Aksu Prefecture

Aksu Prefecture[1] is located in mid-Western Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. It has an area of 131,161 km2 (50,642 sq mi) and 2.37 million inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 535,657 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made up of Aksu urban district.[2] The name Aksu is Turkic for 'white water'. Aksu Prefecture has a 263.8 km (163.9 mi) long international boundary with Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.[3]

Aksu Prefecture

ئاقسۇ ۋىلايىتى
阿克苏地区

Aqsu, Akesu
Prefecture
Aksu Prefecture (red) in Xinjiang (orange)
Coordinates (Aksu City government): 41.18°N 80.29°E / 41.18; 80.29
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceXinjiang
County-level divisions8
SeatAksu City
Area
 • Prefecture128,099 km2 (49,459 sq mi)
 • Urban
14,450 km2 (5,580 sq mi)
 • Metro
14,450 km2 (5,580 sq mi)
Elevation
1,519 m (4,984 ft)
Population
 (2015 Census)
 • Prefecture2,530,506
 • Density20/km2 (51/sq mi)
 • Urban
535,657
 • Urban density37/km2 (96/sq mi)
 • Metro
535,657
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
843000
Area code(s)997
ISO 3166 codeCN-XJ-29
License Plate新N
WebsiteAksu Prefecture Government
Aksu Prefecture
Uyghur name
Uyghurئاقسۇ ۋىلايىتى
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese阿克蘇地區
Simplified Chinese阿克苏地区

Etymology

The name Aksu is Turkic for 'white water'.[4] The name is similar to that of the nearby Zhetysu region which means "seven rivers".[5] The name of Aksu Prefecutre's Onsu County (Wensu) means "ten water" in Uyghur and other Turkic languages- all three names consist of a descriptor followed by 'su' (river; water).[6]

History

In 717 AD, the Arabs, guided by their Turgesh allies, besieged Buat-ɦuɑn (Aksu) and Dai-dʑiᴇk-dʑiᴇŋ (Uqturpan) in the Battle of Aksu.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, 214 Uyghur workers were sent to Jiujiang, Jiangxi.[7]

Geography

The prefecture occupies the northwestern part of the Tarim Basin and the southern slopes of the Tian Shan. The southern part of the prefecture is within the Taklamakan desert. Agriculture is only possible in the areas irrigated by the Tarim River and its glacier-fed tributaries, the Aksu River and the Muzart River. Aksu Prefecture surrounds Aral, Xinjiang.

Administrative divisions

Aksu Prefecture is divided into 2 county-level cities and 8 counties:

# Name Uyghur (UEY) Uyghur Latin (ULY) Chinese (S) Hanyu Pinyin Population (2010 Census) Area (km²) Density (/km²)
1 Aksu ئاقسۇ شەھىرى‎ Aqsu Shehiri 阿克苏市 Ākèsū Shì 535,657 13,647 39.25
2 Onsu County (Wenu[1]) ئونسۇ ناھىيىسى‎ Onsu Nahiyisi 温宿县 Wēnsù Xiàn 233,933 14,376 16.27
3 Kuqa (Kuchar, Kucha, Kuche) كۇچار ناھىيىسى‎ Kuchar Nahiyisi 库车县 Kùchē Xiàn 462,588 14,529 31.83
4 Xayar County شايار ناھىيىسى‎ Shayar Nahiyisi 沙雅县 Shāyǎ Xiàn 257,502 31,887 8.07
5 Xinhe County[1] (Toksu) توقسۇ ناھىيىسى‎ Toqsu Nahiyisi 新和县 Xīnhé Xiàn 172,064 5,831 29.50
6 Baicheng County[1] باي ناھىيىس‎ Bay Nahiyisi 拜城县 Bàichéng Xiàn 229,252 15,917 14.40
7 Uqturpan County (Wushi[1]) ئۇچتۇرپان ناھىيىسى‎ Uchturpan Nahiyisi 乌什县 Wūshí Xiàn 197,990 9,065 21.84
8 Awat County ئاۋات ناھىيىسى‎ Avat Nahiyisi 阿瓦提县 Āwǎtí Xiàn 237,562 12,592 18.86
9 Kalpin County (Kelpin) كەلپىن ناھىيىسى‎ Kelpin Nahiyisi 柯坪县 Kēpíng Xiàn 44,261 8,915 4.96

Demographics

Of its 2.53 million inhabitants, 80.1% are Uyghur, 18.42% are Han, with the remainder belonging to other ethnicities.

As of 2015, 2,030,600 of the 2,530,506 residents of the county were Uyghur, 465,983 were Han Chinese and 33,923 were from other ethnic groups.[8]

As of 1999, 74.99% of the population of Aksu (Aqsu, Akesu) Prefecture was Uyghur and 23.74% of the population was Han Chinese.[9]

References
  1. The official spelling according to 中国地名录. Beijing: SinoMaps Press (中国地图出版社). 1997. ISBN 7-5031-1718-4.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-05-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Liu Xin (29 April 2019). "Border guards in China's Xinjiang devote their lives to keeping country secure". Global Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  4. 阿克苏市概况. ئاقسۇ阿克苏市人民政府 (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 May 2020. 阿克苏市，维吾尔语意为“白水城”，
  5. Madeleine Reeves, ed. (2012). "Movement, Power and Place in Central Asia and Beyond: Contested Trajectories". p. 134. ISBN 978-0-415-50353-2. Jeti Suu{...}Seven Waters
  6. "Archived copy" 温宿县人民政府 领导致词 (in Chinese). Wensu (Onsu) County People's Government. 2019-03-22. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2019. 温宿，维吾尔语意为“十股水”CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Mamatjan Juma,Alim Seytoff, Joshua Lipes (27 February 2020). "Xinjiang Authorities Sending Uyghurs to Work in China's Factories, Despite Coronavirus Risks". Radio Free Asia. Translated by Mamatjan Juma, Alim Seytoff. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020. Recent reports by the official Xinjiang Daily and Chinanews.com said that from Feb. 22-23, “400 youths were transferred to the provinces of Hunan, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi.” Of those, 114 from Awat (in Chinese, Awati) county, in the XUAR’s Aksu (Akesu) prefecture, were sent to Jiangxi’s Jiujiang city on Feb. 23, 100 from Aksu city were sent to Jiujiang on Feb. 22, and 171 from Hotan (Hetian) prefecture were sent to Changsha city in Hunan province, the reports said, without providing a date for the last transfer.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. 3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数 (in Chinese). شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى 新疆维吾尔自治区统计局 Statistic Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  9. Morris Rossabi, ed. (2004). Governing China’s Multiethnic Frontiers (PDF). University of Washington Press. p. 179. ISBN 0-295-98390-6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
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