Time zone China Standard (UTC+8) Population 2.699 million (2010) | Area 20,300 km² Local time Wednesday 6:49 AM | |
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Country People's Republic of China Weather -7°C, Wind SE at 5 km/h, 65% Humidity Points of interest Guiqing Mountain, Shouyang Mountain | ||
Dingxi (Chinese: 定西; pinyin: Dìngxī) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Gansu province, People's Republic of China.
Contents
Map of Dingxi, Gansu, China
Geography and climate
Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little precipitation. Even though sunlight here can be intense, temperatures are generally cool. The surrounding terrain is mostly loess hills and ravines in the north and highlands in the south. The area is 20,300 km².
History
Dingxi was important in the development of some of China's earliest cultures, specifically along the Wei River, one of the Yellow River's biggest tributaries. Numerous Neolithic sites from various cultures are found throughout the area.
A series of earthquakes in July 2013 killed at least 89 people and injured more than 500 others.
Administration
Dingxi has 1 urban district, 6 counties, and 119 towns with a total population of 2,698,622.
Transport
Economy
Agriculture and natural resource based industries are the key to Dingxi's economy. There are more than 300 different kinds of Chinese medicinal plants and herbs found in the area. Dingxi's Anding County is China's number one grower of yams. Zanthoxylum (also called Sichuan Pepper or prickly ash fruit), walnuts, wild apricots, and other fruit are some of Dingxi's famous dried exports.