Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County (often shortened to Tashkurgan County and officially spelled Taxkorgan) is an autonomous county of Kashgar Prefecture, in western Xinjiang, China. The county seat is Tashkurgan. The county is the only Tajik (Pamiri) autonomous county in China.

History

During the Han dynasty, the town of Tashkurgan was known as Puli ; during the Tang dynasty, it was a protectorate of the Sassanids, during the Yuan dynasty it was part of the Chaghatai empire. It was part of China during the Qing dynasty. Many centuries later, Tashkurgan became the capital of the Sarikol kingdom (色勒库尔), a kingdom of the Pamir Mountains, and later of Qiepantuo (朅盘陀) under the Persian Empire. At the northeast corner of the town is a huge fortress known as the Princess Castle dating from the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368 CE) and the subject of many colourful local legends. A ruined fire temple is near the fortress. The region came under Chinese rule from Qing dynasty, to the Republic of China and later on to the People's Republic of China. On September 17, 1954, Tashkurgan was made an autonomous region. In February 1955, it was made an autonomous county. In 1955, Bulungkol was transferred to Akto County from Tashkurgan County. In August 2013, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences announced that they excavated a cluster of Zoroastrian tombs in Tashkurgan. In May 2017, the county was hit with a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that killed eight and injured 29.

Geography

Tashkurgan County is located in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau, where the Kunlun, Karakoram, Hindukush and Tian Shan mountains come together, at the borders with Afghanistan (Wakhan Corridor), Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Province), Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan) and India (Ladakh). The county seat is Tashkurgan Town. The territorial expanse of the county is 178 km from north to south and 140 km from east to west, the total area is about 25000 km2, with an average altitude above 4000 m. The county includes a significant part of the Trans-Karakoram Tract, disputed by India and Pakistan in the ongoing Kashmir conflict; while Pakistan and China settled the border issue in 1963, India continues to claim it as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Muztagh Ata, at 7546 m, and the Kongur Tagh, at 7719 m, are the main peaks in the county, while the two main rivers are the Tashkurgan River and the Tiznap River. By including the Trans-Karakoram Tract, the county also borders several eight-thousanders, including K2, at 8611 m the second-highest mountain in the world. There are several hot springs and resources of gold, iron, and copper.

Climate

Tashkurgan has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from −11.9 °C in January to 16.4 °C in July, while the annual mean is 3.58 °C. An average of only 68 mm of precipitation falls per year

Administrative divisions

The county administers 2 towns, 9 townships and 1 ethnic township, which then administer 50 village-level divisions. Notes

Demographics

As of 2018, Tashkurgan County had a population of 40,999, up slightly from the 40,381 reported in 2015, and the 37,843 counted in the 2010 Chinese census.

Ethnic composition

Mountain Tajiks make up a supermajority of the county's population, with recent figures indicating they make up somewhere from 80.9% of the population, to 82.24%. Other prominent ethnic groups include the Han Chinese, the Kyrgyz, and Uyghurs. In 1999, 6.28% of the population of Tashkurgan County was Han Chinese and 5.08% of the population was Uyghur. In 1995, the total population of Tashkurgan was 27,800, among them 84% Tajiks of Xinjiang, who speak the Sarikoli language, 4% Han and 12% other nationalities.

Economy

Animal husbandry is the primary economic mode with agriculture. The well-known Dunbashi fat-tailed sheep (敦巴什大尾羊) are raised in the county as well as domestic yaks. Agricultural products include highland barley, wheat, and others. Mineral resources include iron, sulfur, and asbestos. In 2011, the county was considered relatively poor. 90% of the residents were engaged in animal husbandry. The annual per capita disposable income 2018 totaled ¥29,053 for the county's urban residents, and ¥7,630 for the county's rural residents. These figures increased 6.7% and 10.2%, respectively, from 2017. In 2019, the county government reported that the county has 17 impoverished villages, and 893 households with 3682 people in poverty.

Transportation

The county is served by Karakoram Highway, which runs through Tashkurgan. As of September 2016, China has begun building an elevated road which is expected to be completed in a few years. Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport is now under construction and will be in service in 2022.