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Autonomous region of China
Photo: Alexander Flühmann, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Xinjiang (Uyghur: شىنجاڭ, Shinjiang ; Mandarin: 新疆, Xīnjiāng), officially known as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is in the North West of China. The region is the main home of China's ethnic Uyghur population, is the largest province in China, and shares borders with Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and the disputed Kashmir territory, effectively making Xinjiang a strategic gateway to Central Asia and South Asia.
Also known as 北疆 in Chinese (lit. Northern Xinjiang), today predominantly Han Chinese, but historically a diverse region dominated by minority ethnic groups like the Kazakhs and Mongols
Also known as 南疆 in Chinese (lit. Southern Xinjiang), the traditional Uyghur homeland, and still predominantly Uyghur
By plane
More than 50 cities in China have domestic direct flights to Xinjiang's provincial capital Urumqi, as have 14 cities internationally: Almaty, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Bishkek, Osh, Tashkent, Dushanbe,…
By train
Xinjiang is connected with the rest of China by Lanxin railway. Direct train runs from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and most other cities.
By plane
Xinjiang is the biggest province in China. If you have more money than time, considering taking a flight between cities such as Urumqi and Kashgar might be a better option than the 22-hour train ride.
By shared taxi (客运)
In most cities of Xinjiang there are shared taxi/minibuses that travel between cities. It is especially useful if you want to travel to smaller ones, visit a sight nearby, or go to border towns.
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the capital city and starting point for most travel in Xinjiang
part of the Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture and the starting point for most travel in Northern Xinjiang
Cherchen (且末; Qiěmò) is a city in Xinjiang Province in China.
known for its melons
a predominantly Uyghur city and the cultural center of Xinjiang
Khotan (和田; Hétián; also known as Kotan or Hotan), is a town on the southern (Jade) Branch of the Silk Road in Xinjiang Province in China. Khotan was once center of a Buddhist empire.
a predominantly Uyghur city, known for the Emin Mosque and its iconic minaret, and for being China's main centre of raisin production
Yarkand (莎车; Shāchē) is a city in Xinjiang Province in China. The name is sometimes transliterated as Yarkant or Yarkhand.
a national park on the crossroads of Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia
Karakol Lake is in Xinjiang, China.
Sayram Lake is in Bortala prefecture, north-west of Xinjiang, China.
Tianshan Tianchi National Park (天山天池国家公园) is in Xinjiang, in North West China. It's listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Articles and travel topics about Xinjiang and China.
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