Where is the Qiang nationality mainly distributed in the history of Qiang nationality?

The Qiang people in China are mainly distributed in Mao Wen Qiang Autonomous County, Wenchuan County, Lixian County, Heishui County and Songpan County of Sichuan Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Mao Wen Qiang Autonomous County is the largest inhabited area of Qiang people. According to 1990 census, the population of the Qiang nationality is 198252. Qiang language is a Sino-Tibetan-Burmese language family. It is divided into two dialects: the northern dialect of Chibi Soviet Area in Maowen County and the southern dialect of Heishui County. The Qiang people have no language of their own and have been using Chinese for a long time.

Western Sichuan, where the Qiang people live in compact communities, is located in the high mountain and canyon zone where the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau transits to the Sichuan Basin. Here the mountains overlap and the peaks compete for hegemony. Historically, it is known as "surrounded by mountains". Minshan Mountain, Longmen Mountain and Qionglai Mountain are three mountains. The main peaks are Jiuding Mountain, Longxue Baoshan and Qianfo Mountain. Among them, Jiuding Mountain is 4982 meters above sea level, with snow all year round.

When the sun rises, the ice peak and sunrise under the blue sky reflect each other, which is very spectacular. It is called "Nine Sunrises" and has become one of the scenic spots in the Qiang area. Qiang area is rich in water resources, with criss-crossing rivers. Due to the large gap, there are abundant hydraulic resources. The main rivers are Minjiang River and its tributaries Heishui River and Zagunuo River, and Xujiang River has tributaries Tumen River, Qingpian River and Baicao River. Divided into Minjiang River and Fujiang River. The Minjiang River was called Jiang Shui or Wenjiang in ancient times. Named after its origin in Minjiang River. Originated in Gonggangling and Langjialing in Songpan County, it passes through Hongqiao Pass in Songpan County and flows through the Qiang area from north to south. Its flow is over 300 kilometers. It flows out of the Qiang area and enters the western Sichuan plain through Dujiangyan water conservancy project. It is the main river in the Qiang area and the mother river and birthplace of 200,000 Qiang people today. The Qiang area is criss-crossed, with high mountains and deep valleys. The terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast.

The valley bottom is between 800 meters and 2500 meters above sea level, and the mountains are above 3500 meters above sea level. There are some small alluvial plains along the Minjiang River, Xujiang River and their tributaries. The hillside is relatively flat with terraces. These places have mild climate and fertile soil, which are suitable for planting crops and are the main agricultural production areas in Qiang areas. There are natural pastures on the sunny slopes of high mountains, especially in summer and autumn, where aquatic plants are abundant and spring blossoms. This is a good place to graze cattle and sheep.

Qiang people's area belongs to monsoon climate, but it is a typical three-dimensional climate with diversified characteristics due to the influence of northwest plateau and valley topography. Generally speaking, the climate in the valley area below 2500m above sea level is warm, with an annual average temperature of 1 1.5- 12.8, and more rainfall than in the valley area. This is an area where dark coniferous forests, mixed coniferous forests and rare animals and plants grow and breed. Alpine meadows can only be found in mountainous areas above 4000 meters above sea level. It is cold all year round and there is snow for more than half a year every year.