Sunan Yugur Autonomous County () is an autonomous county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhangye, Gansu Province, China, bordering Qinghai province to the south. It is home to the majority of the Yugur ethnic group. The seat of government is in the town of ().

The autonomous county spans an area of , and is home to a total population of 39,283 as of 2021. The autonomous county is ethnically diverse, with large populations of Han Chinese, Yugurs, and Tibetans, with none comprising a majority.

Sunan Yugur Autonomous County consists of three separate areas: Mínghua District, situated in the plains in the northwest, and Huángcheng District, situated in the mountains in the southeast, are separated from the main part of the county.

Toponymy The autonomous county's name refers to its location to the south () of Suzhou (), the former name of Jiuquan.

History Sunan Yugur Autonomous County was established in 1954.

Geography Sunan Yugur Autonomous County is located in the middle portion of the Hexi Corridor, along the northern foot of Qilian Mountains. The autonomous county is particularly long and narrow, extending just to from north to south, but spans over from east to west.

The autonomous county is bordered by Bairi Tibetan Autonomous County to the east and Subei Mongol Autonomous County to the west. The autonomous county's northern border is formed by Liangzhou District, Suzhou District, Jiayuguan, and Yumen from east to west. Sunan Yugur Autonomous County is bordered by Menyuan Hui Autonomous County of Qinghai to the south.

The physical geography of the region includes many mountains, canyons, and alluvial plains. The southern portion of the autonomous county is more mountainous, while the northern portion includes more plains. Elevation within Sunan Yugur Autonomous County ranges from to above sea level, with an average elevation of about above sea level. Prominent mountains within the autonomous county include Suzhu Lian () and the July 1 Glacier. Major rivers that flow through Sunan Yugur Autonomous County include the Ruo Shui, the Shiyang River, and the Shule River.

Climate Sunan Yugur Autonomous County has an semi-arid alpine climate, with cold winters and cool summers. The average temperature in the autonomous county is , with cooler regions in the northwest averaging , and warmer regions in the southeast averaging . There is more precipitation in summer months than winter months. The average annual precipitation in the autonomous county is , with drier regions in the northwest averaging about , and wetter regions in the southeast averaging about . The autonomous county has short frost-free periods, and a high amount of sunshine.

Administrative divisions Sunan Yugur Autonomous County is divided into 3 towns, 2 townships, 3 ethnic townships and 2 other township-level divisions. These township-level divisions then, in turn, administer 102 village-level divisions. The town of serves as the seat of government.

Name Simplified Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Administrative division code NotesTowns 620721100 620721101 620721102Townships Dahe Township 620721203 620721204Ethnic townships 620721200 (Tibetan)mā this bod rigs zhangMati Poirig Xang 620721205 (Tibetan)chuʼu hphin bod rigs zhangQufin Poirig Xang 620721202 (Mongolian)bayan moŋɣol ündüsüten-ü sumuTownship-level divisions 620721500 620721501

Demographics As of 2021, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County has a population of 39,283, an increase of 25 people from 2020. This figure is up from 35,869 in 1999,National Population Statistics Materials by County and City - 1999 Period, in China County & City Population 1999, Harvard China Historical GIS and 35,500 in 1993. The autonomous county recorded 14,932 households that year, down 56 from 2020, giving it an average household size of 2.63 people.

Ethnic groups Sunan Yugur Autonomous County is an ethnically diverse area. No single ethnic group comprises a majority of its population as of 2021. The largest ethnic groups in the autonomous county are the Han Chinese, Yugurs, and Tibetans. Other groups with sizable populations within the autonomous county include the Hui, the Monguor, and the Mongols. A large amount of ethnic Tibetans lived in the now-defunct Xishui Tibetan Ethnic Township. +Ethnic composition19932021Ethnic groupPopulationPercentagePopulationPercentageHan Chinese16,97647.82%16,69342.49%Yugur8,82524.86%10,68427.20%Tibetan8,39323.64%10,32326.28%Hui6141.73%N/AN/AMonguor3561.00%N/AN/AMongol3160.89%N/AN/AOthers200.06%1,5834.03%

Historic ethnic composition Ethnic composition by administrative division (1993) Towns and Townships Total Yugur Han Tibetan Hui Monguor Mongol Total 35500 8825 16976 8393 614 356 316 Hongwansì Town 5637 1193 3568 754 48 38 24 Huangcheng Town 7408 1486 3530 2037 193 145 12 Beitan Township 1504 456 818 168 49 2 11 Dongtan Township 2052 578 1333 36 100 4 0 Huajian Township 1509 29 928 477 33 38 0 Mayíng Township 650 419 215 16 0 0 0 Yangxiang Township 1693 4 236 1340 11 101 1 Mati Town 5265 43 2801 2343 28 35 15 Daquangou Township 1974 8 1442 524 0 0 0 Dadouma Township 2034 21 1142 815 8 35 13 Xishui Township 1257 14 217 1004 20 0 2 Kangle Town 4466 1831 2057 196 170 63 257 Baiyin Township 831 28 556 29 9 0 218 Hongshiwo Township 1655 1156 404 45 4 8 38 Qinglong Township 1456 267 889 98 146 55 0 Yangge Township 524 380 108 24 11 0 1 Dahe Town 5802 2131 3174 260 162 72 4 Jiucaigou Township 1729 1103 561 28 32 1 4 Lamawan Township 1149 74 1038 0 29 8 0 Shuiguan Township 618 336 170 111 1 0 0 Xuequan Township 2306 618 1404 121 100 63 0 Minghua Town 2418 2088 307 19 0 1 2 Minghai Township 1052 1002 47 1 0 0 1 Lianhua Township 890 779 93 17 0 0 1 Qiantan Township 476 307 167 1 0 1 0 Qifeng District 3408 50 558 2787 8 2 2 Qílian Township 1088 3 77 1007 0 1 0 Qílin Township 654 7 67 580 0 0 0 Qíwen Township 1181 40 374 760 4 1 2 Qiqing Township 485 0 40 440 4 0 0 Nomads 1096 3 1082 6 5 0 0

Economy Sunan Yugur Autonomous County had a total gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.306 billion renminbi (RMB) as of 2021, an increase of 5.8% from 2020. Of this, the primary sector constituted 829 million RMB (25.08% of total GDP), an increase of 7.2% from 2020; the secondary sector totaled 1.244 billion RMB (37.63% of total GDP), an increase of 5.2% from 2020; the tertiary sector totaled 1.232 billion RMB (37.27% of total GDP), an increase of 5.3% from 2020. Total retail sales totaled 617 million RMB in 2021, a 12.3% increase from 2020. In 2021, the per capita disposable income of the autonomous county's urban residents totaled 33,531 RMB, a 7.5% increase from 2020; the disposable income of rural residents totaled 21,783 RMB, a 10.0% increase from 2020.

Tourism accounts for a significant portion of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County's economy. In 2021, the autonomous county received a total of 3.15 million tourists, a 23.7% increase from 2020. Total revenue from tourism totaled 1.572 billion RMB, a 29.2% increase from 2020.

Sunan Yugur Autonomous county is home to a sizable mining industry, and rich in deposits of coal, copper, iron, tungsten, chromium, manganese, and other mineral resources.

See also Hexi Corridor Yugurs

References