Korla City

Korla city is the capital city of Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It covers an area of 7,117 sq. km. (2,748 sq. mi.) and has a population of over 800,000 among which 30% are people from 23 ethnic minorities such as Han nationality, Uyghur nationality, Hui nationality and Mongolian nationality. It’s the second largest city only next to Urumqi in Xinjiang and is a typical representative of South Xinjiang.

The longest continental river, Tarim River, with an annual runoff of 3.3 billion cubic meters runs through this city together with its mother river Kongquehe (孔雀河) which is 271 meters in length and has an annual runoff of 1.18 billion cubic meters. Korla city has a mild climate and a fertile land which makes a favorable condition for the growing of a large quantity of cash crops like cottons, tomatoes and fruits. A typical example of them is bergamot pear which has a high sugar content, a strong aromatic flavor and is crisp and juicy earning itself the title- “King of Fruits”. It has now been sold to as far as Southeast Asia, Europe ,America as well as Hongkong in China.

From ancient time onwards, Korla has been a city playing an irreplaceable role in the middle part of Silk Road. Owing to its unique geographic position, numerous tourist attractions such as Bosten lake, Luntai Huyang Poplar Forest Park and the mysterious “Lop Lake” are breaded drawing large numbers of tourists for a sightseeing every year. In 1998, it was honored as an Excellent Tourist City in China and a Model City in Environment Protection in 2004. Two years from now, it was granted as a National Civilized City by the Central Institute of Civilization making it the only city to have this honorary title among the five provinces in northwestern China.

Above all, Korla city has a dynamic and boomed economy pushed forward by its characteristic agricultural industry as in cotton and bergamot pear production and other important manufacturing sectors.In 2008, the GDP growth of Korla was over 4.3 billion yuan including 1.5 billion local revenues and 4.2 billion local fixed investment indicating a stronger comprehensive strength and a higher living standards for local people. Given its remarkable achievement in science, Korla was awarded the title as a “Model City for Advancement in Science” in 2005.