Urumqi Hotels

Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The city has a population of around 1.6 million and is located in the Tian Shan mountains. Urumqi is quite famous for its claim that it is the most inland major city in the world, that being the furthest from any ocean. There are two major ethnic groups, the Han Chinese and the Uyghur. Other ethnic groups in Urumqi include Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols and Hui Muslims. Most people in Urumqi can speak some level of Mandarin Chinese, albeit possibly with an accent, and Uyghur, a Turkic language. If you do not speak Mandarin or Uyghur, you may have difficulties in Urumqi. Few people speak English, even in some of the large hotels. When taking a taxi, it is a good idea to be armed with a piece of paper with the name of your destination written in Mandarin. Despite what some of the guidebooks say, Urumqi has a lot to offer and can provide a great introduction to Xinjiang. Urumqi is located in the temperate zone and has a continental climate. The average annual temperature is 6.4 centigrade and the precipitation averages 236 mm yearly and is a semi arid area. Urumqi has four distinctive seasons, with the hottest time being July and August while coldest time is January . A feature of the climate is the great difference in temperature between daytime and night. A coat or sweater is needed during night even in the sweltering hot summer. The best time to travel the region is from May to October. Urumqi is a multi-national city, where 43 ethnic groups reside. The city's rich cultural diversity is demonstrated by many ethnic minorities in the area. Han, Uygur, Hui, Kazak, Manchu, Sala and Mongolian people are all represented in this culturally diverse region. Urumqi has a long history. The place has been home to a mix of ethnic groups for nearly 2,000 years and became a heavily guarded fort in the Han Dynasty. The ancient Chinese Silk Road went through Xinjiang, known at that time as the Western Regions, and made Urumqi an important stopover