Desert Botanical Garden
The Desert Botanical Garden lies 10 km. (6.2 mi.) southeast of Turpan City and covers an area of over 500 hectares (1,236 ac.).
With an average altitude of 80 m. (262 ft.) below sea level, large areas of wind-eroded landscape and crescent-shaped sand land can be found there.
The garden has a typical continental climate belonging to the temperate zone with the highest temperature reaching 48 C (118 F) and the lowest temperature -28 C (-18 F).
In summer, the temperature on the surface of sand can be as high as 80 C (176 F). In addition, force 8 wind blows 26 days on average in a year.
The highest wind speed in the Garden reaches 40 m/s (131 f/s)ranking top on the nation's sand flow speed. Because of the above mentioned facts, it is known as "the Land of Fire" and "the Wind Reservoir".
Through 30 years of painstaking efforts, visitors now can find over 500 kinds of desert plants among which 43 kinds are endangered species and 24% are listed as rare plants under national protection.
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The Desert Botanical Garden consists of eights major gardens:
- Calligonum collection garden
- desert ornamental plants garden
- Eremophytes systematic garden
- Ethnic medicinal herbs garden
- Halophytes garden
- Junggar desert landscape exhibition area
- Rare and endangered plants ex-situ protection districts
- Tamarisk collection garden
In these gardens, you will find more than 30 species of birds, 10 species of beasts and 5 species of reptiles all of which makes a special animal zoo for the visitors to wander.
What's also worth mentioning is the populous diversifolia which is a typical desert plants. Every year in April when most part of Xinjiang is covered by thick snow, the fragrance given out by the flowers in this Garden can be smelt from afar, making it one of the most popular tourist spot in Xinjiang.