Gansu

Gansu, also Kansu, province, northern China; long and narrow in outline, it is dominated by a complex system of semiarid loess-covered plateaus and basins. The high Nan Shan and Qilian Shan mountain ranges extend along much of the southern border. Terraced and irrigated agriculture produces wheat, millet, kaoliang, and soybeans. Major resources include petroleum, iron ore, copper, and coal. Lanzhou, the capital, is an important transportation junction and industrial center; other cities include Yumen and Tianshui.

Gansu first came under Chinese administration in the Qin (Ch’in) dynasty (221-206 bc) and thereafter served as the main corridor between eastern China and Central Asia. Trade flowed through the region on the Old Silk Road. It became a Muslim stronghold by the 13th century and was the base of the violent Muslim Rebellion (1862-78). It was subsequently reduced in size. The province was hit by devastating earthquakes in 1920 and 1932. Traditionally one of the poorer Chinese provinces, it grew rapidly when reached by rail and industrialized in the 1950s. Area, 454,000 sq km (175,000 sq mi); population 26,033,400 (2003 estimate).