XINJIANG

Location: Xinjiang lies in northwest China, bordering on Gansu and Qinghai provinces to the southeast and the Tibet Autonomous Region to the south, sharing a 5,000-km border line with eight countries.
Area: 1,600,000 sq km
Capital: Urumqi
Neighboring Countries: Mongolia, the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

Population: 16.25 million (March 2001)
Urban Population: 6 million

Ethnic Groups: Uygur, Han, Kazak, Hui, Mongolian, Xibe, Kirgiz, Ozbek, Tajik, Russian, Manchu, Daur and Tatar

Tourist Attractions: Heavenly Lake near Urumqi, in the Tianshan Range

Climate: Between June and October is the best time to visit Xinjiang in terms of the scenery and sights. During this time, the flowers and trees on the mountains blossom and the peaks of the mountains in the distance covered in snow can be seen clearly. The average annual rainfall here is 194mm, and the average temperature is 25.7Cº in the hottest months of July and August, and a freezing minus 15.2Cº in the coldest month of January. Spring and autumn last for longer than winter and summer with significant differences in temperature between day and night.