Geography and climate
Ningxia is part of the Inner Mongolian plateau, and desert and grazing land make up most of the area. Rivers that flow through Ningxia include the Yellow River. Ningxia’s deserts include the Tengger desert in Shapotou.
Ningxia is a relatively dry, desert-like region. There is significant irrigation in order to support the growing of wolfberries (a commonly consumed fruit throughout the region).
The region is 1,200 km from the sea and has a continental climate with average summer temperatures rising to between 17 and 24°C (63 and 75℉)in July and average winter temperatures dropping to between -7 and -10°C(19 and 14℉) in January. Seasonal extreme temperatures can reach 39°C (102℉)in summer and -30°C(-22℉) in winter. The diurnal temperature variation in summer is 17°C(63℉). Annual rainfall averages from 190 to 700 millimeters, with more rain falling in the south of the region.


History
Ningxia and its surrounding areas were incorporated into the Qin Dynasty as early as the third century BC. Throughout the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty there were further evidence of settlements, and by the eleventh century the Tangut tribe had established the Western Xia Dynasty on the outskirts of the then Song Dynasty.It then came under Mongol domination after Genghis Khan conquered Yinchuan in the early thirteenth century.
In 1958, the People’s Republic of China formally founded Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
Tourism
One of Ningxia’s main tourist spots is the famous Xixia Tombs site located 30 km west of Yinchuan. The remnants of nine Western Xia emperors’ tombs and two hundred other tombs lie within a 50-km² area. Other famous sites in Ningxia include Helan Shan, the mysterious 108 dagobas, the twin pagodas of Baisikou and the desert research outpost at Shapatou.
Ethnic group
The Han is by far the largest; other ethnic groups include the Hui, Mongols, Tibetans, and Manchus.


Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is located on the northwest Loess highland of China, the Yellow River flows through a vast area of its land. It has an area of 25,600 sq mi (66,400 sq km). The capital is Yinchuan. Ningxia borders the provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu, and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Administrative divisions
Ningxia is divided into five prefecture-level cities:
• Yinchuan
• Shizuishan
• Zhongwei
• Wuzhong
• Guyuan
Economy
The main agriculture crops of Ningxia are Wheat, sorghum and rice. Ningxia is the principal region of China where wolfberries are grown. Wools, furs, hides, and rugs are exported, and there is some coal mining. Desert lakes yield salt and soda.