Akto County

Akto County (also known as Aqtu, Aktu, or Aketao; zh, c=阿克陶县, p=Ākètáo Xiàn) is a county in Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The county borders Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and has five towns, six townships, one ethnic township, and five other township-level divisions under its jurisdiction. The county seat is Akto Town. The county has an area of . In 2015 its population was 221,526;2015 population of Akto, Based on the Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2016 edited by Xinjiang Bureau of Statistics; published by China Statistics Press; in 2017 it was 231,756.

Occupying the westernmost portion of China, Akto County is highly mountainous, with the Pamir Mountains and Kunlun Mountains both passing through the county. It is bordered by Ulugqat County and Shufu County to the north, by Shule County and 41st Regiment of the XPCC across Yopurga River () to the northeast, by Yengisar County (Yingjisha), Yarkant County (Shache) to the east, and by Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County (Tashkurgan) to the south. The west and south-west share a border with Kyrgyzstan and a border with Tajikistan; the total border line is more than long.

Name

Akto means 'white mountain' in the Kyrgyz language, referring to snowy mountains.

History

In the early years of the Western Han dynasty, the land of present-day Akto County was under the jurisdiction of three kingdoms of Shule, () and (). In 60 BCE, the Han dynasty set up the Protectorate of the Western Regions in Wulei City (), in present-day in Luntai County, and Akto was placed under its jurisdiction. During the Three Kingdoms period, Akto was under the jurisdiction of the Wei State. During the Jin dynasty, the area, alongside Shule Kingdom, was subordinate to the Jin dynasty. In 658 CE, most of the area was placed under the jurisdiction of the Tang dynasty's as part of the Jimi system. In 840 CE, the Kara-Khanid Khanate, which included most of the area, was established. In 1134, the area, alongside much of the eastern portions of the Kara-Khanid Khanate, was absorbed into the Qara Khitai. The area was incorporated into the newly-created Chagatai Khanate in 1226. In 1347, Tughluk Timur broke away from the Chagatai Khanate, and established the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, which included present-day Akto County. The area was one of the territories of Hudaida (), a governor of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. In 1514, the Yarkent Khanate, which included present-day Akto County, broke off of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. In 1678, the area became part of the Dzungar Khanate. After the Qing dynasty put down the Revolt of the Altishahr Khojas in 1759, the area was successively governed by Kashgar and Yarkant ministers. In 1883, much of southern Xinjiang was restructured into prefectures and other civil administrative divisions. The area was placed under the (), the (), and ().

20th century

During the Republic of China period, the area of present-day Akto County was split between Yengisar County, Puli County (), Shufu County, and Ulugqat County. After the People's Liberation Army annexed the area in September 1949, the present Yumai Township () was from the 6th district in Yengisar, Piral Township () and Barin Township from the 7th district in Yengisar County, Kizilto Township () from the 8th district in Yengisar County, Qiarlon Township () from 4th district of Qiarlon () in Puli County, Blunko Township () from 5th district of Blunko () in Puli and two townships of Bostanterak District () in Wuqia County, Auytak Town () from Auytak Township () in Shufu County, Karekayqik Township () from Qlukbash Township in Shufu.

Akto County was established in August 1954 from parts of Yengisar County, Shufu County, Puli County (present-day Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County) and Ulugqat County. In February 1956, Barin District 7 of Yengisar County was transferred to the jurisdiction of Akto County. In January 1977, Akto County was transferred to the jurisdiction of Kashgar Prefecture, and in July 1980, it resumed its original administrative affiliation.

In April 1990, the Baren Township riot occurred in Barin Township.

In June 1996, Aisha Awazi, a Uyghur in the county highly critical of the Chinese government, was arrested in connection with reportedly appointing himself imam of a mosque in the county with the backing of 120 like-minded persons; he was listed as a political prisoner by Amnesty International.

21st century

The 2007 Xinjiang raid occurred in the county.

In 2015, Chinese state media reported about a huge body of the Kongur Tiube glacier (7,530 metres) collapsing causing a long and wide ice rock avalanche.

Geography

Akto County occupies the westernmost part of China, in the southwest of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at the confluence of the eastern Pamir Mountains, the western edge of the Tarim Basin, and the northern slopes of the Kunlun Mountains. The county spans a total area of .

It is located between east longitudes 73°26'5" and 76°43'31", and between north latitude 37°41'28" and 39°29'55". Its maximum length from north to south is long, from the middle section of Maltabar Mountain () in the northwest to Kokluk Farm () in the former Kosrap Township (now part of Qarlung) in the southeast. Its maximum length from west to east is long, from Subash Village () in Bulungkol Township in the southwest to the Jamaterak Township in the northeast.

Large parts of the county are subject to severe drought and erosion due to the bare mountains and sparse vegetation. Bare mountains in the area are formed from different types of rock, and may therefore be gray, black, yellow, red or white.

There are more than 40 glaciers distributed below the snow line, with ice sheets about 100 meters deep. Glacial meltwater is the main source of agricultural irrigation in the county, and it is also the main source of supply for the () and the Karatash River.

The northeastern part of the county is an oasis, located on the southwestern edge of the Tarim Basin. There are two major agricultural plains in this area: one along an alluvial fan from the Pamir Mountains, and the other along the delta formed by the is the Gez and Karatash rivers. These two plains belong to the wider Kashgar River delta and form an oasis on the southwest edge of the Tarim Basin. This delta is located in the southern part of the Kashgar Plain (), along the northern slops of the Pamir and Kunlun mountain ranges, and covers an area of about . This area includes many farming areas near Akto, Ujme, Barin Township, Pilal Township, and Jamaterek Township. The area is flat, at an altitude of about .

Mountains

Akto County is largely mountainous, with a 2018 government publication stating that mountainous areas account for 96.4% of the county's total area. The terrain is generally higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast. Most of Akto County's mountains reach an elevation of above sea level. The Kongur Shan and Muztagh Ata Massif sub-ranges of the Pamir Mountains are located within Akto County. The range extends southward to Tashkurgan County, and to the northeast into Yengisar and Kargilik counties. The Sarikol Range in the southwest generally reaches an altitude of about above sea level. The northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains run through the southern part of Akto County, along the upper reaches of the Yarkand River.

The county's highest peak is Kongur Tagh, located in its central area, which reaches above sea level. Muztagh Ata, another prominent mountain in the county, reaches an altitude of meters, and is located along the boundary between Akto County and Tashkurgan County. The top of the mountain is capped in ice and snow, and the thickness of snow is more than . Another mountain, Kongur Tiube, reaches an elevation of . Kungay Mountain (), in the northwest along the border with Ulugqat County, reaches an elevation of above sea level. There are 66 snow-capped peaks in the territory, including 36 larger peaks. These mountaintops have snow year round, and there are glaciers of different sizes around the peaks.

Climate

Administrative divisions

The county has 12 township-level administrative divisions under its jurisdiction, including five state-owned farms.

The county's five township-level farms are as follows:
* Turtay Farm (, , )
* Aktala Pasture (, , )
* Akto Seed Stock Station (, , )
* Kizilsu Prefectural Tree Farm (, , )
* Kizilsu Prefectural Plant Nursery (, , )

Demographics

In 2015 its population was 221,526; in 2017 it was 231,756.

Akto County has a large Uyghur majority, numbering 172,408 in 2018, or 73.64% of the county's population. The largest minority in Akto County are the Kyrgyz (including the Akto Turkmens), who number 47,394 in 2018, comprising 20.24% of the county's population. Other sizable minorities in the county include the Han Chinese and Mountain Tajiks, with populations of 7,864 and 6,018, respectively, comprising 3.36% and 2.57% of the county's population in 2018.

Akto County's population is unevenly distributed geographically, with the Gez-Kushan River Delta area hosting a population of more than 100,000.

Economy

There are many jade mines in Akto County, largely along the upper reaches of the Yarkand River. Exposed jade stones in the Kunlun Mountains are often swept into the Yarkand River, which locals have historically collected from the river for thousands of years.

Transportation

Akto is served by the Kashgar-Hotan Railway.

Gallery

File:Lake Bulungkol Karakoram Highway Kyrgyz Xinjiang China 新疆 吉爾吉斯 喀喇昆仑公路 白沙湖 - panoramio (1).jpg, Baisha Lake in Bulungkol Wetland
File:Kongur Shan.jpg, Kongurtah
File:公格尔雪峰 - panoramio.jpg, Kongurtah
File:Karakorum-oytak-glaciar-d11.jpg, Glaciers in Oytak
File:木吉火山群 - Muji Volcanoes - 2015.04 - panoramio.jpg, Volcanoes in Muji
File:NJ-43-3 Kashi, China.jpg, Map including Akto A-k'o-t'ao ( DMA, 1983)
File:Operational Navigation Chart G-7, 6th edition.jpg, From the Operational Navigation Chart; map including Akto (A-k'o-t'ao) ( DMA, 1980)
File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 g-7a.jpg, Map including (A-k'o-t'ao) Akto ( DMA, 1984)

See also

* China–Tajikistan border
* List of extreme points of China

Notes

References

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County-level divisions of Xinjiang
Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture