Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Encyclopedia : I : IL : ILI : Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (Chinese: 伊犁哈薩克自治州, Pinyin: Yīlí Hāsàkè zìzhìzhōu, Kazakh: ىله قازاق اۆتونومىيالى وبلىسى / Іле Қазақ автономиялы облысы, Uyghur: ئىلى قازاق ئاپتونوم ۋىلايىتى / Ili Ķazaķ aptonom wilayiti), in northernmost Xinjiang, is the only Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China.
Geography and coordinates
- Area: 273,200 km²
- Population: 3,880,000 (2000)
- Capital: Ghulja (Yining City)
- Geographic coordinates: 79º50'30″ - 84º56'50″ East, 42º14'16″ - 44º50'30″ North
The Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture is west of Mongolia, south of Russia and east of Kazakhstan. Its foreign boundary is 2,000 km. Its 8 functioning ports are:
- Khorghas (霍爾果斯): under Ili; a primary Chinese "national" border crossing point or port of entry (國家一類口岸)
- Dulat (都拉塔): under Ili
- Muzart (木紮爾特): directly controlled by Ili; another primary point or port
- Bakhtu (巴克圖) of Tacheng; another primary point or port
- Taskhin (塔克什肯) of Altay
- Khiziltaw (紅山嘴) of Altay
- Aqimbek (阿黑木別克) of Altay
- Jeminay (吉木乃) of Altay；another primary point or port (國家一類口岸)
History
Before the Qin Dynasty, Ili was occupied by the Ussuns, a tributary of the Hun. The Ussuns were driven away in the 6th century A.D. by the northern Xiongnu, who established Western Turk Khanate in 552. Later the Kulja territory became a dependency of Dzungaria. During the Tang Dynasty, the khnate was Anxi Daduhufu (安西大都護府) of the Tang Empire.
The Uyghurs, and in the 12th century the Kara-Khitai, took possession of it in turn. Genghis Khan conquered Kulja in the 13th century, and the Mongol Khans resided in the valley of the Ili. It is supposed that the Oirats conquered it at the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century; they kept it until 1755 as Jagatai Khanate, when the Manchus annexed it. During the insurrection of 1864 the Dungans and the Taranchis formed here the Taranchi Sultanate. The insurgent Dungans massacred most of Manchu Kuljia's (New Kuljia) inhabitants. It had previously been the seat of the Chinese government for the province, with a large penal establishment and strong garrison. The sultanate led to the occupation of Kulja by the Russians in 1871. Ten years later the territory was restored to China, and its boundary with Russia was assigned in accordance to the Treaty of St Petersburg of 1881.
On January 7, 1912, Yang Cuanxu (楊纘緒) of Ili occupied the Huiyuan (惠遠城) and shot the last Qing general of Ili, Zhirui (志銳).
In July 1945, Chingil, Bole and Quanxi (精河、博樂、溫泉) of Ili were made into a new autonomous prefecture now not part of Ili: Bortala. In 1949, Ili was made a special area (專區) of Xinjiang, with one city and 9 counties, and was upgraded to a city in 1952. On November 27, 1954, the Ili Autonomous Prefecture was established to include the prefectures of Ili, Altay, and Tacheng. The Ili Prefecture was abolished in 1955. Its 1 city and 9 counties are now under the direct control of the autonomous prefecture.
Subdivisions
Ili's primary subdivisions include Tacheng (Qoqek, 塔城地區) and Altay (阿勒泰地區) Prefectures, Ili also directly controls 2 county-level cities, 7 counties, and 1 autonomous county. (see Political divisions of China#Levels).- Some official placenames below are not in Chinese.
| Official name | Hanzi | Area | Population | Uyghur name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarbagatay Prefecture | 塔城地區 | 98824 | 910,000 | Tarbaƣatay |
| Altay Prefecture | 阿勒泰地區 | 118015 | 590,000 | Altay |
| Qulja City | 伊寧市 | 575 | 340,000 | Ƣulja |
| Kuytun City | 奎屯市 | 1036 | 270,000 | Kuytun |
| Qulja County | 伊寧縣 | 4684 | 390,000 | Ƣulja |
| Huocheng County | 霍城縣 | 5428 | 340,000 | Ƣorƣas |
| Toqquztara County | 鞏留縣 | 4323 | 150,000 | Toķķuztara |
| Kunes County | 新源縣 | 6818 | 280,000 | Künəs |
| Zhaosu County | 昭蘇縣 | 11111 | 150,000 | Mongƣulkürə |
| Tekes County | 特克斯縣 | 7772 | 150,000 | Tekəs |
| Nilqi County | 尼勒克縣 | 10145 | 150,000 | Nilķa |
| Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County | 察布查爾 錫伯自治縣 | 4469 | 160,000 | Qapqal |
Demographics
See also: Xabib YunicExternal links
- [Official site] (in Simplified Chinese)
- [Subdivision info] (in Simplified Chinese)
Prefecture-level divisions of Xinjiang
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| List of Xinjiang County-level divisions | ||||||||||
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