Many centuries later, Tashkurgan became the capital of the Sarikol kingdom (色勒库尔), a kingdom of the Pamir Mountains, and later of Qiepantuo (朅盘陀) under the Persian Empire. At the northeast corner of the town is a huge fortress known as the Princess Castle dating from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368 CE) and the subject of many colourful local legends. A ruined fire temple is near the fortress.
The territorial expanse of the county is 178 kilometres (111 mi) from north to south and 140 kilometres (87 mi) from east to west,[citation needed] the total area is about 25,000 square kilometres (9,700 sq mi),[1] with an average altitude above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft).[1] The county includes a significant part of the Trans-Karakoram Tract, disputed by India and Pakistan in the ongoing Kashmir conflict; while Pakistan and China settled the border issue in 1963, India continues to claim it as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.[citation needed]
The Muztagh Ata, at 7,546 metres (24,757 ft), and the Kongur Tagh, at 7,719 metres (25,325 ft), are the main peaks in the county, while the two main rivers are the Tashkurgan River and the Tiznap River.[citation needed] By including the Trans-Karakoram Tract, the county also borders several eight-thousanders, including K2, at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft) the second-highest mountain in the world.[citation needed] There are several hot springs and resources of gold, iron, and copper.[citation needed]
Climate
Tashkurgan has a cold desert climate (KöppenBWk), influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from −11.9 °C (10.6 °F) in January to 16.4 °C (61.5 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 3.58 °C (38.4 °F). An average of only 68 millimetres (2.68 in) of precipitation falls per year
Climate data for Tashkurgan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010)
Map including Tashkurgan (T'a-shih-k'u-erh-kan) (DMA, 1985)Map including Tashkurgan (labeled as Tashkargan) (1917)Map including areas in the southern part of today's Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County (AMS, 1955)Map including areas in the southern part of today's Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County (ACIC, 1969)
As of 2018, Tashkurgan County had a population of 40,999,[19] up slightly from the 40,381 reported in 2015,[20] and the 37,843 counted in the 2010 Chinese census.[18]
Ethnic composition
Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County Ethnic Composition
Tajiks make up a supermajority of the county's population, with recent figures indicating they make up somewhere from 80.9% of the population,[1] to 82.24%.[19] Other prominent ethnic groups include the Han Chinese, the Kyrgyz, and Uyghurs.[19][20]
In 1999, 6.28% of the population of Tashkurgan County was Han Chinese and 5.08% of the population was Uyghur.[21]
Animal husbandry is the primary economic mode with agriculture. The well-known Dunbashi fat-tailed sheep (敦巴什大尾羊) are raised in the county as well as domestic yaks. Agricultural products include highland barley, wheat, and others. Mineral resources include iron, sulfur, and asbestos.[9] In 2011, the county was considered relatively poor. 90% of the residents were engaged in animal husbandry.[22]
The annual per capitadisposable income 2018 totaled ¥29,053 for the county's urban residents, and ¥7,630 for the county's rural residents.[1] These figures increased 6.7% and 10.2%, respectively, from 2017.[1]
In 2019, the county government reported that the county has 17 impoverished villages, and 893 households with 3682 people in poverty.[1]
^There is no official orthography for Sarikoli in China. This is the spelling used in the Sarikoli-Chinese dictionary written by linguist Gao Erqiang.[4]
References
^ abcdefghijkl塔县政府办公室 (2019-12-15). 塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县基本概况 [Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County Basic Overview]. 塔什库尔干政府门户网站 (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2020-02-09. 全县总面积2.5万平方公里，辖12个乡镇50个村（社区），总人口4.1万人，塔吉克族占80.9%，是全国唯一的塔吉克民族自治县，外与巴基斯坦、阿富汗、塔吉克斯坦及克什米尔地区接壤，边境线长793.6公里，
^See the discussions in Hill, John E. (2009) Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. ISBN978-1-4392-2134-1, Note 20.2, pp. 394-401.
^家乡“塔什库尔干县”微名片. 塔什库尔干政府门户网站 (in Simplified Chinese). 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020. 塔什库尔干自治县辖1镇、10乡、1场：塔什库尔干镇、塔什库尔干乡、提孜那甫乡、塔合曼乡、柯克亚柯尔克孜民族乡、达布达尔乡、库克西力克乡、班迪尔乡、瓦恰乡、马尔洋乡、大同乡、麻扎种羊场。
^2018年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码：塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县 (in Simplified Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2020. 统计用区划代码 名称 653131100000 塔什库尔干镇 653131101000 塔吉克阿巴提镇 653131200000 塔什库尔干乡 653131201000 塔合曼乡 653131202000 科克亚尔柯尔克孜族乡 653131203000 提孜那甫乡 653131204000 达布达尔乡 653131205000 马尔洋乡 653131206000 瓦恰乡 653131207000 班迪尔乡 653131208000 库科西鲁格乡 653131210000 大同乡
^ ab塔什库尔干县历史沿革 [Tashkurgan County Historical Evolution]. XZQH.org (in Simplified Chinese). 14 November 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2020. 2000年第五次人口普查，塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县常住总人口30454人{...}2010年第六次人口普查，塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县常住总人口37843人
^ abcd3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数 [3-7 Population by Nationality by Prefecture, Prefecture, City and County (City)] (in Chinese). Statistical Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 2020-06-10. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
^ abc3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数 [3-7 Population by Nationality by Prefecture, Prefecture, City and County (City)] (in Simplified Chinese). شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى新疆维吾尔自治区统计局 Statistic Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 2017-03-15. Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
^塔什库尔干县召开314国道项目复工复产达产现场推进会 [Tashkurgan County held a site promotion meeting for the resumption of production and production of the 314 National Highway project]. www.tskeg.gov.cn (in Chinese). Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County People's Government. 2020-04-18. Archived from the original on 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
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