Ürümqi

Ürümqi
Urumqi, Urumchi, Dihua, Tihwa
Ürümqi skyline
Ürümqi Night Market in the Grand Bazaar
Red Mountain (Hong Shan)
Etymology: From the Oirat language, meaning "beautiful pasture" or from the Old Uyghur "Yürüng-chin" — "White Garrison"
City limits of Ürümqi (red) in Xinjiang (orange)
Ürümqi
Location of the city center in Xinjiang
Coordinates (Ürümqi municipal government): 43°49′21″N 87°36′45″E / 43.82250°N 87.61250°E / 43.82250; 87.61250
CountryChina
Autonomous regionXinjiang
County-level divisions8
Municipal seatShuimogou District
Government
 • TypePrefecture-level city
 • BodyÜrümqi Municipal People's Congress
 • CCP SecretaryZhang Zhu
 • Congress ChairmanAhmetjan Ahniyaz
 • MayorYahefu Paidula
 • CPPCC ChairmanYun Shuxia
Area
14,577 km2 (5,628 sq mi)
 • Urban
583 km2 (225 sq mi)
Elevation
860 m (2,820 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)
4,054,000
 • Estimate 
(2020)
4,054,000
 • Density278.1/km2 (720.3/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Major ethnic groups
GDP
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 389.3 billion
US$ 57.9 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 95,511
US$ 14,200
Time zoneDe jure: China Standard (UTC+08:00)
De facto: Both China Standard (UTC+08:00) and Ürümqi Time (UTC+06:00)
Postal code
830000
Area code991
ISO 3166 codeCN-XJ-01
License plate prefixes新A
Websitewww.urumqi.gov.cn (in Chinese)
Ürümqi
"Ürümqi" in Simplified Chinese (top), Traditional Chinese (middle) and Uyghur Arabic (bottom) scripts
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese乌鲁木齐
Traditional Chinese烏魯木齊
Hanyu PinyinWūlǔmùqí
PostalUrumtsi
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWūlǔmùqí
Bopomofo ㄌㄨˇ ㄇㄨˋ ㄑㄧˊ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhUluumuhchyi
Wade–GilesWu1-lu3-mu4-chʻi2
IPA[ú.lù.mû.tɕʰǐ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationWūlóuhmuhkchàih
JyutpingWu1lou5muk6cai4
IPA[wu˥.lɔw˩˧.mʊk̚˨.tsʰɐj˩]
Abbreviation
Simplified Chinese乌市
Traditional Chinese烏市
Hanyu PinyinWūshì
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWūshì
Bopomofo ㄕˋ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhUshyh
Wade–GilesWu1-shih4
IPA[ú.ʂɻ̩̂]
Former name
Chinese迪化
Hanyu PinyinDíhuà
PostalTihwa
Literal meaningto enlighten and civilize
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDíhuà
Bopomofoㄉㄧˊ ㄏㄨㄚˋ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhDyihuah
Wade–GilesTi2-hua4
IPA[tǐ.xwâ]
Mongolian name
Mongolian CyrillicӨрөмч
Mongolian scriptᠥᠷᠥᠮᠴᠢ
Uyghur name
Uyghurئۈرۈمچى
Transcriptions
Latin YëziqiÜrümchi
Yengi YeziⱪÜrümqi
SASM/GNCÜrümqi
Siril YëziqiҮрүмчи
Uyghur IPA[ʏrʏmˈtʃi]
Kazakh name
Kazakh
  • ءۇرىمجى
  • Ürimji
  • Үрімжі
Kyrgyz name
Kyrgyz
  • ۉرۉمچۉ
  • Үрүмчү
  • Ürümçü

Ürümqi is the capital and largest city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. With a census population of 4 million in 2020, Ürümqi is the second-largest city in China's northwestern interior after Xi'an, and the second-largest in Central Asia in terms of population, after Kabul, Afghanistan. Ürümqi has seen significant economic development since the 1990s and currently serves as a regional transport node and a cultural, political and commercial center.