Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( zh, c=海西蒙古族藏族自治州; ; ), locally also known as Qaidam Prefecture (; ; zh, s=柴达木), is an

autonomous prefecture Autonomous prefectures ( zh, c=自治州, p=zìzhìzhōu) are one type of autonomous administrative divisions of China, autonomous administrative division in China, existing at the Prefecture-level divisions of China, prefectural level, with eith ...

occupying much of the northern half of (as well as part of the southwest of)

Qinghai Province Qinghai is an inland province in Northwestern China. It is the largest province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third smallest population. Its capital and largest city is Xining. Qinghai borders Gansu on the nort ...

, China. It has an area of and its

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

is Delingha. The name of the prefecture literally means "west of (Qinghai) Lake." Geladandong Mountain, the source of the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

, is located here.

History

After 1949, the People's Government of Dulan County was founded and the area was renamed Dulan Autonomous District ( zh, labels=no, s=都兰自治区); in 1954, Dulan was renamed Haixi Mongol, Tibetan and Kazakh Autonomous District ( zh, labels=no, s=海西蒙藏哈萨克族自治区) and in 1955, Haixi Mongol, Tibetan and Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture ( zh, labels=no, c=海西蒙藏哈萨克族自治州). In 1963, it was renamed " zh, labels=no, c=海西蒙古族藏族哈萨克族自治州" (with the "Tibetan" added to the official county name). In 1985, after the Kazakhs had returned to Xinjiang, it was again renamed to Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture..
For details, see:

Demographics

As of the 2017 census, Haixi had 515,200 inhabitants. The following is a composition of ethnic groups in the prefecture, taken in the 2010 Census.

Subdivisions

Haixi directly governs 3

county-level cities , map = , category = Third level administrative division of a unitary state , territory = People's Republic of China , upper_unit = Prefectures, Provinces , start_date = , current_number = 411 (408 controlled, 3 claimed) , number_da ...

and 3

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. * The southwestern

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of the Haixi Prefecture, separated from the rest of the prefecture by a "panhandle" of the

Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (, zh, s=玉树藏族自治州, p=Yùshù Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu, retranscribed into Tibetan as ), also transliterated as Yüxü or Yulshul, is an autonomous prefecture of Southwestern Qinghai Province, China. ...

, is the Tanggula Town of Golmud City.

Gallery

Notable features

* Delingha City * Qaidam Basin * Geladandong mountain * Headwaters of the

* The Baigong Pipes

Notes

External links

Official website of Haixi Government
{{authority control Autonomous prefectures of the People's Republic of China Prefecture-level divisions of Qinghai Amdo Mongols in China Tibetan autonomous prefectures