There are currently 47 ethnic groups in Xinjiang where Uygur, Han, Kazak, Hui golian, Tajik, Xibe, Manchu, Uzbek, Russian, Tatar predominate. Hence, it is one of the five autonomous regions administered by ethnic groups in China. According to statistics in 2004, the population in Xinjiang numbered 19.6311 million, of which11.8286 million represent people with ethnic backgrounds, or 60.25%. Of all the ethnic population Uygurs accounted for 8.9767 millio, or 45.73% of the total population; Hans numbered 7.8025 million, or 39.75%; Kazaks had 1.3816 million, or 7.04%; Huis 876.3 thousand, 24.1or 4.46%; Kirgizs 171.2 thousand, or 0.87% ; Mongolians 169.6 thousand, or 0.86; Tajiks 43.5 thousand, Xibes 40.8 thousand, Manchus 24.1 thousand; Uzbeksl4.2 thousand, Russians 11.3 thousand, Daurs 6,700; Tatars 4,700 and other people with ethnic backgrounds 107.9 thousand, or 0.55%. The natural population growth rate was 10.91 per thousand.

Xinjiang has a vast expanse of territory with a varied topography. Mountain ranges alternate with basins surrounded by high mountains, so it is graphically described as "two basins sandwiched in between mountain ranges". In the south it has KarakorumMountains whereas in the north there is Altai Mountains with the TianshanMountains lying horizontally in the middle dividing Xinjiang into the southern part known as the Tarim Basin and the northern part known as the DzungharianBasin. The part south of the Tianshan has been customarily referred to as Nanjiang (South Xinjiang) and the part north of the Tianshan has been known as Beijiang (North Xinjiang). And the region surrounding Hami and TurpanBasin is called Dongjiang (East Xinjiang). The TarimBasin is the biggest in China and the TakalamakanDesert is just located in the middle of the Basin, covering an area of 324 thousand square kilometers, which, in other words, is China’s largest and the world's second largest drift sanddesert. Plus, there is a huge wealth of glacier resources, the total number of which is 18.6 thousand Besides, the Region is drained by over 560 rivers, big or small. Except for the Irtysh River that empties into the ArticOcean, the majority of them are inland rivers. The TarimRiver is 2179 kilometers long China's longest inland river. Xinjiang is dotted with lakes that cover a water area of 5,504.5 square kilo meters, and the Bositeng Lake has a water area of980 square kilometers, making it China's biggest in- land sweet-water lake. The lowest point of the Turpan Basin in East Xinjiang is 154 meters below sea level-the place with the lowest elevation in China.

Xinjiang has a typically temperate and arid continental climate with an annual natural precipitation of 100 mm. Many rivers are formed by the melt mountain snow in the Region with oases distributed on the fringe of the basins and drainage areas. The oases accounts for approximately 5% of the total area of Xinjiang and is characterized bv typical oases ecology, which contributes to the Region-specific oases agriculture.