Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region(新疆维吾尔族自治区)covers over 1,600,000 square kilometres (617,763 square miles), one-sixth of China's total territory(领土，地域), making it China's largest region. Xinjiang borders Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Mongolia, Kazakhstan(哈萨克斯坦), Kirghizstan(吉尔吉斯斯坦), Uzbekistan(乌兹别克斯坦), Tadzhikistan(塔吉克斯坦), Afghanistan(阿富汗), Pakistan(巴基斯坦) and India. With a population of over 19 million, Xinjiang is home to 47 ethnic groups including the Uygur, the major ethnic(民族的) group in Xinjiang.

　　When to go

　　Xinjiang has a desert climate with a low annual rainfall of only 150 millimeters (6 inches). Winters are very cold and summers extremely hot. The best time to visit this province is in autumn, when the days are long, the sky is clear and temperatures are more comfortable than in the heat of summer. Another excellent reason to visit at that time is the abundance(大量的)of delicious melons and other fruits and vegetables which are then available.

　　What to see

　　It is the most arid(干旱的，干燥的) province; also contains the hottest and the coldest places; the longest inland river, the Tarim(塔里木盆地); the lowest marsh(沼泽，盆地), the Aydingkol Lake (Moonlight Lake) in the Turpan Basin; the largest inland lake and the largest desert. In Xinjiang tourists can visit the world-famous Yadan Spectacle in Korla, stone forests, enjoy the mystery of the desert with its spectacular(壮观的，引人注目的) sand mountains. The ancient Silk Road brought Xinjiang a mix of eastern and western cultures. Today, those ancient cities, caves, temples and tombs attract countless tourists from home and abroad.

　　While you are visiting Xinjiang, it is important to be aware of the time zone being used. Although officially run on Beijing time, Xinjiang people also use there own system. If Beijing time is used it means that the sun doesn't raise until 9 am and it is still light at midnight in the summer months.

　　(文/鞠丽菲；英语辅导报初四普及版04—05学年度第4期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)