Aksu Prefecture[4][5] is located in mid-Western Xinjiang, China. It has an area of 131,161 km2 (50,642 sq mi) and 2.714 million inhabitants at the 2020 census whom 715,319 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made up of Aksu urban district.[6] 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.

Aksu Prefecture
ئاقسۇ ۋىلايىتى (Uyghur)
阿克苏地区 (Chinese)
Aqsu, Akesu
Outside of Aksu City with Tian Shan range in the background
Outside of Aksu City with Tian Shan range in the background
Aksu Prefecture (red) in Xinjiang (orange)
Aksu Prefecture (red) in Xinjiang (orange)
Coordinates (Aksu City government): 41°11′N 80°17′E / 41.18°N 80.29°E / 41.18; 80.29
CountryChina
ProvinceXinjiang
County-level divisions8
SeatAksu City
Area
 • Prefecture127,817 km2 (49,350 sq mi)
 • Urban
14,415 km2 (5,566 sq mi)
Elevation
1,519 m (4,984 ft)
Population
 (2020 Census[1])
 • Prefecture2,714,422
 • Density21/km2 (55/sq mi)
GDP[2]
 • PrefectureCN¥ 156.4 billion
US$ 24.3 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 56,892
US$ 8,820
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
843000
Area code997
ISO 3166 codeCN-XJ-29
License Plate新N
WebsiteAksu Prefecture Government
Aksu Prefecture
Uyghur name
Uyghurئاقسۇ ۋىلايىتى
Transcriptions
Latin YëziqiAqsu Wilayiti
Yengi YeziⱪAk̡su Vilayiti
SASM/GNCAk̂su Vilayiti
Siril YëziqiАқсу Вилайити
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese阿克蘇地區
Simplified Chinese阿克苏地区
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinĀkèsū Dìqū
Wade–GilesA¹-kʻo⁴-su¹ Ti⁴-chʻü¹
IPA[á.kʰɤ̂.sú.tî.tɕʰý]
other Mandarin
Xiao'erjingاَکْ‌سُ دِکِیُوِ

Etymology

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The name Aksu comes from the name of the Aksu River which is Turkic for 'white water'.[7] The name is similar to that of the nearby Zhetysu region which means "seven rivers".[8] The name of Aksu Prefecture's Onsu County (Wensu) means "ten water" in Uyghur and other Turkic languages, and 'Kizilsu' in Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture means 'red water'- all of these names consist of a descriptor followed by 'su' (river; water).[9]

History

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

During the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, 214 Uyghur workers were sent to Jiujiang, Jiangxi.[10]

Geography

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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

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

 
# Name Uyghur (UEY) Uyghur Latin (ULY) Chinese (S) Hanyu Pinyin Population (2020 Census) Area (km2) Density (/km2)
1 Aksu ئاقسۇ شەھىرى Aqsu Shehiri 阿克苏 Ākèsū Shì 715,319 14,415 49.62
2 Kuqa (Kuchar, Kucha, Kuche) كۇچار شەھىرى Kuchar Shehiri 库车 Kùchē Shì 530,328 14,525 36.51
3 Onsu County (Wenu[4]) ئونسۇ ناھىيىسى Onsu Nahiyisi 温宿 Wēnsù Xiàn 266,002 14,335 18.56
4 Xayar County (Shayar, Shaya) شايار ناھىيىسى Shayar Nahiyisi 沙雅 Shāyǎ Xiàn 278,516 31,848 8.75
5 Xinhe County[4] (Toksu) توقسۇ ناھىيىسى Toqsu Nahiyisi 新和 Xīnhé Xiàn 194,473 5,820 33.41
6 Baicheng County[4] باي ناھىيىسى Bay Nahiyisi 拜城 Bàichéng Xiàn 231,113 15,891 14.54
7 Uqturpan County (Wushi[4]) ئۇچتۇرپان ناھىيىسى Uchturpan Nahiyisi 乌什 Wūshí Xiàn 205,571 9,051 22.71
8 Awat County ئاۋات ناھىيىسى Avat Nahiyisi 阿瓦提 Āwǎtí Xiàn 242,481 13,018 18.63
9 Kalpin County (Kelpin) كەلپىن ناھىيىسى Kelpin Nahiyisi 柯坪 Kēpíng Xiàn 50,619 8,912 5.68

Demographics

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As of 2020, 2,051,412 (80.1%) of the 2,561,674 residents of the county were Uyghur, 475,323 (18.6%) were Han Chinese and 34,939 were from other ethnic groups.[11]

As of 1999, 75.0% of the population of Aksu (Aqsu, Akesu) Prefecture was Uyghur and 23.7% of the population was Han Chinese.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "新疆维吾尔自治区第七次全国人口普查主要数据" (in Chinese). 15 March 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  2. ^ "2021年新疆各市州GDP排行榜 乌鲁木齐排名第一 昌吉排名第二". Sohu (in Chinese). 13 March 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  3. ^ "China". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  4. ^ a b c d e 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.
  5. ^ 西域地名考录. p. 21.
  6. ^ "GeoHive - China, Xinjiang population statistics". Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  7. ^ 阿克苏市概况. ئاقسۇ阿克苏市人民政府 (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2020. 阿克苏市,维吾尔语意为"白水城",
  8. ^ Madeleine Reeves, ed. (2012). Movement, Power and Place in Central Asia and Beyond: Contested Trajectories. Routledge. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-415-50353-2. Jeti Suu{...}Seven Waters
  9. ^ 温宿县人民政府 领导致词 (in Chinese (China)). 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"
  10. ^ 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ 3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数 (in Simplified 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.
  12. ^ 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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