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Aba Prefecture 阿坝州 · རྔ་བ་ཁུལ། · Rrmeabba Legea
Autonomous prefecture
阿坝藏族羌族自治州 · རྔ་བ་བོད་རིགས་ཆ་བ༹ང་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ། · Rrmeabba Shbea Rrmea Nyujwju Gvexueaj LegeaNgawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture
Jiuzhaigou National Park
Ngawa-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (top centre) in Sichuan
Coordinates (Ngawa Prefecture government): 31°54′N 102°13′E / 31.90°N 102.22°E / 31.90; 102.22
Country	China
Province	Sichuan
Prefecture seat	Barkam (Barkam Town)
Government
• Type	Autonomous prefecture
• CCP Secretary	Xu Zhivin
• Congress Chairman	Luo Zhenhua
• Governor	Yang Kening
• CPPCC Chairman	Nyima Mu
Area
• Total	83,201 km (32,124 sq mi)
Population
• Total	895,200
• Density	11/km (28/sq mi)
• Major Ethnic Groups	Tibetan−60.2% Han−18.0% Qiang- 18.5% Hui−3.1%
GDP
• Total	CN¥ 26.5 billion US$ 4.3 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 28,647 US$ 4,599
Time zone	UTC+08:00 (China Standard)
Area code	0837
ISO 3166 code	CN-SC-32
License Plate Prefix	川U
Website	Aba China

Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, also known as Aba (Tibetan: རྔ་བ་བོད་རིགས་དང་ཆང་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ།, Wylie: rnga ba bod rigs cha'ang rigs rang skyong khul; Qiang: Rrmeabba Shbea Rrmea Nyujwju Gvexueaj Legea; simplified Chinese: 阿坝藏族羌族自治州; traditional Chinese: 阿壩藏族羌族自治州), is an autonomous prefecture of northwestern Sichuan, bordering Gansu to the north and northeast and Qinghai to the northwest. Its seat is in Barkam, and it has an area of 83,201 km (32,124 sq mi). The population was 895,200 by 2022.

The county of Wenchuan in Ngawa is the site of the epicenter of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, in which over 20,000 of its residents died and 40,000 were injured.

History and names

During the reign of Tibet's king Trisong Deutsen in the 8th century, the Gyalrong area was visited by the great translator Vairotsana.

In 1410 Je Tsongkhapa's student Tshakho Ngawang Tapa established the first Tibetan Buddhist Gelug school monastery in the area, called "Gyalrong".

In contemporary history, most of Ngawa was under the 16th Administrative Prefecture of Szechwan (四川省第十六行政督察區), which was established by the Republic of China (ROC).

The People's Republic of China defeated ROC troops in this area during Chinese Civil war and subsequently established a Tibetan autonomous prefecture by late 1952. It was renamed Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in 1956 and Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in 1987.

On May 12, 2008, a major earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County (Tibetan: ལུང་དགུ་, Wylie: lung dgu), a county in the southeastern part of this autonomous prefecture. 20,258 people were killed, 45,079 injured, 7,696 missing in the prefecture as of June 6, 2008.

In 2009, the town of Ngaba in Ngawa prefecture became the "self-immolation capital of the world," in the words of the New York Times." From 2009 to 2019, more than 60 of Tibet's total 156 self-immolations occurred in Ngaba. By 2020, the town's entrances were barricaded and surveillance cameras installed, with some 50,000 security personnel for the town's population of 15,000.

In 2008, Aba county was stripped of its internet connections. Internet access in the prefecture remains severely restricted as of 2013.

Geography

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Most of the prefecture lies in the Tibetan cultural and historical region of Amdo. The west, and part of Kardze, is also known as Gyalrong. Gyalrong people speak a Qiangic language known as Gyalrong language. The source of the Min River and its tributary Dadu River are to be found in Ngawa.

Demographics

As of 2013, the prefecture's population was 919,987 inhabitants at a density of 10.91 per km:

Languages

Major languages spoken in Aba Prefecture include Tibetan, Mandarin Chinese and many vernaculars of the Qiangic languages which vary from county to county:

• Barkam: rGyalrong
• Li County: Southern Qiang, rGyalrong
• Mao County: Northern Qiang, Southern Qiang
• Jiuzhaigou County: Baima
• Jinchuan County: Khroskyabs, rGyalrong
• Xiaojin County: rGyalrong
• Heishui County: Northern Qiang, rGyalrong
• Zamtang County: Amdo Tibetan

In April 2020, classroom instruction was switched from Tibetan to Mandarin Chinese in Ngaba.

Administrative divisions

The region is composed of one county-level city and twelve counties:

Map Barkam (city) Wenchuan County Li County Mao County Songpan County Jiuzhaigou County Jinchuan County Xiaojin County Heishui County Zamtang County Ngawa County Zoigê County Hongyuan County
#	Name	Hanzi	Pinyin	Tibetan	Wylie	Qiang	Population (2010 Census)	Area (km)	Density (/km)
1	Barkam City (Ma'erkang City)	马尔康市	Mǎ'ěrkāng Shì	འབར་ཁམས་གྲོང་ཁྱེར།	'bar khams rdzong	Muerkvua shi	58,437	6,639	8.80
2	Wenchuan County	汶川县	Wènchuān Xiàn	ལུང་དགུ་རྫོང་། / ཁྲི་ཚང་རྫོང་།	lung dgu rdzong / khri tshang rdzong		100,771	4,083	24.68
3	Li County	理县	Lǐ Xiàn	བཀྲ་ཤིས་གླིང་།	bkra shis gling	pauɕuq	46,556	4,318	10.78
4	Mao County	茂县	Mào Xiàn	མའོ་ཝུན།	ma'o wun	ʂqini	104,829	4,075	25.72
5	Songpan County	松潘县	Sōngpān Xiàn	ཟུང་ཆུ་རྫོང་།	zung chu rdzong		72,309	8,486	8.52
6	Jiuzhaigou County	九寨沟县	Jiǔzhàigōu Xiàn	གཟི་རྩ་སྡེ་དགུ་རྫོང་།	gzi rtsa sde dgu rdzong		81,394	5,286	15.39
7	Jinchuan County	金川县	Jīnchuān Xiàn	ཆུ་ཆེན་རྫོང་།	chu chen rdzong		65,976	5,524	11.94
8	Xiaojin County	小金县	Xiǎojīn Xiàn	བཙན་ལྷ་རྫོང་།	btsan lha rdzong		77,731	5,571	13.95
9	Heishui County	黑水县	Hēishuǐ Xiàn	ཁྲོ་ཆུ་རྫོང་།	khro chu rdzong	khǝtʂǝp	60,704	4,154	14.61
10	Zamtang County (Rangtang County)	壤塘县	Rǎngtáng Xiàn	འཛམ་ཐང་རྫོང་།	'dzam thang rdzong		39,173	6,836	5.73
11	Ngawa County (Aba County)	阿坝县	Ābà Xiàn	རྔ་བ་རྫོང་།	rnga ba rdzong	Ggabba	72,391	10,435	6.93
12	Zoigê County (Ruo'ergai County)	若尔盖县	Ruò'ěrgài Xiàn	མཛོད་དགེ་རྫོང་།	mdzod dge rdzong		74,619	10,437	7.14
13	Hongyuan County	红原县	Hóngyuán Xiàn	རྐ་ཁོག་རྫོང་། / ཁྱུང་མཆུ་རྫོང་།	rka khog rdzong / khyung mchu rdzong		43,818	8,398	5.21

Though situated within Wenchuan County, Wolong National Nature Reserve and Wolong Special Administrative Region are administered separately by the Forestry Department of Sichuan.

Transportation

The prefecture is served by Hongyuan Airport in the west and Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport in the east. Private taxis can be hired from these airports. Jiuzhaigou Train Station is under construction 55 km (34 mi) north-west of Jiuzhaigou County's town. The railway is to run between Chengdu and Lanzhou.

Tourism

Tourism produced 71.0% of the GDP of the prefecture in 2006. There are many places of interest in the prefecture, including

• Wolong National Nature Reserve in Wenchuan County, a well-known giant panda reserve where the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda was established in 1980
• Kirti Gompa, a 15th-century Tibetan Buddhism monastery
• Nangzhik Gompa monastery, founded in the 12th century
• Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area in Songpan County
• Jiuzhaigou, Jiuzhaigou County, a nature reserve known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992
• Mount Siguniang (Chinese: 四姑娘山 Tibetan: སྐུ་བླ, Wylie: sku bla "Sku Mountain"; formerly Chinese: 四姑山, a transcription), the highest point of the Qionglai Mountains, on the border between Xiaojin County (Chinese: 小金县; Tibetan: Tibetan: བཙན་ལྷ) and Wenchuan County.

References

1. 四川省统计局、国家统计局四川调查总队 (September 2016). 《四川统计年鉴－2016》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-7871-1.
2. "阿坝藏族羌族自治州2022年国民经济和社会发展统计公报_阿坝藏族羌族自治州统计局" [Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture 2022 National Economic and Social Development Statistics]. 阿坝州统计局 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-02-05.
3. "Öйú°¢°ÓÖÝ". abazhou.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
4. 历史和民族. Ngawa Prefecture People's Government. Archived from the original on 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
5. 伤亡汇报_四川汶川强烈地震_新闻中心_新浪网. Sina.com (in Chinese (China)). 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
6. 截至6月6日18时阿坝州地震灾区遇难人员达20258人 (in Chinese (China)). Ngawa Prefecture People's Government. 2008-06-07. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
7. "The Chinese Town That Became the Self-Immolation Capital of the World". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
8. Tenchoe, Lobsang (2019-11-28). "Tibetan youth dies after self-immolation protest in restive Ngaba county". Retrieved 2023-11-22.
9. Beam, Christopher (2013-12-05), "Behind China's Cyber Curtain. Visiting the country's far reaches, where the government shut down the Internet", New Republic "Aba was first stripped of its connection in 2008, after riots in Tibet led to unrest in this place known for its wide grasslands and Buddhist monasteries. Both mobile phone signals and the Web have been erratic ever since, coming back for months at a time only to disappear again, usually after a Tibetan monk sets him or herself on fire in protest. For example, the Internet returned last December and January and then, according to residents, disappeared again in February. With politically charged "incidents" occurring as recently as September, no one knows when—or if—the information blackout will end for good."
10. 基本州情 (in Chinese). Ngawa Prefecture People's Government. Archived from the original on 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
11. Lobe Socktsang; Richard Finney. (9 April 2020). "Classroom Instruction Switch From Tibetan to Chinese in Ngaba Sparks Worry, Anger". Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
12. Ngawa Prefecture Government. 中国阿坝州. abazhou.gov.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-05-30.

Further reading

• A. Gruschke (2001) The Cultural Monuments of Tibet's Outer Provinces: Amdo - Volume 2. The Gansu and Sichuan Parts of Amdo. Bangkok: White Lotus Press ISBN 974-480-049-6
• Tsering Shakya (1999) The Dragon in the Land of Snows.: a history of modern Tibet since 1947, London: Pimlico, 1999, ISBN 0-14-019615-3

External links

• Aba, China - Official website of Prefectural Government

v t e Prefecture-level divisions of China
Notes: *Provincial capitals, ★Sub-provincial cities, ☆Sub-provincial autonomous prefecture *Sub prefectural-level divisions, ✧"Comparatively larger city [zh]" (较大的市) as approved by the State Council
Provinces Anhui *Hefei Wuhu Bengbu Huainan Ma'anshan Huaibei Tongling Anqing Huangshan Chuzhou Fuyang Suzhou Lu'an Bozhou Chizhou Xuancheng Fujian *Fuzhou ★Xiamen Putian Sanming Quanzhou Zhangzhou Nanping Longyan Ningde Gansu *Lanzhou Jiayuguan Jinchang Baiyin Tianshui Wuwei Zhangye Pingliang Jiuquan Qingyang Dingxi Longnan Linxia (Hui) Gannan (Tibetan) Guangdong *★Guangzhou ★Shenzhen Shaoguan Zhuhai Shantou Foshan Jiangmen Zhanjiang Maoming Zhaoqing Huizhou Meizhou Yangjiang Shanwei Heyuan Qingyuan Dongguan Zhongshan Jieyang Yunfu Guizhou *Guiyang Liupanshui Zunyi Anshun Bijie Tongren Qianxinan (Buyei and Miao) Qiannan (Buyei and Miao) Qiandongnan (Miao and Dong) Hainan *Haikou Sanya Danzhou Sansha *Wuzhishan *Qionghai *Wenchang *Wanning *Dongfang *Ding'an County *Tunchang County *Chengmai County *Lingao County *Baisha County (Li) *Changjiang County (Li) *Ledong County (Li) *Lingshui County (Li) *Baoting County (Li and Miao) *Qiongzhong County (Li and Miao) Hebei *Shijiazhuang ✧Tangshan Qinhuangdao Handan Xingtai Baoding Zhangjiakou "Kalgan" Chengde Cangzhou Langfang Hengshui Henan *Zhengzhou Kaifeng Luoyang Pingdingshan Anyang Hebi Xinxiang Jiaozuo Puyang Xuchang Luohe Sanmenxia Nanyang Shangqiu Xinyang Zhoukou Zhumadian *Jiyuan Hubei *★Wuhan Huangshi Shiyan Yichang Xiangyang Ezhou Jingmen Xiaogan Jingzhou Huanggang Xianning Suizhou Enshi (Tujia and Miao) *Xiantao *Qianjiang *Tianmen *Shennongjia Forestry District Heilongjiang *★Harbin Qiqihar Jixi Hegang Shuangyashan Daqing Yichun Jiamusi Qitaihe Mudanjiang Heihe Suihua Daxing'anling Prefecture Hunan *Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Hengyang Shaoyang Yueyang Changde Zhangjiajie Yiyang Chenzhou Yongzhou Huaihua Loudi Xiangxi (Tujia and Miao) Jilin *★Changchun Jilin Siping Liaoyuan Tonghua Baishan Songyuan Baicheng Yanbian (Korean) Jiangsu *★Nanjing Wuxi Xuzhou Changzhou ✧Suzhou Nantong Lianyungang Huai'an Yancheng Yangzhou Zhenjiang Taizhou Suqian Jiangxi *Nanchang Jingdezhen Pingxiang Jiujiang Xinyu Yingtan Ganzhou Ji'an Yichun Fuzhou Shangrao Liaoning *★Shenyang ★Dalian Anshan Fushun Benxi Dandong Jinzhou Yingkou Fuxin Liaoyang Panjin Tieling Chaoyang Huludao Qinghai *Xining Haidong Haibei (Tibetan) Huangnan (Tibetan) Hainan (Tibetan) Golog "Guolog" (Tibetan) Yushu (Tibetan) Haixi "Qaidam" (Mongol and Tibetan) Sichuan *★Chengdu Zigong Panzhihua Luzhou Deyang Mianyang Guangyuan Suining Neijiang Leshan Nanchong Meishan Yibin Guang'an Dazhou Bazhong Ziyang Ya'an Ngawa "Aba" (Tibetan and Qiang) Garzê "Ganzi" (Tibetan) Liangshan (Yi) Shaanxi *★Xi'an Tongchuan Baoji Xianyang Weinan Yan'an Hanzhong Yulin Ankang Shangluo Shandong *★Jinan ★Qingdao Zibo Zaozhuang Dongying Yantai Weifang Jining Tai'an Weihai Rizhao Linyi Dezhou Liaocheng Binzhou Heze Shanxi *Taiyuan Datong Yangquan Changzhi Jincheng Shuozhou Jinzhong Yuncheng Xinzhou Linfen Lüliang Taiwan *Taibei Gaoxiong Xinbei Taizhong Tainan Taoyuan Yunnan *Kunming Qujing Yuxi Baoshan Zhaotong Lijiang Pu'er Lincang Chuxiong (Yi) Honghe (Hani and Yi) Wenshan (Zhuang and Miao) Xishuangbanna (Dai) Dali (Bai) Dehong (Dai and Jingpo) Nujiang (Lisu) Dêqên (Tibetan) Zhejiang *★Hangzhou ★Ningbo ✧Wenzhou Jiaxing Huzhou Shaoxing Jinhua Quzhou Zhoushan Taizhou Lishui Autonomous regions Guangxi *Nanning Liuzhou Guilin Wuzhou Beihai Fangchenggang Qinzhou Guigang Yulin Baise Hezhou Hechi Laibin Chongzuo Ningxia *Yinchuan Shizuishan Wuzhong Guyuan Zhongwei Inner Mongolia *Hohhot ✧Baotou Wuhai Chifeng "Ulankhad" Tongliao Ordos Hulunbuir Bayannur "Bayannao'er" Ulanqab Hinggan League Xilingol League Alxa League "Ālāshàn League" Xinjiang *Ürümqi Karamay Turpan Hami Changji (Hui) Bortala (Mongol) Bayingolin (Mongol) Kizilsu (Kyrgyz) ( ☆Ili (Kazakh) Tacheng Prefecture Altay Prefecture ) Aksu Prefecture Kashgar "Kashi" Prefecture Hotan Prefecture *Shihezi *Aral *Tumxuk *Wujiaqu *Beitun *Tiemenguan *Shuanghe *Kokdala *Kunyu *Huyanghe *Xinxing Tibet *Lhasa Shigatse "Xigazê" Chamdo "Qamdo" Nyingchi "Linzhi" Shannan Nagqu Ngari Prefecture
Direct-administered municipalities Beijing Tianjin Shanghai Chongqing Special administrative regions Hong Kong Macau
See also: List of prefectures in China, List of cities in China

v t e Tibetan-designated autonomous areas in China
Regions	Tibet A.R. Lhasa Xigazê Qamdo Nyingchi Shannan Nagqu Ngari
Prefectures and counties	in Qinghai Haibei Hainan Haixi (Mongols and Tibetans) Huangnan Guoluo Yushu in Sichuan Ganzi Aba (Tibetans and Qiang) Muli in Gansu Gannan Tianzhu in Yunnan Diqing
Ethnic minority autonomous areas Dong Hui Korean Manchu Miao Mongol Tibetan Tujia Uyghur Yao Yi Zhuang Others

• Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture
• Tibetan autonomous prefectures
• Prefecture-level divisions of Sichuan
• Qiang people