Gansu China Information

Gansu China, by Chinese standards, is a demographically diverse province. Inhabited by 26,190, 000 people it is the 22nd most populous province in China. Its population density ranks 27th with 57.7 p/sq km. However, with an area of 141, 000 sq mi (365, 284 sq km) it is China’s 7th largest province. The majority of its territory is above 1 km in altitude. The capital and largest city is Lanzhou, which lies on the southwestern border only miles from Qinghai province.

Gansu China Geography

Gansu is located in the middle part of the Silk Road. Its odd shape is due the Qilian mountain range of the Tibetan Plateau to the southwest and the Loess Plateau to the east. It borders Inner Mongolia to the northeast and shares a small border with Mongolia in the north. Lanzhou owes its population to the Huang He river, which runs straight through the capital and then northeast along the Loess Plateau. The Huang He gets most of its water from the watershed captured between the two opposing plateaus. Gansu China is mountainous in the south and flat in the north. It also encompasses a portion of the Gobi Desert in the west. Other bordering provinces are Xinjiang, Qinghai, Sichuan, Shangxi, and Ningxia.

Gansu China Industry

Gansu China in modern times suffered slow economic progress due to its frequent earthquakes, droughts, and famines. However, Lanzhou has recently become a main industrial center due to the recent discovery of many minerals and rare earth elements within the province. Gansu derives the majority of its industry from the mining and extraction of resources including crude oil, platinum, mercury, tungsten, and iron. It is also known for its abundance of herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. Unconfirmed sources say that it is the center of China’s nuclear industry.

Gansu China History

Gansu has played a significant role in both Chinese and world history. The Huang He river, Great Wall, and Silk Road all come through this region. Gansu is known as the “golden section” of the Silk Road. There are a multitude of temples, monasteries, and ancient castles along this portion of the Silk Road, as well as part of the Great Wall. Over the past 2,000 years it saw such great envoys as those of Marco Polo, Zhang Qian, and Xuan Zang. Being a hotbed of trade and travel for many years it inherited a vast array of cultures encompassing Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, and Taoism.

Gansu China Demographics

Gansu is home to an abundance of ethnic groups, namely, Han, Hui, Tibetan, Dongxiang, Yugur, Baonan, Mongolian, Kazak, Tu, Salar and Manchu. The Han make up 91% with the Hui being 5% of the population. Dongxiang and Tibetan each comprise 2% of the province’s population.

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