Economy

In 1955, one of the largest oil fields in China was discovered there. Since then, the city has grown into an oil-producing and refining center.In 2008 the GDP reached ¥66.1 billion, and GDP per capita reached ¥242,391 (US$34,901). The GDP per capita ranks first among 659 cities in Mainland China.

Transport

Kuytun–Beitun Railway. There are passenger stations in Karamay itself and in Wuwu New Town (五五新镇街道), south of central Karamay.Karamay AirportChina National Highway 217

Geography

Karamay is located in the northwest of the Dzungarian basin, with an average elevation of 400 metres (1,300 ft). Its administrative area ranges in latitude from 44° 07' to 46° 08' N and in longitude from 80° 44' to 86° 01' E, and has a maximal 240 km (150 mi) north-south extent and reaches 110 km (68 mi) in east-west width. It borders Hoboksar Mongol Autonomous County to the northeast, Shawan County to the southeast, Toli County and Wusu to the west, and Kuytun to the south.The naturally available water supply in the Karamay area is rather limited: it mostly consists of two fairly small rivers (the Baiyang River and the Da'erbute River (达尔不特河) flowing into the Dzungarian Basin from the mountains of its northwestern rim. In addition, the city receives water from the Irtysh River, over the Irtysh–Karamay Canal, which was officially opened in 2008.[3]A number of natural (Ailik Lake) and artificial (Fengcheng, Huangyangquan) reservoirs are located in Karamay's northeastern Urho District; they all are replenished, directly or indirectly, by water from the Irtysh–Karamay Canal.Climate[edit]Karamay has a cold, continental desert climate (Köppen BWk), with great seasonal extremes in temperature, varying by 53 °C (95 °F); winters are long (lasting from November to March) and bitterly cold, spring and autumn are brief, and summers long and very hot. The monthly 24-hour average temperature is −15.4 °C (4.3 °F) in January and soars to 27.9 °C (82.2 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 8.61 °C (47.5 °F), warmer than most places at the corresponding latitude, due to the long summers. Annual precipitation is 106 millimetres (4.17 in), and the summer months record the most rainfall, despite relative humidity levels averaging around 30%. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 37% in December to 71% in September, sunshine is generous, only occurring less than 50% of the time in November and December, and the annual average total is 2,694 hours.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, over 80% of Karamay's population are Han Chinese, with minorities such as Uighur, Kazakhs, Mongols and Hui making up the rest. The population of 2010 is 391,008, a rise from the 270,232 of 2000 census. The population density is 50.6 inhabitants per km². The 2015 population estimate is 401,468.Population by ethnicity – 2010 censusEthnicityPopulation%Han319,26581.65%Uyghur44,86611.47%Kazakhs11,6202.97%Hui8,2382.11%Mongol2,3480.60%Manchu7540.19%Xibe6810.17%Tujia6780.17%Russian4710.12%Uzbek1770.05%Dongxiang1330.03%Kyrgyz1170.03%Tajik35<0.01%others1,6250.42%Total391,008100%

History

Theatre fire in 1994Main article: 1994 Karamay fireOn December 8, 1994, a fire broke out in Friendship Theatre (友谊馆), Karamay, which caused the death of 325 people including 288 school children, according to official figures. Many teachers were killed while trying to protect and evacuate their students from the building, which lacked adequate safety features. A show was being organized at that moment for a number of local government officials, who managed to escape ahead of the others on spotting the fire, and were afterwards charged with neglecting their duty and received prison sentences of up to 5 years.