Ili Region
( 2005-09-13 )

The annual surface runoff is 168 hundred million cubic meters, while the reserve of underground water amounts to 16 hundred million cubic meters.

The wooded land and mountainous forest area is 240,000 and 200,000 hectares respectively. The total area of grassland is 3,466,700 hectares.

The rare species of animals are the four-paw land turtle, Xinjiang northern salamander, Tianshan red deer,snow leopard, andMongolian gazelle; the medicinal plants are the Ili Fritillaria thunbergli, licorice, Ephedra sinica, Ili Astragalus mongholicus, and wild hawthorn; and the mineral resources are coal, iron, copper, gold, mica, and asbestos.

There are the Korgas, Dulart, and Muzart national category-A ports as well as the Yining category-B port.

 Ili, a Land of Beauty

You will never know how large China is until you visit Xinjiang, and you will never know how truly beautiful Xinjiang is until you visit Ili.

Ili features snow-capped peaks, lush pastures, charming highland lakes, and meandering streams. It is endowed with immense forests and abundant mineral resources, and its fruit has long been famous throughout Xinjiang.

Between July and August the area around the spectacularKanas Lakeis filled with locals who come for theNadamFair. They buy and sell handicrafts and take part in local festival activities including a rather bizarre sport known as Sheep Tussling.

Ili was the link between Asia and Europe on theSilk Roadin ancient times. Once an important town on the north route of the ancient Silk Road, Ili has many historic sites with a rich collection of cultural relics. There are such tourist attractions as the Fruit Valley, Kanas Lake, and so on.

As Ili is a place where Chinese and Western cultures meet, the lifestyles of its peoples are varied and colorful.

Today, Ili is an important window on China's ambitious development project for the western regions.