Jiuquan Municipality Overview
Chinese Name: 酒泉市 (jiǔ quán shì)
Population: 1,000,000
Area: 191,000 square kilometers (73,746 square miles)
Nationalities: Han
Administrative Division: 1district (Suzhou); 2 counties (Jinta, Guazhou); 2 autonomous counties (Subei Mongol Autonomous County, Akesai Kazak Autonomous County); 2 county-level cities (Yumen, Dunhuang)
Jiuquan is a "prefecture-level city" in the westernmost part of the Gansu Province in China. Jiuquan is located in the northwest of Gansu Province, bordering Qilian Mountain Ranges in the south, facing Inner Mongolia to the north, bordering Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu Province in the east and contiguous to Jiayuaguan Pass, the west end of the Great Wall in the west. Jiuquan City is over 700 kilometers away from Lanzhou, and 23 kilometers away from Jiayuguan.
The administrative center of the "prefecture-level city" of Jiuquan is the "District" of Suzhou, which occupies 3,386 square km in the eastern part of Jiuquan "prefecture-level city", and had the population of 340,000 as of 2002. It is there where the modern mapmakers would usually place the "Jiuquan" label.
Seat of the City Government: Municipal Square (Shizheng Guangchang), New City Proper, Jiuquan City
Physical Features: Basically, the terrain of Jiuquan is higher in the south, lower in the north and slopes downward from southwest to northeast. Offshoots of the Qilian Mountains occupy the south part of the city. The central land of Jiuquan distributes basins, and the Gobi area is mainly distributed in its north.
Jiuquan's land drops off from the northwest to the northeast. The east part of the region is covered with mountains ranging from 3000 to 5000 meters above sea level, with the Qilian Mountain Range the most well-known. In the east, there are endless desert.
Climate: Enjoying a continental desert climate in temperate zone, the city is dry and seldom rainy throughout the year. The winter is chilly and summer is hot, the spring is arid. Wind blowing with sands often happens in spring and autumn. Temperature difference varies greatly during a day. It has slim rainfall during the whole year, mainly falling during July to October. May to October is the best season to visit Jiuquan.
Special Local Products: luminous jade cup, pile blanket, water pipe tobacco, black melon seeds
Area Highlights
Jiuquan's prominent role in the history has resulted in a lot of historical relics in the area. In and around Jiuquan, visitors will find Yulin Grottoes, Guazhou ruins, Yangguan Pass, Yumen Pass and the sections of well-preserved West Han great walls and many Buddhist temples.
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