Location: located in the southwest of Gansu province and northwest of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous prefecture; in northeast edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Neighboring Area: Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Qinghai provinces, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions

Physical Features: slopes down from northwest to southeast; average elevation of 2900-3100m with the highest of 4636m and lowest 2160m

Population: 150,000
Urban Population:
Area: 8687 sq km

Nationalities: Tibetan, Han and Hui

History: used to be the ley of Qiang in the spring and autumn period; once occupied by Xianbei, Tubo and Mongolian nationalities; named as Xiahe in 1928

Climatic Feature: temperate, semiarid climate in the north and cold, humid in the south; windy in spring and winter and rainy in summer and autumn; long frost period with the frost-free period only 56 days annually; total sunshine of 2296 hours

Average Temperature: annually average temperature of 2.6 centigrade degree with the highest of 28.4 and lowest of -26.7

Rainfall: 444mm annually
Mountains:

Rivers: Daxia River and Zhao River

Specialties: yak, Ganjia Sheep, Juema Pig, bezoar and aweto.