Altay City

Altay is a county-level city in Altay Prefecture within Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, in far Northern Xinjiang, China. The city centre is located on the slopes of Kelan River.

Altay

阿勒泰市
ئالتاي شەھىرى
Altay
Location of the city center in Xinjiang
Coordinates (Altay City government): 47°49′37″N 88°07′55″E
CountryPeople's Republic of China
Autonomous regionXinjiang
PrefectureAltay
Area
  County-level city11,400 km2 (4,400 sq mi)
Elevation
887 m (2,910 ft)
Population
 (2016)[1]
  County-level city199,037
  Density17/km2 (45/sq mi)
  Urban
 (2016)[1]
114,995
  Rural
 (2016)[1]
83,945
  Major ethnic groups
 (2016)[1]
Han - 51.56%
Kazakhs - 40.29%
Hui - 3.31%
Uyghurs - 2.45%
Mongols - 1.41%
Others - 1.08%
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
836500
Area code(s)0906
GDP (Nominal)2016[1]
 - Total¥6.483 billion
$1.007 billion
 - per capita¥32.574
$5.060
WebsiteAltay City Government Website
Altay City
Chinese name
Chinese阿勒泰
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese承化
Uyghur name
Uyghurئالتاي
Kazakh name
Kazakhالتاي
Altaı
Алтай

Administrative divisions

Subdistricts (街道)

  • Jinshan Road Subdistrict (金山路街道), Jiefang Road Subdistrict (解放路街道), Tuanjie Road Subdistrict (团结路街道)

Town ()

  • Aweitan (阿苇滩镇), Hongdun (红墩镇)

Township ()

  • Qimuerqieke Township (切木尔切克乡), Alahake Township (阿拉哈克乡), Handagait Mongol Township (汗德尕特蒙古族乡), Lasite Township (拉斯特乡), Kalaxilike Township (喀拉希力克乡), Sa'erhusong Township (萨尔胡松乡), Balibagai Township (巴里巴盖乡), Qie'erkeqi Township (切尔克齐乡)

Others

  • Kalagashi Ranch (喀拉尕什牧场), Aketumusike Ranch (阿克吐木斯克牧场), XPCC No. 181 (兵团181团), XPCC No. 189 (兵团189团)

Geography

Climate

Altay has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), with an annual precipitation total of only 213 mm (8.4 in). Winters are long, bitterly cold and dry, with a January 24-hour average of −15.3 °C (4.5 °F); however, the presence of the Altay Mountains to the north helps moderate the severity of winter cold as compared to locations further to the east. Spring and autumn are short but mild. Summers are very warm, but dry, with a July 24-hour average of 21.7 °C (71.1 °F). The annual mean is 4.75 °C (40.5 °F). With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 50% in December to 74% in August and September, sunshine is abundant and the city receives 2,993 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Climate data for Altay City (1981−2010 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −9.1
(15.6)
−6.1
(21.0)
1.4
(34.5)
14.1
(57.4)
21.9
(71.4)
26.6
(79.9)
28.2
(82.8)
26.9
(80.4)
21.2
(70.2)
12.4
(54.3)
1.3
(34.3)
−7.0
(19.4)
11.0
(51.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −15.3
(4.5)
−12.7
(9.1)
−4.5
(23.9)
7.9
(46.2)
15.6
(60.1)
20.2
(68.4)
21.7
(71.1)
20.1
(68.2)
14.3
(57.7)
6.3
(43.3)
−4.0
(24.8)
−12.6
(9.3)
4.7
(40.6)
Average low °C (°F) −20.4
(−4.7)
−18.1
(−0.6)
−9.8
(14.4)
2.2
(36.0)
9.1
(48.4)
13.3
(55.9)
15.0
(59.0)
13.3
(55.9)
7.8
(46.0)
1.3
(34.3)
−8.3
(17.1)
−17.5
(0.5)
−1.0
(30.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 17.8
(0.70)
9.4
(0.37)
10.4
(0.41)
14.2
(0.56)
18.5
(0.73)
16.3
(0.64)
28.0
(1.10)
20.4
(0.80)
14.0
(0.55)
16.1
(0.63)
25.1
(0.99)
22.4
(0.88)
212.6
(8.36)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 7.4 6.7 5.8 5.8 6.6 6.8 7.9 6.5 6.0 5.9 8.5 9.9 83.8
Average relative humidity (%) 73 73 69 49 43 49 55 52 50 55 69 74 59
Mean monthly sunshine hours 163.6 182.4 247.7 281.9 325.4 338.2 343.5 326.6 278.6 220.8 153.5 131.1 2,993.3
Percent possible sunshine 60 64 68 69 70 71 71 74 74 66 55 50 68
Source: China Meteorological Administration (precipitation days and sunshine 19712000)[2][3]
Map of Altay (labeled as CH'ENG-HUA) and surrounding region from the International Map of the World (1961)

Transport

From Ürümqi (capital of Xinjiang Province) to Altay, it takes about one hour by plane, 9 hours by day bus, 12 hours by night bus and about 14 hours by train (towards Beitun City).

Culture

Like other cities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, there are many minorities in Altay, in particular Uyghurs and Kazakhs.

The Dundbulag rock carvings (敦德布拉克岩画) in the Handagait Mongol Township (A.K.A. Handagaitu, Handgait; tyv. Handagaity; uyg. Handigati; cmn. Handegate) under this city is an earliest evidence of ski.

Education

In schools, students are taught mainly in Chinese (Mandarin) and there are courses for Uyghur and Kazakh languages.

Tourism

The most important tourist site is Kanas Lake where there is a legend of a large creature.

People

References

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