Aral, Xinjiang

For other uses, see Aral (disambiguation).

Aral^[2][3] is a sub-prefecture-level city surrounded by Aksu Prefecture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. Aral means "island" in Uyghur.^[4] The city's name is often written as Alar.^[5]

Aral 阿拉尔市 (Chinese) ئارال شەھىرى (Uyghur)
County-level & sub-prefectural city
Aral (red) in Xinjiang Province (orange) and China
Aral Location of the seat within Xinjiang Show map of Southern Xinjiang Aral Aral (Xinjiang) Show map of Xinjiang Aral Aral (China) Show map of China
Coordinates (Aral municipal government): 40°32′53″N 81°16′52″E
Country	China
Autonomous region	Xinjiang
Municipal seat	Jinyinchuan Road Subdistrict
Government
• CCP Secretary	Ding Yiqiang (Political Commissar of the 1st Division)
• Mayor	Xiao Yong (Commander of the 1st Division)
Area
• Total	5,258.739 km2 (2,030.410 sq mi)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	328,241
• Density	62/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard[a])
Website	www.ale.gov.cn

Aral, Xinjiang
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	阿拉尔
Traditional Chinese	阿拉爾
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Ālā'ěr
Uyghur name
Uyghur	ئارال‎
Transcriptions Latin Yëziqi Aral Yengi Yeziⱪ Aral SASM/GNC Aral Siril Yëziqi Арал

Aral is the headquarter of the 1st Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and currently administered by the 1st Division. Aral implemented the "division and city integration" (师市合一, shī shì héyī) management system, it shares the same leader group with the 1st Division.

History

According to Radio Free Asia, a United States government-funded news service, Aral was created in the 1950s by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps to facilitate Han Chinese immigration to the region.^[6]

Aral became a city in 2002 and its population increased to 166,205 in 2010.

On January 23, 2013, 474.208 km² (183.093 sq mi) of territory was transferred from Awat County (Awati) to Aral city^[7] and 802.733 km² (309.937 sq mi) of territory was transferred from Aksu city (Akesu) to Aral city.^[8]

Administrative divisions

Aral contains three subdistricts, 15 towns, a township, and two township-equivalent regions:

Name	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Uyghur (UEY)	Uyghur Latin (ULY)	Administrative division code	Notes
Subdistricts
Jinyinchuan Road Subdistrict	金银川路街道	Jīnyínchuānlù Jiēdào	جىنيىنچۇەن يولى كوچا باشقارمىسى‎	Jinyinchuen yoli kocha bashqarmisi	659002001
Xingfu Road Subdistrict	幸福路街道	Xìngfúlù Jiēdào	بەخت يولى كوچا باشقارمىسى‎	Bext yoli kocha bashqarmisi	659002002
Qingsong Road Subdistrict	青松路街道	Qīngsōnglù Jiēdào	چىڭسۇڭ يولى كوچا باشقارمىسى‎	Chingsung yoli kocha bashqarmisi	659002003
Towns
Jinyinchuan Town (1st Regiment Farm)*	金银川镇 (一团)	Jīnyínchuān Zhèn	جىنيىنچۇەن بازىرى‎	Jinyinchuen baziri	659002100	de facto administered by the 7th Division since May 2017
Xinjingzi Town (2nd Regiment Farm)*	新井子镇 (二团)	Xīnjǐngzǐ Zhèn			659002101
Ganquan Town (3rd Regiment Farm)*	甘泉镇 (三团)	Gānquán Zhèn			659002102
Yongning Town (4th Regiment Farm)*	永宁镇 (四团)	Yǒngníng Zhèn	يۇڭنىڭ بازىرى‎	Yungning baziri	659002103
Shahe Town (5th Regiment Farm)*	沙河镇 (五团)	Yǒngníng Zhèn			659002104	de facto administered by the 11th Division (Construction Engineer Division) since May 2017
Shuangcheng Town (6th Regiment Farm)*	双城镇 (六团)	Shuāngchéng Zhèn			659002105
Huaqiao Town (11th Regiment Farm)*	花桥镇 (十一团)	Huāqiáo Zhèn			659002106
Xingfu Town (13th Regiment Farm)*	幸福镇 (十三团)	Xìngfú Zhèn			659002107
Jinyang Town (14th Regiment Farm)*	金杨镇 (十四团)	Jīnyáng Zhèn			659002108
Matan Town (7th Regiment Farm)*	玛滩镇 (七团)	Mǎtān Zhèn			659002109
Tamen Town (8th Regiment Farm)*	塔门镇 (八团)	Tǎmén Zhèn			659002110
Lihua Town (9th Regiment Farm)*	梨花镇 (九团)	Líhuā Zhèn			659002111
Chang'an Town (10th Regiment Farm)*	昌安镇 (十团)	Chāng'ān Zhèn			659002112
Tanan Town (12th Regiment Farm)*	塔南镇 (十二团)	Tǎnán Zhèn			659002113
Xinkailing Town (16th Regiment Farm)*	新开岭镇 (十六团)	Xīnkāilǐng Zhèn			659002114
Township
Tokay Township	托喀依乡	Tuōkāyī Xiāng	توقاي يېزىسى‎	Toqay yëzisi	659002200
Township-equivalent regions
Aral Industrial Park	工业园区	Gōngyè Yuánqū			659002402
Aral Western Industrial Park	西工业园区	Xī Gōngyè Yuánqū			659002518
* One institution with two names. See also Tuntian#People's Republic of China.

Geography

The city has an administrative area of 5,258.739 km² (2,030.410 sq mi). It is bordered by mountainous regions to the north and northwest and the Taklamakan Desert to the east and south.

Demographics

As of 2015, 167,697 (93.6%) of the 179,214 residents of the county were Han Chinese, 6,036 (3.4%) were Uyghur and 5,481 were from other ethnic groups.^[9]

Climate

Climate data for Aral, elevation 1,012 m (3,320 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	9.4 (48.9)	15.8 (60.4)	28.1 (82.6)	35.7 (96.3)	37.2 (99.0)	38.5 (101.3)	39.5 (103.1)	40.6 (105.1)	35.5 (95.9)	30.0 (86.0)	22.2 (72.0)	10.6 (51.1)	40.6 (105.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−0.1 (31.8)	6.5 (43.7)	15.4 (59.7)	24.0 (75.2)	28.7 (83.7)	31.6 (88.9)	32.6 (90.7)	31.4 (88.5)	27.4 (81.3)	20.8 (69.4)	10.8 (51.4)	1.7 (35.1)	19.2 (66.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−8.1 (17.4)	−1.5 (29.3)	7.7 (45.9)	16.0 (60.8)	20.8 (69.4)	23.8 (74.8)	24.7 (76.5)	23.5 (74.3)	18.7 (65.7)	10.3 (50.5)	1.5 (34.7)	−5.7 (21.7)	11.0 (51.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−14.6 (5.7)	−8.7 (16.3)	0.4 (32.7)	8.1 (46.6)	13.0 (55.4)	16.2 (61.2)	17.6 (63.7)	16.6 (61.9)	11.3 (52.3)	2.6 (36.7)	−4.8 (23.4)	−11.0 (12.2)	3.9 (39.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−25.4 (−13.7)	−24.9 (−12.8)	−12.3 (9.9)	−3.3 (26.1)	3.3 (37.9)	7.2 (45.0)	9.3 (48.7)	7.9 (46.2)	2.9 (37.2)	−6.0 (21.2)	−14.1 (6.6)	−23.4 (−10.1)	−25.4 (−13.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	1.0 (0.04)	1.1 (0.04)	0.9 (0.04)	0.9 (0.04)	6.6 (0.26)	11.3 (0.44)	11.9 (0.47)	11.7 (0.46)	6.8 (0.27)	1.8 (0.07)	0.9 (0.04)	1.2 (0.05)	56.1 (2.22)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	1.8	0.7	0.5	0.9	2.9	5.2	6.1	5.0	2.5	0.7	0.6	1.3	28.2
Average snowy days	3.7	1.1	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.4	3.7	9.1
Average relative humidity (%)	67	56	45	37	40	49	56	59	61	62	65	71	56
Mean monthly sunshine hours	193.2	192.9	213.3	230.7	269.3	283.9	291.4	272.2	256.0	260.8	212.1	180.0	2,855.8
Percentage possible sunshine	64	63	57	57	60	63	65	65	70	78	73	63	65
Source: China Meteorological Administration[10][11]

Education

Tarim University is located in Aral.

Transportation

Ala'er Talimu Airport is a regional airport located at 12 km south from Aral city.

Aral Railway Station is located at southwest suburban of the city.

See also

• Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps

Notes

1. Locals in Xinjiang frequently observe UTC+6 (Xinjiang Time), 2 hours behind Beijing.