respectively, from 2017.

In 2019, the county government reported that the county has 17 impoverished villages, and 893 households with 3682 people in poverty.

Transportation

The county is served by Karakoram Highway, which runs through Tashkurgan.[18] As of September 2016, China has begun building an elevated road which is expected to be completed in a few years. Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport is now under construction and will be in service in 2022.[19]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://tskeg.gov.cn/2018/12/24/txmj/114.html. zh:壮阔之美●新疆帕米尔高原. zh-hans. 24 December 2018. 9 February 2020. Chinese: 塔什库尔干政府门户网站. Chinese: 主要居民为塔吉克族。.
  2. http://www.citypopulation.de/en/china/xinjiang/admin/ Xinjiang: Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties
  3. Book: 中国地名委员会 . zh:《中华人民共和国地名录》 . Beijing . 中国社会出版社 . 1994 . 706.
  4. Book: zh:中华人民共和国分省地图集 . 122 . 崔乃夫 (Cui Naifu).
  5. Book: zh:《中华人民共和国地名大词典》 . Beijing . . 2002 . 6534.
  6. See the discussions in Hill, John E. (2009) Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina., Note 20.2, pp. 394-401.
  7. Book: 夏征农. 陈至立. zh:辞海:第六版彩图本 . Cihai (Sixth Edition in Color) . September 2009. 上海. Shanghai. 上海辞书出版社. Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House.. 9787532628599. zh. 2189.
  8. Book: zh:地名中的新疆. zh-hans. 2003. 7-228-08004-1. Xie Yuzhong 解玉忠. Ürümqi. 新疆人民出版社. 193.
  9. Web site: Zoroastrian Cemetery found in Xinjiang, Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Jirzankal, 2013. 26 October 2013. kaogu.cn. Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Grace Warren. 21 January 2020.
  10. Web site: Zhang. Dongmiao. 2017-05-12. 8 dead, 29 injured in Xinjiang's 5.5-magnitude earthquake. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210610215415/http://www.xinhuanet.com//english/2017-05/12/c_136277701.htm. 2021-06-10. 2021-06-10. www.xinhuanet.com. Xinhua News Agency. en.
  11. Web site: Chinese: 塔县政府办公室. 2019-12-15. zh:塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县基本概况. Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County Basic Overview. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200209111318/http://tskeg.gov.cn/2019/12/15/tskeggk/295.html. 2020-02-09. 2020-02-09. Chinese: 塔什库尔干政府门户网站. zh-hans. Chinese: 全县总面积2.5万平方公里,辖12个乡镇50个村(社区),总人口4.1万人,塔吉克族占80.9%,是全国唯一的塔吉克民族自治县,外与巴基斯坦、阿富汗、塔吉克斯坦及克什米尔地区接壤,边境线长793.6公里,.
  12. Web site: http://tskeg.gov.cn/2018/12/24/txmj/99.html. zh:家乡“塔什库尔干县”微名片. 24 December 2018. 20 April 2020. Chinese: 塔什库尔干政府门户网站. zh-hans. Chinese: 塔什库尔干自治县辖1镇、10乡、1场:塔什库尔干镇、塔什库尔干乡、提孜那甫乡、塔合曼乡、柯克亚柯尔克孜民族乡、达布达尔乡、库克西力克乡、班迪尔乡、瓦恰乡、马尔洋乡、大同乡、麻扎种羊场。. 19 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200419233045/http://tskeg.gov.cn/2018/12/24/txmj/99.html. dead.
  13. Web site: http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjbz/tjyqhdmhcxhfdm/2018/65/31/653131.html . zh:2018年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码:塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县 . zh-hans . . 2018 . 9 February 2020 . Chinese: 统计用区划代码 名称 653131100000 塔什库尔干镇 653131101000 塔吉克阿巴提镇 653131200000 塔什库尔干乡 653131201000 塔合曼乡 653131202000 科克亚尔柯尔克孜族乡 653131203000 提孜那甫乡 653131204000 达布达尔乡 653131205000 马尔洋乡 653131206000 瓦恰乡 653131207000 班迪尔乡 653131208000 库科西鲁格乡 653131210000 大同乡|.
  14. Web site: 2020-06-10. zh:3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数. 3-7 Population by Nationality by Prefecture, Prefecture, City and County (City). dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101062133/http://tjj.xinjiang.gov.cn/tjj/rkjyu/202006/3b1eef1049114b0c9cf9e81bf18433ef.shtml. 2020-11-01. 2021-06-10. Statistical Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. zh.
  15. Web site: 2017-03-15. zh:3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数. 3-7 Population by Nationality by Prefecture, Prefecture, City and County (City). dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20171011101904/http://www.xjtj.gov.cn/sjcx/tjnj_3415/2016xjtjnj/rkjy/201707/t20170714_539450.html. 2017-10-11. 2021-06-10. Uighur; Uyghur: شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى Chinese: 新疆维吾尔自治区统计局 Statistic Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. zh-hans.
  16. Book: Governing China's Multiethnic Frontiers. 2004. 0-295-98390-6. Morris Rossabi. Morris Rossabi. University of Washington Press. 179.
  17. Web site: The mountainous task of getting to school. 30 September 2011. 20 April 2020. China Daily.
  18. Web site: 2020-04-18. zh:塔什库尔干县召开314国道项目复工复产达产现场推进会. Tashkurgan County held a site promotion meeting for the resumption of production and production of the 314 National Highway project. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20200606071153/http://www.tskeg.gov.cn/tskeg/zwdt/202004/264bb2d019b5458bbdf5c3cd974561f1.shtml. 2020-06-06. 2021-06-10. www.tskeg.gov.cn. Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County People's Government. zh.
  19. Web site: 张涵. In pics: construction site of Tashkurgan Airport in Xinjiang - Xinhua English.news.cn. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029152147/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/04/c_139114079.htm. dead. October 29, 2020. 2020-10-26. www.xinhuanet.com.