Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It lies in the northwest of the country, at the crossroads of Central Asia and East Asia. It is the largest province-level division of China by area and the eighth-largest country subdivision in the world, spanning over 1.6 million square kilometers (620,000 square miles), with about 25 million inhabitants.
Xinjiang borders eight countries: Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan. It also borders the Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The rugged Karakoram, Kunlun, and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of its borders, as well as its western and southern regions. The Aksai Chin and Trans-Karakoram Tract regions are claimed by India but administered by China.
The best-known route of the historic Silk Road ran through the territory from the east to its northwestern border.