Makit County

Makit County^{[5][7][8][9][10][11]} is a county in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It contains an area of 10,927 km² (4,219 sq mi). The Yarkand River passes through the county.^[12] The county is bordered to the north by Maralbexi County, to the east by Guma County (Pishan) in Hotan Prefecture, to the west by Yarkant County, and to the south by Kargilik County.

Makit County مەكىت ناھىيىسى (Uyghur) 麦盖提县 (Chinese) Mekit, Markit, Merket Bazar, Maigaiti, Mai-kai-t'i
County
Location of Makit County (red) within Kashgar Prefecture (yellow) and Xinjiang
Makit Location of the seat in Xinjiang Show map of Southern Xinjiang Makit Makit (Xinjiang) Show map of Xinjiang Makit Makit (China) Show map of China
Coordinates: 38°54′12″N 77°40′08″E
Country	China
Autonomous region	Xinjiang
Prefecture	Kashgar
County seat	Makit
Area [1]
• Total	11,022.53 km2 (4,255.82 sq mi)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	224,154
• Density	20/km2 (53/sq mi)
Ethnic groups
• Major ethnic groups	Uyghur, Han Chinese[3][4][5]
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard[a])
Postal code	844600
Website	www.mgt.gov.cn

Mekit County
Uyghur name
Uyghur	مەكىت ناھىيىسى[6]‎
Transcriptions Yengi Yeziⱪ Məkit naⱨiyisi SASM/GNC Makit Siril Yëziqi Мәкит наһийиси
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	麥蓋提縣
Simplified Chinese	麦盖提县
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Màigàití Xiàn Wade–Giles Mai4-kai4-t'i2 Hsien4

Name

The name of the county is also transliterated from Uyghur as Markit,^[13][14][15] Mekit^[16][17] and Merket, and from Mandarin Chinese as Maigaiti (Mai-kai-t'i, Maikaiti).

History

In 1928, Makit County was created as part of Kashgar Circuit (喀什噶爾道).^[18]

In 2002, 240 Tajik (China) households displaced from Taxkorgan reclaimed a desert village in the county.^[19]

In early 2011, a Uyghur butcher in Makit County and six friends were arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a Han Chinese prostitute.^[20]

As part of the policies of Chen Quanguo, 61 convenience police stations were being built in the county in 2016.^[5]

In August 2018, a 10-year-old boy whose parents were detained in the Xinjiang internment camps drowned in the Zerepshan River.^[9]

According to an anonymous Uyghur local government employee quoted in a Radio Free Asia article, during Ramadan 2020 (April 23 to May 23), residents of the county were told they could face punishment for fasting including being sent to an internment camp.^[21]

Climate

The number of days of dusty/sandy weather per annum in Makit County has dropped from 106 in 2010 to 40 in 2018. Over the same period, annual rainfall increased from 53.6 mm (2.11 in) to 109.6 mm (4.31 in) per year.^[8]

Climate data for Makit, elevation 1,178 m (3,865 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	19.0 (66.2)	18.7 (65.7)	30.9 (87.6)	35.4 (95.7)	36.7 (98.1)	39.6 (103.3)	39.3 (102.7)	40.4 (104.7)	35.4 (95.7)	30.3 (86.5)	25.9 (78.6)	19.3 (66.7)	40.4 (104.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	0.9 (33.6)	7.3 (45.1)	16.6 (61.9)	24.5 (76.1)	28.6 (83.5)	32.0 (89.6)	33.1 (91.6)	31.5 (88.7)	27.7 (81.9)	21.5 (70.7)	12.2 (54.0)	3.1 (37.6)	19.9 (67.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−5.4 (22.3)	0.4 (32.7)	9.3 (48.7)	16.7 (62.1)	20.8 (69.4)	24.0 (75.2)	25.3 (77.5)	23.8 (74.8)	19.3 (66.7)	12.0 (53.6)	3.7 (38.7)	−3.2 (26.2)	12.2 (54.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−10.9 (12.4)	−5.7 (21.7)	2.4 (36.3)	9.2 (48.6)	13.3 (55.9)	16.6 (61.9)	18.4 (65.1)	17.2 (63.0)	12.0 (53.6)	4.2 (39.6)	−3.0 (26.6)	−8.1 (17.4)	5.5 (41.8)
Record low °C (°F)	−25.5 (−13.9)	−27.0 (−16.6)	−6.2 (20.8)	−1.0 (30.2)	3.6 (38.5)	7.4 (45.3)	11.0 (51.8)	9.3 (48.7)	3.0 (37.4)	−4.6 (23.7)	−11.9 (10.6)	−21.1 (−6.0)	−27.0 (−16.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	1.6 (0.06)	1.8 (0.07)	2.8 (0.11)	4.2 (0.17)	10.2 (0.40)	8.2 (0.32)	15.0 (0.59)	10.1 (0.40)	6.7 (0.26)	1.0 (0.04)	1.4 (0.06)	1.2 (0.05)	64.2 (2.53)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	1.4	1.1	0.9	1.5	3.0	3.8	4.7	3.9	2.4	0.7	0.4	1.4	25.2
Average snowy days	5.0	2.2	0.3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.3	3.6	11.4
Average relative humidity (%)	63	55	43	37	41	45	52	58	60	59	59	66	53
Mean monthly sunshine hours	161.6	168.3	193.7	218.2	270.6	306.2	306.6	276.3	255.6	253.3	207.1	163.7	2,781.2
Percent possible sunshine	53	55	52	54	61	69	69	67	70	75	70	56	63
Source: China Meteorological Administration[22][23]

Administrative divisions

The county includes 2 towns and 8 townships.^[1][24]

Name	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Uyghur (UEY)	Uyghur Latin (ULY)	Administrative division code	Notes
Towns
Makit Town	麦盖提镇	Màigàití Zhèn	مەكىت بازىرى[25]	mekit baziri	653127100
Bazarjemi Town	巴扎结米镇	Bāzhājiémǐ Zhèn	بازارجەمى بازىرى	bazarjemi baziri	653127101	formerly Bazarjemi Township (بازارجەمى يېزىسى / 巴扎结米乡)
Townships
Shehitdong Township	希依提墩乡	Xīyītídūn Xiāng	شېھىتدۆڭ يېزىسى[26]	shëhitdöng yëzisi	653127201
Yantak Township[27]	央塔克乡	Yāngtǎkè Xiāng	يانتاق يېزىسى	yantaq yëzisi	653127202
Tümantal Township[28]	吐曼塔勒乡	Tǔmàntǎlè Xiāng	تۈمەنتال يېزىسى[29]	tümental yëzisi	653127203
Ghazkol Township	尕孜库勒乡	Gǎzīkùlè Xiāng	غازكۆل يېزىسى	ghazköl yëzisi	653127204
Qizilawat Township	克孜勒阿瓦提乡	Kèzīlè'āwǎtí Xiāng	قىزىلئاۋات يېزىسى	qizil'awat yëzisi	653127205
Qumqisar Township	库木库萨尔乡	Kùmùkùsà'ěr Xiāng	قۇمقىسار يېزىسى	qumqisar yëzisi	653127206
Hangghitliq Township	昂格特勒克乡	Ánggétèlèkè Xiāng	ھاڭغىتلىق يېزىسى	hangghitliq yëzisi	653127207
Qurma Township	库尔玛乡	Kù'ěrmǎ Xiāng	قۇرما يېزىسى	qurma yëzisi	653127208

Economy

The county has a highly developed irrigation system. Agricultural products of the county include cotton, corn, wheat, flax, melons, and sugar beet. The livestock industry is strong. Local specialities include dried apricot and raisins. Industries include coal mining, tractor manufacture, construction, textiles, etc.^[12]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2000	201,810	—
2010	258,978	+2.53%
[1]

As of 2015, 225,608 of the 272,010 residents of the county were Uyghur, 45,241 were Han Chinese and 1,161 were from other ethnic groups.^[30]

According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 220,000.^{[citation needed]}

As of 1999, 78.36% of the population of Makit (Markit, Maigaiti) County was Uyghur and 21.43% of the population was Han Chinese.^[31]

Transportation

• Sanchakou–Yarkant Expressway^[12]

Historical maps

Historical English-language maps including Makit:

• 
  Map including Makit (labeled as MAI-KAI-T'I (MERKET)) and surrounding region from the International Map of the World (AMS, 1966)
• 
  Map including Makit (labeled as MARKIT (MAI-KAI-T'I)) (DMA, 1980)
• 
  From the Operational Navigation Chart; map including Makit (labeled as Markit (Mai-kai-t'i))(DMA, 1980)^[b]
• 
  Map including Makit (labeled as Markit (Mai-kai-t'i)) (DMA, 1984)^[c]

See also

• Yarkand River

Notes

1. Locals in Xinjiang frequently observe UTC+6 (Xinjiang Time), 2 hours behind Beijing.
2. From map: "The representation of international boundaries is not necessarily authoritative."
3. From map: "The representation of international boundaries is not necessarily authoritative"

References

1. 麦盖提县历史沿革 [Makit County Historical Evolution]. XZQH.org (in Simplified Chinese). 14 November 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2020. 2000年第五次人口普查，麦盖提县常住总人口201810人{...}2003年，麦盖提县总面积11022.53平方千米，{...}2010年第六次人口普查，麦盖提县常住总人口258978人，其中：麦盖提镇40926人，巴扎结米乡23308人，希依提墩乡13646人，央塔克乡31777人，吐曼塔勒乡24599人，尕孜库勒乡26225人，克孜勒阿瓦提乡25841人，库木库萨尔乡13873人，昂格特勒克乡5584人，库尔玛乡14410人，胡杨林场247人，园艺场765人，五一林场1375人，兵团农三师前进水库管理处322人，兵团四十五团30945人，兵团四十六团5135人。
2. Xinjiang: Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties
3. 人口民族 [Population and Nationalities]. 麦盖提县人民政府 (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2020. 全县共有维吾尔、汉、回、哈萨克等13个民族23万余人，其中：地方人口20.79万人，少数民族人口占总人口的89.6%。
4. 1997年麦盖提县行政区划 [1997 Makit County Administrative Divisions]. XZQH.org (in Simplified Chinese). 19 November 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2020. 人口18.2万，有维吾尔、汉、回、柯尔克孜等民族，其中维吾尔族占79％，汉族占20％
5. James Leibold; Adrian Zenz (23 December 2016). "Beijing's Eyes and Ears Grow Sharper in Xinjiang". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 9 April 2020. Chen has brought similar tactics to Xinjiang.{...}On the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, for example, Makit county (81 percent Uyghur) is building 61 convenience police stations, including 14 in each of its rural townships.
6. مەكىت (Variant Non-Roman Script - VS) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
7. "Intoxicating Makit County in Xinjiang". China Internet Information Center. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2020. Makit County is located in the southwest of China's biggest desert-Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
8. "Xinjiang's Makit county: Desert turns green". National Forestry and Grassland Administration. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2020. The number of sandy and dusty days in Makit county has dropped from 106 in 2010 to 40 in 2018. Annual rainfall has increased from 53.6 mm in 2010 to 109.6 mm currently.
9. Shohret Hoshur; Joshua Lipes (23 August 2018). "Young Son of Uyghurs Held in Xinjiang Political 'Re-Education Camps' Dies in Drowning Incident". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 13 February 2020. from Makit (in Chinese, Maigaiti) county, in the XUAR's Kashgar (Kashi) prefecture,
10. Makit (Approved - N) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
11. Jingwei Cui; Tieguan Wang; Caineng Zou; Meijun Li (August 2012). "Geochemical characteristics and oil-source correlation of oil-sand extracts of Kelatuo Anticline in the northern Kashi Sag, NW Tarim Basin, China". Energy Exploration & Exploitation. 30 (4): 610, 613, 614. Retrieved 22 September 2020 – via ResearchGate. Makit
12. 夏征农; 陈至立, eds. (September 2009). 辞海：第六版彩图本 [Cihai (Sixth Edition in Color)] (in Chinese). 上海. Shanghai: 上海辞书出版社. Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House. p. 1520. ISBN 978-7-5326-2859-9. 灌溉发达，农产有棉花、玉米、小麦、胡麻、甜瓜、甜菜等。畜牧业亦盛。特产杏干、葡萄干。工业有采煤、农机、建材、服装等。莎巴、麦塔等公路经此。
13. Markit (Approved - N) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
14. Complete Atlas Of The World (3 ed.). Penguin Random House. 2016. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-4654-4401-1 – via Internet Archive. Markit
15. "Daily Life In Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region". Getty Images. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2020. KASHGAR, XINJIANG - JULY 17: Uighur man roasts lamb on July 17, 2013 in Markit County, Kashgar, China.
16. "Introduction to Mekit County". official website of Kashgar Prefecture government. 2005. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
17. Asim Kashgarian (21 August 2020). "China Video Ad Calls for 100 Uighur Women to 'Urgently' Marry Han Men". Voice of America. Retrieved 29 August 2020. Zumrat Dawut, 38, a Uighur female activist, told VOA that her neighbors, the Nurehmets from Mekit, Xinjiang, had to agree to wed their 18-year-old daughter to a Han Chinese out of fear that they could be sent to internment camps.
18. 历史文化 [History and Culture]. 麦盖提县人民政府 (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2020. 民国十七年(1928年)，建麦盖提县，隶属于喀什噶尔道。
19. Farhad Daftary, ed. (2011). A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community. I.B.Tauris & Co. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-85772-335-2 – via Google Books.
20. Shohret Hoshur; Joshua Lipes (18 April 2014). "Chinese Authorities Mum on Status of Long-Detained Uyghurs". Radio Free Asia. Translated by Mamatjan Juma; Shohret Hoshur. Retrieved 13 February 2020. A Muslim minority Uyghur in northwestern China's Xinjiang region and six of his friends have been detained for nearly 20 months over the stabbing death of a Han Chinese prostitute after expressing disgust over the mushrooming of brothels in their township, according to the man's father.
21. Shohret Hoshur; Joshua Lipes (14 May 2020). "Residents of Uyghur-Majority County in Xinjiang Ordered to Report Others Fasting During Ramadan". Radio Free Asia. Translated by Elise Anderson; Alim Seytoff. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
22. 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
23. 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
24. 2018年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码：麦盖提县 (in Simplified Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2020. 统计用区划代码 名称 653127100000 麦盖提镇 653127112000 巴扎结米镇 653127201000 希依提墩乡 653127202000 央塔克乡 653127203000 吐曼塔勒乡 653127204000 尕孜库勒乡 653127205000 克孜勒阿瓦提乡 653127206000 库木库萨尔乡 653127207000 昂格特勒克乡 653127208000 库尔玛乡 653127400000 胡杨林场 653127401000 园艺场 653127402000 五一林场 653127500000 兵团农三师前进水库管理处 653127505000 兵团四十五团 653127506000 兵团四十六团
25. مەكىت ناھىيەسىدىكى يۇرتىغا قايتقان ئوقۇغۇچىلار تەشۋىقات- لېكسىيە پائالىيىتىنى قانات يايدۇردى. China Media Group (in Uyghur). 2 August 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2020. مەكىت ناھىيەسىنىڭ مەكىت بازىرى
26. شېھىتدۆڭ يېزىسى «دولان يەرلىك قوغۇنى» تېرىپ بېيىشقا يۈزلەندى. جۇڭگو قەشقەر تورى (in Uyghur). 10 August 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2020. مەكىت ناھىيە شېھىتدۆڭ يېزىسى
27. Yantak (Approved - N) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
28. Tümantal (Approved - N) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
29. تۈمەنتال (Variant Non-Roman Script - VS) at GEOnet Names Server, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
30. 3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数 (in Simplified Chinese). Statistic Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
31. Morris Rossabi, ed. (2004). Governing China's Multiethnic Frontiers (PDF). University of Washington Press. p. 179. ISBN 0-295-98390-6.

External links

• Sandstorm Affects Traffic during May Day Holiday in Northwest China Counties (Local traffic police direct traffic at major road sections in the county during a sandstorm)