Gertse County (), Gêrzê County or Gaize County () is a county located in Ngari Prefecture in the northwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region, bordering Xinjiang to the north.

Name

Gêrzê is the

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

word for a special type of local-style dwelling built on the peak of a mountain.

History

The area was originally inhabited by nomadic tribes. In the aftermath of the Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China in the early 1950s,

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

troops were stationed in Gêrzê. On May 3, 1960, the Gêrzê County Committee of the Communist Party of China was established. On October 1, 1960, the Gêrzê County government was established. At 2:01 AM on February 21, 2020, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck in Gêrzê County (epicenter: ). At 2:12 AM on March 10, 2020, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck in Gêrzê County (epicenter: ) followed by a 3.7 magnitude and a 3.4 magnitude

aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

. No casualties were reported. On May 8, 2020, eight suspects were arrested and eighty-nine antelope skins were confiscated in connection with reported Tibetan antelope poaching in the county.

Geography

Gêrzê County is bordered to the north by Keriya County (Yutian) in Hotan Prefecture (Hetian), Xinjiang and to the west by Rutog County. There are numerous lakes in Gêrzê County including

Tong Tso Tong Tso () or Dong Co (）is a plateau lake in Gêrzê County, Tibet Autonomous Region. The name of lake means "Desolate Lake" in Standard Tibetan. The lake has a total area of about 87.7 square kilometers. Lying at an elevation of 4,396 metres, ...

. Thermal springs in Gêrzê County include Lugu (70 °C; ; altitude ), Nagezhong (60 °C; ; altitude ) and Yarlhaingari (60 °C; ; altitude ).

Climate

Gêrzê County has a cold semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification: ''BSk''), with strong dry-winter

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

tendencies (Köppen: ''Dwc'').

Administrative divisions

The only town is

Gêrzê Town Gertse County (), Gêrzê County or Gaize County () is a county located in Ngari Prefecture in the northwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region, bordering Xinjiang to the north. Name Gêrzê is the Tibetan word for a special type of local-style dw ...

(Gaize; , ) Townships * Chabug Township (Chabu; , ), Dongco Township (Dongcuo; , ), Gomo Township (Gumu; , ), Marmê Township (Mami; , ), Oma Township (Wuma; , ) and

Shenchen Township Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major Sub-provincial division, sub-provincial city and one of the Special economic zones of China, special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pea ...

(Xianqian; , ).

Demographics

, the residents of the county were

. In 1999, the population of the county was 16,623.

Economy

The main economic activity in Gêrzê County is animal husbandry which includes the raising of

yak The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin Sta ...

dzo A dzo (also spelled zo, zho and dzho, bo, མཛོ་, mdzo) is a hybrid between the yak and domestic cattle. The word dzo technically refers to a male hybrid, while a female is known as a or . In Mongolian, it is called a (хайнаг). ...

, sheep, goats, and horses. The county also has wild yak, wild donkeys, wild sheep, bears and Tibetan antelope.

Transportation

*Hei'agong Road ()

Historical maps

Historical maps including Gêrzê: File:China West 1906-08 Sven Hedin.jpg, Map of the expeditions of

Sven Hedin Sven Anders Hedin, KNO1kl RVO,Wennerholm, Eric (1978) ''Sven Hedin – En biografi'', Bonniers, Stockholm (19 February 1865 – 26 November 1952) was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator ...

(1906-8) including the modern-day Gêrzê County area (

RGS RGS is the abbreviation of: * Burgos Airport, Spain, by IATA airport code * Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd * Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) * Rapid Global School, Uttar Pradesh, India * Redland Green School, Bristol * ...

, early 20th century) File:Txu-oclc-6654394-ni-45-4th-ed.jpg, Map including Gêrzê (labeled as Kai-tse) (

DMA DMA may refer to: Arts * ''DMA'' (magazine), a defunct dance music magazine * Dallas Museum of Art, an art museum in Texas, US * Danish Music Awards, an award show held in Denmark * BT Digital Music Awards, an annual event in the UK * Doctor of M ...

, 1975) File:Operational Navigation Chart G-7, 6th edition.jpg, Map including Gêrzê (Kai-tse) (

, 1980) File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 g-7c.jpg, Map of the Gêrzê area (

, 1990)

References

Counties of Tibet Ngari Prefecture {{Ngari-geo-stub