Aba Tibetan & Qiang Aut. Prefecture Overview
Aba Tibetan & Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, or Aba Prefecture, for short, is located in the north-central part of Sichuan Province, where Sichuan Province interlocks with Gansu Province near the juncture of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan Provinces. Aba Prefecture's southeastern border lies about 200 kilometers northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. This puts the prefecture on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where the land drops dramatically off west and southwest into the Sichuan Basin, which stretches into Chongqing Municipality. The prefecture itself accordingly slopes downward along a northwest-southeast axis.
Northern Sichuan is home to Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It is mainly inhabited by the Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups. With dense alpine forests and wide grasslands, northern Sichuan is a great place to get out and commune with nature.
The prefecture covers 83,426 square kilometers and has a population of 790,000. Under its jurisdiction, there are 13 counties: Wenchuan, Lixian, Maoxian, Jinchuan, Xiaojin, Maerkang, Aba, Ruoergai, Hongyuan, Rangtang, Songpan, Jiuzhaigou, and Heishui.The northwestern part of Aba Prefecture is characterized by high plateau, with an altitude of 3500 to 4000 meters, that serves as the watershed for the Yellow and Yangtze River systems.
Aba is famous for its beautiful scenery, distinctive ethnic customs, and abundant tourist resources. In addition to Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong and Wolong, the follwing scenic spots are also loved and frequented by multitudes of tourists: Siguniang (Four Girls) Mountain, a state-class scenic zone; Miyaluo Scenic Zone, which is famous for its red leaves and hot springs; Kalonggou Scenic Zone in Heishui; Hongyuan Grassland the Great Prairie at Zoige(Ruoergai). Aba is also home to many precious and rare wildlife, including giant pandas, golden monkeys, deer, roe deer, bear, and leopards.
The social customs in the district are colorful and varigated. The omnipresent Mani piles and the fluttering buddhisa scripture streamers demonstrate the Tibetan people's religious piety, the tall and strong watchtowers and the single cabled sliding bridges across the rapid give evidence to the technical expertise of the Qiang people. The horse race festivals, new year celebrations and the jolly tap dance and Guozhuang folk dance around the fireplace, the sipping of fragrant highland barley wine, the melodious guitar and the lyric fluter all bear winess to the people's love of lift and happiness.
| PREV：Bayingolin Prefecture Overview | Next：Zhangzhou Municipality Overview |
