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1 Geography and climate
2 History
3 Administration
4 Demographics
5 Transport
6 Economy
7 References
8 External links

Zhangye
— Prefecture-level city —

Location of Zhangye Prefecture within Gansu

Zhangye

Location of Zhangye Prefecture within Gansu
Coordinates: 100°27′E / 38.6°N 100.45°E / 38.6; 100.45
Country China
Province Gansu
Area
- Prefecture-level city 16,216.3 sq mi (42,000 km²)
Population (2004)
- Prefecture-level city 1,260,000
- Metro 260,000
Time zone China standard time (UTC+8)

Zhangye (simplified Chinese: 张掖; pinyin: Zhāngyè) is a prefecture-level city in China's Gansu province.

Geography and climate

Zhangye is located in far western Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia and in the south Qinghai. It has a large area of 42,000 km² and is blessed with numerous streams, abundant sunlight and fertile soil, making it an important agricultural center for Gansu and all of China.

History

Zhangye is in the center of the Hexi Corridor. The area was the frontier for much of China's history, forming a natural passage to the Central Asian portion of the empire. In fact, the name Zhangye (lit. "to extend the arm") is an abbreviation of 张国臂掖，以通西域 (lit. To extend the arm of the country, through to the Western Realm. During the Western Han dynasty, Chinese armies were often engaged against the Xiongnu in this area. It was also an important section of the Silk Road.

The city was formerly known as Ganzhou (甘州), a name retained both in the municipal region seat Ganzhou District and the Gan of the province of Gansu. In The Travels of Marco Polo, Marco Polo describes spending a year in a city called Campichu, which has been identified with Ganzhou (Zhangye).[1]

Administration

Zhangye has 1 urban district, 4 counties, 1 autonomous county, 97 towns, and 977 villages.

City Districts:

Ganzhou District (甘州区)

Counties:

Linze County (临泽县)
Gaotai County (高台县)
Shandan County (山丹县)
Minle County (民乐县)

Autonomous county:

Sunan Yugur Autonomous County (肃南裕固族自治县)

Demographics

Near Aviko french fry factory in Liuba Town, Minle County, Zhangye

Zhangye has a total population of 1,260,000, only 260,000 being urban residents. There are 26 ethnic minorities other than Han represented including many Hui, Yugur and Tibetans.

Transport

Economy

The 2002 GDP was 7.566 billion RMB, almost 9% growth over the previous year. Annual urban income was 5960 RMB,10.4% growth from the previous year and rural income was 3092 RMB, up 5%.