Map of Qinghai Province

Author: Xi'an Surveying and Mapping Information Technology General Station, compiled by Star Map Press
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Qinghai Province is located in the northwest of China, abbreviated as Qing, with Xining as its capital. It lies between 31°39'N to 39°19'N latitude and 89°35'E to 102°30'E longitude. To the northwest it borders Xinjiang, to the north and east it borders Gansu, to the southeast it borders Sichuan, and to the south and southwest it borders Tibet. It spans 1,200 kilometers from east to west and 800 kilometers from north to south, covering an area of 721,200 square kilometers, ranking fourth in the country. The population is 4.74 million, with 37 ethnic minorities accounting for approximately 40.2% of the total population. Among them, the Tibetan ethnic group is the largest, followed by the Hui, Tu, Mongolian, Salar, Manchu, and other ethnic groups. The province administers 1 prefecture, 6 autonomous prefectures, 1 prefecture-level city, 2 county-level cities, 30 counties, and 7 autonomous counties.
Qinghai is situated in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, deep in the hinterland of the interior. The province has a vast land area with complex terrain, high elevation, and significant variations in altitude, forming a unique natural environment. The regional and vertical differences in natural conditions such as terrain, climate, vegetation, and soil are pronounced, and the natural resources are abundant and diverse. The northern part of the province is dominated by the Qilian Mountains-Al mountain range. The Qilian Mountains generally run in a northwest-southeast direction, with the western section being particularly high and rugged, with many peaks above the snow line. Glaciers are widely distributed, serving as important water sources for agriculture and animal husbandry in the Qaidam Basin. Most of the mountains are covered with grasslands, with an average elevation of around 4,000 meters. The riverbank terraces and adjacent hills in the valleys have an elevation below 3,000 meters, making them suitable for agriculture.
The Qinghai Lake Basin is a fault-block depression with a wide lacustrine plain, suitable for both agriculture and animal husbandry. Qinghai has a continental plateau climate with an average annual temperature of 1.5-9°C and a very short frost-free period, with annual precipitation ranging from 50 to over 700 millimeters. The province has approximately 7.5 million mu of arable land, most of which is concentrated in the river valleys east of Mount Riyue, followed by the Qaidam Basin and the Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The farming system is single-crop per year, with main crops including wheat, highland barley, millet, broad beans, peas, potatoes, rapeseed, and others.
Qinghai has a long history of animal husbandry and is one of China's important pastoral regions. The main livestock includes sheep, yaks, crossbreed cattle, goats, horses, donkeys, and camels. The fishing industry is primarily based on Qinghai Lake, Zhaling Lake, and Eling Lake. The scaleless Hulan fish is a specialty of Qinghai Lake. Forests are mainly distributed in the mountainous areas. The province has rich economically valuable wildlife and plants, such as marmots, gazelles, and apocynum, making it one of China's key provinces for hunting activities.
The Qinghai Plateau is renowned for its production of Tibetan sheep, with yaks, Haomen horses, Hequ horses, Xining wool, and black fur being particularly famous. Tibetan sheep wool is known as "Xining wool." The province is also known for its medicinal herbs, such as the snow lotus, which is used for strengthening the back and kidneys, and Cordyceps sinensis, accounting for approximately 70% of the national output, as well as Fritillaria unibracteata and Xining rhubarb. The alpine grasslands are also famous for growing ginseng fruits. Local delicacies include Goluo beef jerky and Qinghai Hulan fish.