From CIIC
Situated in the southern part of
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and embraced by the
Tianshan and
Kunlunshan mountains, it is
China's largest basin. With its base averaging 800 to 1,300 meters above sea level, it covers 530,000 square km. The basin, widely covered with deserts and dotted with oasis at the fringe, has a terrain descending from the west to the east. The 330,000-square-km
Taklamakan in the center of the basin is the largest and the most arid desert in China, and one of the country's richest areas in oil and gas reserves.
