East Turkestan Republic: Map & History
East Turkestan or East Turkistan is a loosely defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, on the cross roads of East and Central Asia.
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East Turkestan or East Turkistan is a loosely defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, on the cross roads of East and Central Asia. The term was coined in the 19th century by Russian Turkologists, including Nikita Bichurin, who intended the name to replace the common Western term for the region, "Chinese Turkestan", which referred to the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang. Beginning in the 17th century, Altishahr, which means "Six Cities" in Uyghur, became the Uyghur name for the Tarim Basin. Uyghurs also called the Tarim Basin "Yettishar," which means "Seven Cities," and even "Sekkizshahr", which means "Eight Cities" in Uyghur. Chinese dynasties from the Han dynasty to the Tang dynasty had called an overlapping area the "Western Regions".
Modern Countries Once Part of East Turkestan Republic
At its mapped extent, East Turkestan Republic covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside East Turkestan Republic's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
East Turkestan Republic in Depth
History
In China, the term Western Regions (Chinese: 西域; pinyin: Xīyù; Wade–Giles: Hsi1-yü4; Uyghur: Qurighar, Қуриғар) referred to the regions west of the Yumen Pass. During the 2nd century BC, Chinese writers called the city states of the northern and southern rim of the Taklamakan Desert the "Walled city-states of the Western Regions". In 60 BC, the Han dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions "in charge of all the oasis-states of the Tarim Basin" which they ruled in indirectly with small agricultural military colonies. The Protector General was stationed at Wulei (west of Karasahr). The city-states were able to conduct their own independent policies with each other.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: East Turkestan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
East Turkestan Republic Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which East Turkestan Republic appears, with the other states of the time.
East Turkestan Republic: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the East Turkestan Republic exist?
The East Turkestan Republic is dated to 1945 CE – 1949 CE, in the Industrial era.
How large was the East Turkestan Republic at its peak?
At its peak in 1949 the East Turkestan Republic covered about 273,786 km².
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