Tianshan Mountains

Xinjiang has a vast expanse of territory with a varied topography. Mountain ranges alternate with basins surrounded by high mountains, so it is graphically described as "two basins sandwiched in between mountain ranges". In the south it has Karakorum Mountains whereas in the north there is Altai Mountains with the Tianshan Mountains lying horizontally in the middle dividing Xinjiang into the southern part known as the Tarim Basin and the northern part known as the Dzungharian Basin.

The part south of the Tianshan has been customarily referred to as Nanjiang (South Xinjiang) and the part north of the Tianshan has been known as Beijiang (North Xinjiang). And the region surrounding Hami and Turpan Basin is called Dongjiang (East Xinjiang). The Tarim Basin is the biggest in China and the Taklimakan Desert is just located in the middle of the Basin, covering an area of 324 thousand square kilometers, which, in other words, is China's largest and the world's second largest drift sand desert.

In addition, the region is drained by over 560 rivers, big or small. Except for the Irtysh River that empties into the Artic Ocean, the majority of them are inland rivers. The Tarim River is 2179 kilometers long and is China's longest inland river. Xinjiang is also dotted with lakes that cover a water area of 5,504.5 square kilometers, and the Bositeng Lake has a water area of 980 square kilometers, making it China's biggest inland sweet-water lake. The lowest point of the Turpan Basin in East Xinjiang is 154 meters below sea level-the place with the lowest elevation in China.

Situated deep in the interior of Asia and not penetrated by the air currents from the oceans, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has conspicuous continental climate, with highly changeable temperature, great difference in temperature between day and night, abundant sunshine, intense evaporation and little precipitation. The mean annual temperature of Xinjiang is 11.7°C, with the hottest month, July, averaging about 25°C and the coldest month, January, averaging minus 20°C in the north and minus 10°C in the south. The region's mean annual precipitation is 150 millimeters.

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