Why are there so few Han people in southern Xinjiang?

Basically, they all migrated, and they used to be gathering places for ethnic minorities. Southern Xinjiang has been a multi-ethnic community since ancient times. The arts and colorful customs of Han, Uygur, Tajik, Kirgiz and other ethnic groups constitute a humanistic landscape with strong national characteristics.

Hundreds of ancient city pools, ancient tombs, thousand Buddha caves and other historical sites left on the south and middle trunk lines of the ancient Silk Road show the long history and vicissitudes.

The geographical feature of Xinjiang is "three mountains and two basins", with Altai Mountain in the northernmost part of Xinjiang, Tianshan Mountain in the middle and Kunlun Mountain in the southernmost part. Junggar Basin is located between Altai Mountain and Tianshan Mountain, and Tarim Basin is located between Tianshan Mountain and Kunlun Mountain System.

South of Tianshan Mountain and north of Kunlun Mountain are called South Xinjiang. Southern Xinjiang has a vast territory with little rain and drought. There are many oases around the Taklimakan Desert. Xinjiang is generally divided into northern Xinjiang and southern Xinjiang. Sometimes, Turpan and Hami are listed separately as the eastern Xinjiang.

Extended data:

physioclimate

The drought in southern Xinjiang, the dust that covers the sun at the turn of spring and summer every year, makes cotton seedlings wither, makes apricot flowers wither in late spring, and there are dry and hot winds, hail and floods.

The harsh natural conditions make agriculture in southern Xinjiang a typical weak industry, and then make the vast area south of Tianshan Mountain the most difficult area to get rid of poverty and get rich. Up to now, there are still a large number of rural people who have not solved the problem of food and clothing.

Southern Xinjiang is also rich. There are quite rich oil, natural gas and various precious mineral resources buried under the vast Taklimakan desert. The Tianshan Mountains, Karakorum Mountains and Altun Mountains around the desert are also rich in coal, nonferrous metals and ferrous metals.

The oases around the Tarim Basin, large and small, have formed a relatively perfect irrigation system after thousands of years of reclamation, with sufficient light and heat resources, becoming the most important high-quality cotton production base and characteristic fruit base in China.