Korla

Korla or Kurla locates in central Xinjiang with an area of 7116.9 square kilometers. Korla means “overlook” in Uygur and is the capital of the Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, which has a similar territory as France and claims the largest prefecture in China. To the northeast, it is the Tarim Basin, to the north is the Tianshan Mountain’s branches-Kuluke Mountain and Hualashan Mountain, the Taklimakan Dessert (second largest desert in the world) is on the south.

Korla has the Han (majority), Uygur, Mongolian, Hui and so on 23 nationalities, the minorities accounts for 30.1% of the population.

Korla has long been a prosperous and the biggest centre in the region after Karashahr itself with abundant water and extensive farmlands, as well as controlling the main routes to the south and west of Karashahr. Due to the discovery of oil in the Taklimakan Desert, Korla is now both more populous and far more developed than Karashar. Korla is home to a huge operational center for Petro China's exploration in Xinjiang. It is known for its production of fragrant pears, which are well known in the region for their sweetness and flavor-so called “the City of Pears”.