Tarim Basin

The Tarim Basin is a large endorheic basin in northwest China occupying an area of about 906,500 km2 (350,000 sq mi). Located in China's Xinjiang region, it is sometimes used metonymously for the southern half of the province, or Nanjiang (Chinese: 南疆; pinyin: Nánjiāng; literally "Southern Xinjiang"). Its northern boundary is the Tian Shan mountain range and its southern boundary is the Kunlun Mountains on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Taklamakan Desert dominates much of the basin. The area is relatively poor and underdeveloped, and it is the center of the Uyghur and Tajik population in Xinjiang.