Zhongwei 中卫市 ·جْووِ شِ | |
|---|---|
 Wolfberry fields inZhongning County, Zhongwei City | |
.png) Zhongwei inNingxia | |
  Zhongwei Location of the city centre in Ningxia | |
| Coordinates (Zhongwei municipal government):37°30′01″N105°11′48″E / 37.5002°N 105.1968°E /37.5002; 105.1968 | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Autonomous region | Ningxia |
| Municipal seat | Shapotou |
| Area | |
| 16,986.1 km2 (6,558.4 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 1,225 m (4,019 ft) |
| Population (2019)[2] | |
| 1,174,600 | |
| • Density | 69.151/km2 (179.10/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 526,500 |
| GDP[3] | |
| • Prefecture-level city | CN¥ 31.7 billion US$ 5.1 billion |
| • Per capita | CN¥ 27,857 US$ 4,473 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 755000 |
| Area code | 0955 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-NX-05 |
| Website | www |
Zhongwei (simplified Chinese:中卫;traditional Chinese:中衛;pinyin:Zhōngwèi;Wade–Giles:Chung-wei;lit. 'middle guard',Xiao'erjing: جْووِ شِ) is aprefecture-level city ofNingxia,People's Republic of China. It has an area of 16,986.1 km2 (6,558.4 sq mi) and a population of 1,174,600 in 2019.[4][5] By the end of 2024, the city's resident population will be 1,079,800, a decrease of 0.08 million from the end of the previous year, including 570,300 urban residents.[6]The city is known for itswolfberry and Gobiwatermelon cultivation.[2] One of theworld's largestphotovoltaic power stations,Tengger Desert Solar Park, is located in Zhongwei.[7]
Under generalMeng Tian, theQin captured the area of Zhongwei and established theBeidi Commandery. In 205 BC a city built at the current location of Zhongwei urban area, which would grow as irrigation systems were built to allow farming.[8]
In 1226Genghis Khan captured Zhongwei, and in 1403 the city was named Zhongwei, part ofShaanxi.[8]
In 1920 Zhongwei was struck by theHaiyuan earthquake; and in 1926 the highway fromLanzhou to Zhongwei opened.[8]
Zhongwei's main attraction is Gao Miao, a temple that has hostedConfucian,Buddhist, andTaoist ceremonies. A bomb shelter was also built beneath the temple during theCultural Revolution. It has since been converted into a rendition of a Buddhist hell.[9] The prefecture is also the location of the beginning of the northern bend in theYellow River that produces theOrdos Loop. Adrum tower is located in the city center.[10]
| Map | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Xiao'erjing | Population (2019)[2] | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) | |
| Shapotou District | 沙坡头区 | Shāpōtóu Qū | شَاپُوَتِوْ ٿِيُوِ | 414,200 | 4,633 | 89 | |
| Zhongning County | 中宁县 | Zhōngníng Xiàn | جْونِئٍ ثِيًا | 351,700 | 2,841 | 124 | |
| Haiyuan County | 海原县 | Hǎiyuán Xiàn | خَيْيُوًا ثِيًا | 403,900 | 6,979 | 58 | |
Zhongwei is located on the northern banks of theYellow River and bordered directly by theTengger Desert in the north.[10] The city has been battling desertification since the 1950s.[11] Using straw checkerboard patterns the advance of sand dunes is stopped.[12][13]
| Climate data for Zhongwei, elevation 1,227 m (4,026 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) | 14.0 (57.2) | 22.5 (72.5) | 28.2 (82.8) | 33.6 (92.5) | 36.0 (96.8) | 35.4 (95.7) | 37.6 (99.7) | 36.3 (97.3) | 35.7 (96.3) | 29.6 (85.3) | 22.7 (72.9) | 15.2 (59.4) | 37.6 (99.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) | 6.4 (43.5) | 13.4 (56.1) | 20.5 (68.9) | 24.8 (76.6) | 28.4 (83.1) | 29.9 (85.8) | 28.2 (82.8) | 23.8 (74.8) | 18.0 (64.4) | 9.8 (49.6) | 2.7 (36.9) | 17.3 (63.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.0 (19.4) | −2.1 (28.2) | 5.1 (41.2) | 12.5 (54.5) | 17.5 (63.5) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.3 (73.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 9.7 (49.5) | 2.2 (36.0) | −4.8 (23.4) | 9.7 (49.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −13.1 (8.4) | −8.5 (16.7) | −1.5 (29.3) | 5.0 (41.0) | 10.2 (50.4) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 15.7 (60.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 3.4 (38.1) | −3.0 (26.6) | −10.2 (13.6) | 3.4 (38.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.1 (−20.4) | −27.1 (−16.8) | −18.5 (−1.3) | −8.7 (16.3) | −3.8 (25.2) | 5.4 (41.7) | 8.1 (46.6) | 7.1 (44.8) | −2.7 (27.1) | −11.4 (11.5) | −15.3 (4.5) | −28.8 (−19.8) | −29.1 (−20.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 1.9 (0.07) | 1.1 (0.04) | 4.2 (0.17) | 8.9 (0.35) | 17.9 (0.70) | 27.0 (1.06) | 40.5 (1.59) | 43.5 (1.71) | 29.2 (1.15) | 13.2 (0.52) | 2.5 (0.10) | 0.6 (0.02) | 190.5 (7.48) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 1.9 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 47.9 |
| Average snowy days | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 11.2 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 52 | 46 | 42 | 39 | 46 | 54 | 62 | 67 | 68 | 60 | 59 | 55 | 54 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 210.7 | 214.2 | 248.0 | 265.8 | 295.5 | 294.5 | 286.4 | 267.5 | 223.9 | 237.8 | 219.9 | 214.4 | 2,978.6 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 68 | 69 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 61 | 69 | 73 | 72 | 67 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[14][15] | |||||||||||||
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Major cities along theYellow River | ||
|---|---|---|
| Province-level subdivisions | Cities (from upper reaches to lower reaches) |  |
| Gansu | ||
| Ningxia | ||
| Inner Mongolia | ||
| Shanxi | ||
| Shaanxi | ||
| Henan | ||
| Shandong | ||
|  | |
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