# Xining

> capital city of Qinghai province, China

**Wikidata**: [Q69060](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q69060)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xining)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/xining

## Summary
Xining is the capital city of Qinghai province in the People's Republic of China. It is a large prefecture-level city situated on the Tibetan Plateau at an elevation of 2,275 metres. As of the 2020 census, its permanent population was approximately 2.47 million.

## Key Facts
- **Administrative Status:** Prefecture-level city and capital of Qinghai province, China.
- **Population:** 2,467,965 permanent residents (2020 census); 2,208,708 residents (2010 census).
- **Geographical Data:** Located at coordinates 36.62386°N, 101.77866°E, with an area of 7,606.78 square kilometres.
- **Elevation:** 2,275 metres above sea level.
- **Timezone:** UTC+08:00.
- **Postal Code:** 810000.
- **Vehicle Licence Plate Code:** 青A.
- **Telephone Area Code:** 971.
- **Government Website:** http://www.xining.gov.cn/
- **Official Name:** 西宁市 (Xīníng Shì), with aliases including Qingtang cheng, Sining, and Xining Fu.
- **Instance Of:** Prefecture-level city, big city, city (large human settlement).
- **Legislative Body:** Q106033053.
- **Twin City:** Izhevsk, Russia (since May 13, 2002).

## FAQs
**What is the population and geographical size of Xining?**
As of the 2020 national census, Xining had a permanent population of nearly 2.47 million people. The city covers a substantial area of approximately 7,607 square kilometres on the Tibetan Plateau.

**What is the administrative structure of Xining?**
Xining is a prefecture-level city and serves as the capital of Qinghai province. It contains several districts and counties, including Chengdong, Chengzhong, Chengxi, Chengbei, Huangzhong, Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County, and Huangyuan County.

**What are some key identifiers and codes for Xining?**
The city has numerous standard identifiers, including a UN/LOCODE (CNXNN), Geoname ID (1788852), and GND ID (4435188-4). Its statistical division code for China is 63 01, and its administrative code from the Ministry of Civil Affairs is 630100.

## Why It Matters
Xining is a strategically significant urban centre as the primary political, economic, and cultural hub of Qinghai province. Its location on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau makes it a crucial gateway and one of the highest-elevation capital cities in China. The city plays a vital role in the development and governance of western China.

## Notable For
- **High Altitude:** It is one of the highest capital cities globally, situated at 2,275 metres above sea level.
- **Historical Evolution:** Its administrative jurisdiction has changed over time, being part of Gansu province until the end of 1928 and Qinghai Province (Republic of China) from 1929 until the founding of the People's Republic.
- **Cultural Diversity:** It is the capital of a province known for its significant ethnic minority populations, including Hui and Tu communities.

## Body

### Basic Attributes
Xining is classified as a prefecture-level city, a big city, and more generally as a city, which is defined as a large human settlement. Its official Chinese name is 西宁市, with the romanized form "Xīníng Shì." The city operates in the China Standard Time zone (UTC+08:00).

### Geography and Location
Xining is located within Qinghai province in western China. Its precise coordinates are 36.62386° North latitude and 101.77866° East longitude. The city's terrain is characterized by its high elevation of 2,275 metres (7,275 feet) above sea level. Its total administrative area spans 7,606.78 square kilometres.

### Governance and Administrative Divisions
The city serves as the capital of Qinghai province. Its local legislative body is identified as entity Q106033053. Xining is subdivided into several county-level administrative units:
- Chengdong District
- Chengzhong District
- Chengxi District
- Chengbei District
- Huangzhong District
- Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County
- Huangyuan County

### Historical Administration
The `located_in` property details the historical administrative changes for Xining:
- It was part of **Xining Fu** until May 31, 1913.
- From June 1, 1913, to December 31, 1928, it was located within **Gansu** province.
- From January 1, 1929, to December 31, 1949, it was part of **Qinghai Province (Republic of China)**.
- Since January 1, 1950, it has been located within **Qinghai** province of the People's Republic of China.

### Demographics
Population data is sourced from official Chinese censuses. The 2010 census recorded a population of 2,208,708. The more recent 2020 census, the Seventh National Population Census, reported a permanent population of 2,467,965. This figure includes a breakdown of 1,940,616 permanent residents in urban areas and 527,349 in rural areas.

### International and Online Presence
Xining is twinned with Izhevsk, Russia, a relationship formalized on May 13, 2002. The city has a presence across numerous online platforms and knowledge bases, including a Wikipedia page available in over 80 language editions, a Quora topic, and a Baidu Tieba forum with approximately 9 million posts as of March 2023.

### Identifiers and Codes
The entity is extensively documented with unique identifiers from various authority files:
- **General:** Wikidata ID (lex_id), Freebase ID (/m/02j8c4)
- **Library & Academic:** Library of Congress Authority ID (n82128467), VIAF ID (128292369), GND ID (4435188-4), FAST ID (1313794), IdRef ID (233043438), Canadiana NA ID (ncf12021266), BnF ID (178744559)
- **Geographical:** Geonames ID (1788852), Who's on First ID (102027001), OpenStreetMap Relation ID (2707990), GNS ID (-1933729)
- **Encyclopedic:** Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID (place/Xining), Treccani ID (xining)
- **Other:** UN/LOCODE (CNXNN), MusicBrainz Area ID (3e5e5781-7f87-4501-bdea-dba5d59a238a), iNaturalist Place ID (28071), BBC Things ID (aa42556d-933d-48ad-b31e-d531a288c8d4)

### Media and Cultural Representation
Visual representations include a montage image and a page banner featuring Taersi Temple, hosted on Wikimedia Commons. The city has a dedicated Commons category and categories for maps and people born there. It is described in historical sources like Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon and the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.izh.ru/i/info/16265.html)
2. National Database of Laws and Regulations
3. Virtual International Authority File
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. MusicBrainz
6. Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China
7. Tabulation on 2020 China Population Census by County
8. Qinghai
9. GeoNames
10. BBC Things
11. [Source](https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/cn.htm)
12. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)
13. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File