Hotan
Hotan or Khotan (see also § Etymology) is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in Northwestern China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become an administrative area in its own right in August 1984. It is the seat of Hotan Prefecture.
Hotan
خوتەن شەھىرى (Uyghur) 和田市 (Chinese) Khotan, Hetian, Gosthana | |
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Tuanjie Square | |
Hotan Location in Xinjiang Hotan Hotan (China) Hotan Hotan (Continental Asia) | |
| Coordinates: 37°07′N 79°55′E | |
| Country | China |
| Autonomous region | Xinjiang |
| Prefecture | Hotan |
| Municipal seat | Nurbagh Subdistrict |
| Area | |
| • Total | 465.84 km2 (179.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,382 m (4,534 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 501,028 |
| • Density | 1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic groups |
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| • Spoken languages | Uyghur, Mandarin Chinese |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 839000 |
| Area code | 0903 |
| GDP (Nominal) | 2018 |
| – Total | ¥8.274 billion $1.247 billion |
| – Per Capita | ¥20,399 $3,076 |
| – Growth | 7.1% |
| License plate prefix | 新R |
| Website | Hotan Government Website (in Chinese) |
| Hotan | |||||||||||||||
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| Uyghur name | |||||||||||||||
| Uyghur | خوتەن | ||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 和田 | ||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 和阗 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 和闐 | ||||||||||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 于窴 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 于窴 | ||||||||||||||
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With a population of 408,900 (2018 census), Hotan is situated in the Tarim Basin some 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) southwest of the regional capital, Ürümqi. It lies just north of the Kunlun Mountains, which are crossed by the Sanju, Hindutash and Ilchi passes. The town, located southeast of Yarkant County and populated almost exclusively by Uyghurs, is a minor agricultural center. An important station on the southern branch of the historic Silk Road, Hotan has always depended on two strong rivers, the Karakash River and the White Jade River, to provide the water needed to survive on the southwestern edge of the vast Taklamakan Desert. The White Jade River still provides water and irrigation for the town and oasis.