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Ürümqi

Coordinates: 43°48′N 87°35′E / 43.800°N 87.583°E / 43.800; 87.583
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For other uses, see Ürümqi County.
Ürümqi
乌鲁木齐市
Prefecture-level city
Uyghur transcription(s)
 • Arabicئۈرۈمچی
 • Uyghur Latin YéziqiÜrümchi
 • Yengi YeziķÜrümqi
 • pronunciation in IPAuːˈruːmtʃi
Chinese transcription(s)
 • Simplified Chinese乌鲁木齐
 • Traditional Chinese烏魯木齊
 • PinyinWūlǔmùqí
A panoramic view of Ürümqi's city center taken from Red Mountain (Hong Shan).
A panoramic view of Ürümqi's city center taken from Red Mountain (Hong Shan).
Location of Ürümqi Prefecture within Xinjiang
Location of Ürümqi Prefecture within Xinjiang
CountryChina
ProvinceXinjiang
County-level divisions8
Government
 • CPC Committee SecretaryLi Zhi
 • MayorJila Isamuddin (deputy)
Area
 • Total10,989 km2 (4,243 sq mi)
Population
 (2005)
 • Total2,681,834
 • Density240/km2 (630/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard Time)
Postal code
830000
Area code991
License plate prefixes新A
GDP (2007)CNY 78.2 billion
 - per capitaCNY ?
ISO 3166-2CN-65-01
Websitewww.urumqi.gov.cn (Chinese)

Ürümchi or Ürümqi, sometimes spelled Wulumuqi(English IPA: [uːˈruːmtʃi]; Uyghur: ئۈرۈمچی, romanized: Ürümchi; simplified Chinese: 乌鲁木齐; traditional Chinese: 烏魯木齊; pinyin: Wūlǔmùqí) is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country.

Geography and Climate

The largest city in the western half of the People's Republic of China, Ürümqi has won a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world at a distance of about 1,400 miles (2500 km) from the nearest coastline (Ürümqi being the city closest to the Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility). The city has an area of 10,989 km². The average elevation is 800 meters.

In Ürümqi a continental steppe climate with hot and dry summers prevails with average temperatures in July at 24°C (75°F) as well as damp and cold winters with average temperatures in January at -16°C (3°F). The annual average temperature amounts to 5.4°C (41.7°F), and the yearly precipitation is about 273 mm.

Urumqi
Climate chart (explanation)
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2
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█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: World Weather Information Service
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
0.3
 
 
17
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3
 
 
0.7
 
 
39
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1.1
 
 
62
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75
53
 
 
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56
38
 
 
0.7
 
 
36
21
 
 
0.4
 
 
21
6
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

History

Two thousand years ago Ürümqi was an important town on the northern route of the Silk Road, a vast network of trade routes that also facilitated cultural exchanges throughout Eurasia. During the 22nd year of Emperor Taizong's reign in the Tang Dynasty, 648 A.D., the Tang government set up the town of Luntai in the ancient town seat of Urabo, 10 kilometers from the southern suburb of present-day Ürümqi. The Ancient Luntai Town was a seat of local government, and collected taxes from the caravans along the northern route of the Silk Road. During the Qing Dynasty (1763 A.D.) Emperor Qianlong named the expanded town of Luntai "Dihua" (pinyin: Díhuà; Manchu: Wen de dahabure fu), meaning "to enlighten." In 1884, Emperor Guang Xu established Xinjiang as a Province, with Di Hua as its capital. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, on February 1, 1954, the city was renamed Ürümqi, meaning "beautiful pasture" in the Mongolian language of the Junggar tribe.

Ürümqi has one county and seven districts (Ürümqi county, Tianshan District, Sharyibark District, Toutunhe District, Shuimogou District, Xinshi District, Dongshan District, and Nanshan Mine District) under its jurisdiction.

Demographics

According to the 2000 census, Ürümqi has 2,081,834 inhabitants with a population density of 174.53 inhabitants/km². Of these, 75.3% are Han Chinese, 12.8% are Uyghurs, 8.0% are Hui and 2.3% are Kazakhs and Kyrgyz.

Administrative divisions

Partial panorama of Urumqi at dusk, April 2008

Ürümqi currently comprises 8 administrative sub-divisions, county-level units, of these, 7 are districts and 1 is a county.

The areas of the city are divided into 7 districts and 1 county:

Economy

Outer ring road bridges in Urumqi at night

Ürümqi is a major industrial center within Xinjiang. Ürümqi, together with Karamay and Bayin'gholin account for 64.5% of the total industrial output of Xinjiang. Ürümqi is also the largest consumer center in the region, recording ¥32.2 billion retail sales of consumer goods in 2007, an increase of 18.24% from 2006. The GDP per capita exceeded US$4,000 in 2007 [1]. According to statistics, Urumqi ranked 7th in 2007 by the disposable income for urban residents among cities in Western China.[1] Ürümqi has been a central developmental target for the China Western Development project that the Central Government is pursuing.

The Urumqi Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Fair (Chinese: 乌洽会) is held annually since 1991, whose purpose is to promote domestic and foreign markets. The 17th Fair is seeing participants from the Ministry of Commerce and the China Council for Promotion of International Trade.[2]

Urumqi with Yamalik mountain in the distance

As the economic center, Urumqi has expanded its urban area since the 1990s. The CBDs in the city increase rapidly all around the major districts. Zhong Tian Plaza, located in one of the CBDs in North Xinhua Road, is the tallest building in Urumqi and Xinjiang; with a height of 229 meters, it is also the tallest in Northwestern China and Central Asia. Lacking in subway, the outer ring road (外环路) for the city was built in 2003, which considerably facilitates transportation. Zhongshan Road (Sun Yat-sen Road, Chinese: 中山路) in Urumqi has been one of the 10 most famous commercial streets in the People's Republic of China since 2005 through official appraisals, the others being Wangfujing,etc. The Commercial Street of Zhongshan Road has the largest computer, mobile phone and consumer electronics market, i.e Baihuacun, Ccyber Digital Plaza and Fountain Plaza, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; it is believed to be the focal point of technological products in Urumqi.

Tourism

  • The International Grand Bazaar of Xinjiang (新疆国际大巴扎) is an Islamic bazaar located on Jiefang Nan Road (解放南路). It is one of the most attractive tour sites in Xinjiang and Urumqi.
  • Hong Shan Mountain (红山) is the symbolic scenic spot of Urumqi, located in the Hong Shan Park.
  • Glacier No.1(一号冰川), origin of Urumqi River, is the largest glacier located near a city in China.
  • People's Square (人民广场)
  • Nanhu Square (南湖广场)
  • Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum (新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆)
  • Shuimugou Hot Springs (水磨沟温泉) is located 5km northeast of Urumqi.
  • Xinjiang Silk Road Museum (新疆丝绸之路博物馆) [2] is located right next to the Grand Bazaar at No.160 Shengli Road. Bus No.110 stops very close to it. It is located on the fifth and sixth floor of a very large European style building which houses a shopping complex as well. The admission charge is 30 Yuan per person. Most of the exhibits have English names as well and some of their guides speak some English.

Education

Urumqi has many educational campuses including Xinjiang University, Xinjiang Normal University, Xinjiang Agricultural University , Xinjiang Medical University and many others.

Universities

Transportation

Air

Ürümqi is served by the Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport. The airport is one of the five major airports in the People's Republic of China.

Rail

Road

Ürümqi is located along the China National Highway 312 and China National Highway 314.

Media

Logo of the Urumqi Television Station

The Xinjiang Networking Transmission Limited operates the Urumqi People Broadcasting Station and the Xinjiang People Broadcasting Station, broadcasting in the Mandarin, Uyghur, Kazakh, Mongolian, Russian and the Kyrgyz languages.

The Xinjiang Television Station (XJTV), located in Urumqi, is the major TV broadcasting station in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The local television station for Urumqi city is the Urumqi Television Station (UTV)(乌鲁木齐电视台).

Sport

Sister cities

References

  1. ^ "乌鲁木齐人均可支配收入增长居西部十省第8位".
  2. ^ 17th Urumqi Trade Fair opens "17th Urumqi Trade Fair opens - CCTV International". CCTV.com. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Urumqi.

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43°48′N 87°35′E / 43.800°N 87.583°E / 43.800; 87.583

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