Qinghai

Qinghai 青海
Province
Province of Qinghai
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	青海省 (Qīnghǎi Shěng)
• Abbreviation	QH / 青 (pinyin: Qīng)
Clockwise from the top: Hoh Xil Downtown Xining Lijiaxia Reservoir Kumbum Monastery Chaka Salt Lake
Map showing the location of Qinghai Province
Coordinates: 35°N 96°E / 35°N 96°E / 35; 96
Country	China
Named for	Derived from the name of Qinghai Lake ("blue/green lake").
Capital (and largest city)	Xining
Divisions  - Prefecture-level  - County-level  - Township- level	8 prefectures 44 counties 404 towns and subdistricts
Government
• Body	Qinghai Provincial People's Congress
• CCP Secretary	Chen Gang
• Congress Chairman	Chen Gang
• Governor	Wu Xiaojun
• Provincial CPPCC Chairman	Gönbo Zhaxi
• National People's Congress Representation	24 deputies
Area [1]
• Total	720,000 km2 (280,000 sq mi)
• Rank	4th
Highest elevation (Bukadaban Feng)	6,860 m (22,510 ft)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	5,923,957
• Rank	31st
• Density	8.2/km2 (21/sq mi)
• Rank	30th
Demographics
• Ethnic composition	Han – 54% Tibetan – 21% Hui – 16% Tu – 4% Mongol – 1.8% Salar – 1.8%
• Languages and dialects	Zhongyuan Mandarin Chinese, Amdo Tibetan, Monguor, Oirat Mongolian, Salar and Western Yugur
GDP (2023)[3]
• Total	CN¥ 379,906 million (30th) US$ 53,913 million
• Per capita	CN¥ 63,903 (24th) US$ 9,069
ISO 3166 code	CN-QH
HDI (2022)	0.719[4] (30th) – high
Website	www.qh.gov.cn (in Chinese)

Qinghai
"Qinghai" in Chinese characters
Chinese name
Chinese	青海
Postal	Tsinghai
Literal meaning	"Qinghai (Lake)"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qīnghǎi Bopomofo ㄑㄧㄥ   ㄏㄞˇ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Chinghae Wade–Giles Chʻing1-hai3 Tongyong Pinyin Cinghǎi IPA [tɕʰíŋ.xàɪ] ⓘ Wu Romanization Tshin平-he上 Hakka Romanization Tshiâng-hói Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Chīnghói Jyutping cing1 hoi2 IPA [tsʰɪŋ˥ hɔj˧˥] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chheng-hái Tâi-lô Tsheng-hái
Tibetan name
Tibetan	མཚོ་སྔོན།
Transcriptions Wylie mtsho sngon
Mongolian name
Mongolian Cyrillic	Хөхнуур
Mongolian script	ᠬᠥᠬᠡ ᠨᠠᠭᠤᠷ
Transcriptions SASM/GNC Köke naɣur
Manchu name
Manchu script	ᡥᡠᡥᡠ ᠨᠣᠣᡵ
Romanization	Huhu Noor
Oirat name
Oirat	Kokonur

This article contains Mongolian script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of text in Mongolian script.

Qinghai^[a] 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 northeast, Xinjiang on the northwest, Sichuan on the southeast and the Tibet Autonomous Region on the southwest. Qinghai province was established in 1928 during the period of the Republic of China, and until 1949 was ruled by Chinese Muslim warlords known as the Ma clique. The Chinese name "Qinghai" is after Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in China. The lake is known as Tso ngon in Tibetan, and as Kokonor Lake in English, derived from the Mongol Oirat name for Qinghai Lake. Both Tso ngon and Kokonor are names found in historic documents to describe the region.^[7]

Located mostly on the Tibetan Plateau, the province is inhabited by a number of peoples including the Han (concentrated in the provincial capital of Xining, nearby Haidong, and Haixi), Tibetans, Hui, Mongols, Monguors, and Salars. According to the 2021 census reports, Tibetans constitute a fifth of the population of Qinghai and the Hui compose roughly a sixth of the population. There are over 37 recognized ethnic groups among Qinghai's population of 5.6 million, with national minorities making up a total of 49.5% of the population.

The area of Qinghai came under the control of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty around 1724, after their defeat of Khoshut Mongols who previously controlled most of the area. After the Xinhai Revolution and the ensuing fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912, Qinghai came under Chinese Muslim warlord Ma Qi's control until the Northern Expedition by the Republic of China consolidated central control in 1928. In the same year, the province of Qinghai was established by the Nationalist Government, with Xining as its capital.^[8][9][10]

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