Autonomous prefecture Garzê Lowest elevation 3,325 m (10,909 ft) Area 7,364 km² | Highest elevation 5,688 m (18,661 ft) Postal code 624000 | |
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Country People's Republic of China | ||
Garzê County (Tibetan: དཀར་མཛེས་རྫོང།, Wylie: dkar mdzes rdzong, ZYPY: Garzê Zong; Chinese: 甘孜县; pinyin: Gānzī Xiàn) is one of the 18 subdivisions of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in northwestern Sichuan province, China. The Yalong River passes just south of the town Garzê, also known as Ganzi, the capital town of the county, which has some 9,000 inhabitants (2008), many of them ethnic Tibetans, and is famous for its Tibetan lamasery. Historically, it is part of the Tibetan cultural region of Kham and now defunct province of Xikang (or Sikang). It lies on the northern section of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.
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Geography
Due to its elevation, Garzê County has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb), with cold but very dry winters, and warm summers with frequent rain. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −4.4 °C (24.1 °F) in January to 13.9 °C (57.0 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 5.64 °C (42.2 °F). Over two-thirds of the annual precipitation of 660 mm (26.0 in) occurs from June thru September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 49% in July to 74% in November and December, the county seat receives abundant, outside of summer, sunshine, totalling 2,620 hours annually. The diurnal temperature variation is large, averaging 14.5 °C (26.1 °F) annually.