III.

Population

The 2003 population of Xinjiang was 19.3 million. The 1900 estimated population was only 2.1 million. More than 90 percent of the people were various non-Han Chinese nationalities; the largest group was the Uygurs, a Muslim Turkic people. By 1949 the population had more than doubled to 4.3 million. During the 1950s and early 1960s Xinjiang experienced heavy migration of ethnic Han Chinese from eastern China. This, coupled with high birth rates among the minority nationalities, as well as increased life expectancy, caused considerable population growth.

In the mid-1990s about 40 percent of the population were Uygurs; Han Chinese accounted for slightly less. Other non-Han minorities include Kazaks, Hui (also Chinese Muslims), Kyrgyz, and Mongolians. The Han are concentrated mainly in the cities, although a significant Han population remains on military farms that were set up in the 1950s to resettle landless war veterans from the east. Han dominate the cities as administrative and industrial workers, whereas the non-Han ethnic nationalities remain largely rural and engage in various farming and herding activities.

Most cities in Xinjiang lie near the flanks of the mountains, strung along the paths of the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and Rome. Ürümqi is Xinjiang’s capital and largest city, as well as its industrial, commercial, and transportation hub. Other large cities include Shihezi, Aksu, and Hami; smaller cities include Kashi, Korla, Yining, and Turpan. Kashi, located in the western Tarim Pendi, is unusual in that it has a largely Uygur population.