Songpan County 松潘县 ཟུང་ཆུ་ |
|
---|---|
County | |
The Huanglong terraces
|
|
Location of Songpan County (red) within Ngawa Prefecture (yellow) and Sichuan |
|
Location of the seat in Sichuan | |
Coordinates: 32°39′N 103°36′E / 32.650°N 103.600°ECoordinates: 32°39′N 103°36′E / 32.650°N 103.600°E | |
Country | People's Republic of China |
Province | Sichuan |
Prefecture | Ngawa |
County seat | Jin'an |
Area | |
• Total | 8,608 km2 (3,324 sq mi) |
Elevation | 2,867 m (9,406 ft) |
Population (2002) | |
• Total | 67,972 |
• Density | 7.9/km2 (20/sq mi) |
• Major nationalities | Tibetan, Han, Qiang, Hui |
Time zone | China Standard (UTC+8) |
Postal code | 623300 |
Area code(s) | 0837 |
Songpan (Chinese: 松潘; pinyin: Sōngpān; former name Chinese: 松州; pinyin: Sōngzhōu Tibetan: ཟུང་ཆུ་, Wylie: zung chu, ZYPY: Sungqu) is a county of northwestern Sichuan province, China, and is one of the 13 counties administered by the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It has an area of 8,608 square kilometres (3,324 sq mi), and a population of approximately 68,000 composed of Tibetan, Qiang, Han and Hui populations.
The economy of Songpan is dominated by agriculture and raising. In recent years, tourism has become an increasingly important sector, and is actively promoted by the authorities. Additionally, Songpan is popular among foreign students and other Chinese language learners staying in China as the base for treks through the scenic mountains nearby. Apart from the scenic attraction of Huanglong which is located in the county, Songpan with its strategic location also acts as the gateway to Jiuzhaigou Valley at the north.