Helan County is a county under the administration of Yinchuan city in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

. It has a total area of 1600 square kilometers, and a population of approximately 180,000 people.

Characteristics

Helan County has developed industry in recent years; its newly developed industrial area is in the northern suburbs of Yinchuan, about eight kilometers from the city center. The area is accessible via national highway and freeway, and sits on about 4240 acres (17.2 km²) of land. This industrial area provides employment for residents of the county, and promotes agricultural development. The county government is located in the town of Xigang, and the county's postal code is 750200.

Geography

The Yellow River

Yellow River

The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...

 flows through Helan county from the southeast to the northeast. In total, 21.25 kilometers of the river flows through the county. The quality of the river water is very high, and it is used for irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 in the county.

The western part of the county is home to the Helan Mountains

Helan Shan

The Helan Mountains , frequently called Alashan Mountains in older sources, are an isolated desert mountain range forming the border of Inner Mongolia's Alxa League and Ningxia. They run north-south parallel to the north-flowing Yellow River in the Ordos Loop section...

.

Climate

Helan County belongs to the mainland climate region. Winters are long and cold, and summers are quite wet. Spring and Fall are relatively short. The average temperature during the summer is 22 degrees Celsius (72 °F), with a record high of 36.7 °C (98.1 °F). The average temperature in winter is −8 °C (11 °F), with a record low of −27.7 °C (−17.9 °F). Daily temperatures are highly variable, changing by an average of 10 degrees Celsius (20 °F) each day. Due to the large variety of topography in the county, regional climates also vary considerably. Notably, winter in the Helan Mountains region can last up to 10 months out of every year.

There is relatively little rainfall in Helan County, with an average of 99 millimeters (3.90 in) each year. Daylight hours are long, totaling an average of 66% of each year.

Economy

On the flood plains of the Yellow River, agriculture is the primary form of industry. Forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

is an important industry in the shade of the Helan Mountains.