Aksay Kazakh Autonomous County
County
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	阿克塞哈萨克族自治县
• Kazakh	اقساي قازاق اۆتونوميالىق اۋدانى
Location of Aksay Kazak Autonomous County (pink) within Jiuquan City (yellow), Gansu Province (light grey) and the People's Republic of China (dark grey)
Aksai Location of the seat in Gansu Show map of Gansu Aksai Aksai (China) Show map of China
Coordinates: 39°39′48″N 94°20′12″E / 39.66333°N 94.33667°E / 39.66333; 94.33667
Country	China
Province	Gansu
Prefecture-level city	Jiuquan
County seat	Jengghelde (Hongliuwan)
Area
• Total	31,374 km2 (12,114 sq mi)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	10,970
• Density	0.35/km2 (0.91/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	736400
Website	www.akesai.gov.cn

Aksay Kazakh Autonomous County is an autonomous county under the prefecture-level city of Jiuquan in Gansu Province, China.^[2][3] The county borders Qinghai Province to the south and Xinjiang to the west.^[3]

The westernmost county-level division of Gansu, the county has an area of 32,374 km² (12,500 sq mi)^[3] and a population of 10,545 as of 2010.^[4] The postal code is 736400.^[3]

History

The Aksai Kazakh Autonomous Region Preparatory Committee was set up in 1953, south of Dunhuang.^[4] On April 26, 1954, the Aksai Kazak Autonomous Region was established.^[4] In 1955, it was renamed Aksai Kazakh Autonomous County.^[4]

Geography

The county lies on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and has an average elevation of about 3,200 meters.^[3]

The county is bordered by the city of Dunhuang to the north, Qinghai to the south, Subei Mongol Autonomous County to the east, and Xinjiang to the west.^[3]

The Big Harteng River (Chinese: 大哈尔腾河) and the Little Harteng River (Chinese: 小哈尔腾河) both flow through the southern portion of the county.^[3] The Sugan Lake [de], which actually comprises the Big Sugan Lake (Chinese: 大苏干湖) and the Little Sugan Lake (Chinese: 小苏干湖) is located in the county.^[3]

Climate

The county experiences an average annual rainfall of 100 millimetres or 4 inches, an average annual temperature of 5.4 °C or 41.7 °F and an annual frost-free period of 90 days.^[3]

Administrative divisions

The county governs one town, three townships, and one other township-level division.^[5]

Demographics

As of 2010, the county had a permanent population of 10,545, of which, 10,079 lived in Hongliuwan.^[4]

The county is the only Kazakh autonomous county in the province of Gansu.^[4] As of 2005, 41.3% of the county's population were ethnic Kazakhs, up slightly from the 40.7% recorded in 1996.^[4] Other ethnic groups in the county include the Han, the Hui, the Uighur, the Tibetans and 6 other ethnic minorities.^[3]

Transport

China National Highway 215 passes through the county, as does Gansu Provincial Highway 314.^[3]

Golmud–Dunhuang Railway also passes through the county.^{[citation needed]}