Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County

Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County ( _fa. تاشقرغان, _ug. تاشقۇرقان تاجىكئاپتونوم ناھىيىسى|Tashqurqan Tajik Aptonom Nahiyisi|Taxk̡urk̡an Tajik Aptonom Nah̡iyisi, zh-sp|s=塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县|p=Tǎshìkù'ěrgàn Tǎjíkè zìzhìxiàn; Sariquli Tajik in IPA2|tɔʃqyrʁɔn tuʤik ɔftunum nɔja; sometimes spelled Taxkorgan, Tashkorgan etc.) is one of the counties of Kashgar Prefecture in western Xinjiang.

Geography

Tashkurgan County is located in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau, where the Kunlun, Kara Kunlun, Hindukush and Tian Shan mountains come together, at the borders with Afghanistan (Wakhan Corridor), Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Province) and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. The county seat is Tashkurgan Town.

The territorial expansion of the county is 178 km from north to south, and 140 km from east to west, the total area is about 52,400 km², at an average altitude above 4,000 metres.

The second-highest mountain of the world, Mount Qogir ("K2"; zh-sp|s=乔戈里峰|p=Qiáogēlǐ Fēng; 8611 m) is located in Taxkorgan, as well as the Mutzagata (zh-cp|c=慕士塔格峰|p=Mùshìtǎgé Fēng; 7546 m) and the Kongur Tagh (zh-sp|s=公格尔山|p=Gōnggé'ěr Shān; 7719 m). The two main rivers are the Taxkorgan River and the Tiznap (or Tiznef) River (zh-c|c=提孜那甫河|p=Tízīnàfǔ Hé). There are several hot springs and resources of gold, iron, and copper.

Climate

The average temperature is 3.3 °C, with summer maximums around 32 °C and winter minimums around -39 °C; average precipitation is 68.3 mm.

Population

The total population of Tashkurgan is 27800, among them 84% Tajiks, 4% Han and 12% other nationalities. (Figures of 1995)

History

During the Han dynasty, Tashkurgan was known as Puli (Púlí 蒲犁); during the Tang dynasty, it was a protectorate of the Parthians, during the Yuan dynasty it was part of the Chaghatai empire. Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County was created in 1954 and is part of the district of Kashgar.

Main villages

Transportation

The county is served by Karakoram Highway, which runs through Tashkurgan Town.

External links

* [http://www.tashkurgan.cn/ Official website of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County government] , zh icon