Aba County (Aba Xian)
Aba County, which is in the pricinct of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, is located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, at the intersection of the three provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai. It is in neighboring with Zoige County, Hongyuan County, Malkang County, Rangtang County in Sichuan Province and Maqu County in Gansu Province.
Aba is at the elevation of 3280m and is 480km drive from Chengdu. From Aba to the southeast entrance of Nyenpo Yurtse is around 50km. In Aba there are plenty of hotels and restaurants available.
Bordered by 7 counties, including Jiuzhi County and Banma County of Qinghai Province, it is a county that is dominated by animal husbandry and that manages agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry. It is listed as one of the least-developed areas in whole China. The terrain of Aba County slopes from the northwest to the southeast. The average altitude of the northwestern Golog Mountains is at around 4900 meters and the highest peak in the territory is 5154 meters. It is covered with snow all the year round on the top. Its west and middle are deep hilly grasslands, which gradually transition to the southern alpine canyon forest area; the altitude decreases from 5141 meters to 2936 meters.Aba County is the plateau cold and temperate semi-humid monsoon climate, connected by spring and autumn, and with a distinctive rainy season. The average annual rainfall is 712 millimeters, and the wet season (May-October) is concentrated, accounting for 89.6% of the whole year. The annual average temperature is 3.3 ° C, there is sufficient sunshine, and there is a large temperature difference between day and night. There is no absolute frost-free period throughout the year, and the relative frost-free period is 33 days.
Aba County is located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is part of the Bayan Har mountains. It is located in the source area of the Yangtze River and the tributary of the Yellow River in the western Sichuan Plateau. The county borders the two major river systems of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. The territory includes the Maqu River, Ako River, and Jiaqu River.
Jiuzhi County
Jiuzhi County is a county under the Pricinct of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province and one of the production bases of animal husbandry in Qinghai Province. It is located in the southeast of the province at the junction of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu provinces. It is adjacent to Aba County in Sichuan Province in the southeast, Banma County in the south, Dari County in the west, and the Yellow River and Gande County in the northwest. Its northeast borders Maqu County, Gansu Province.
Jiuzhi is a small town with hotels and restaurants available. Fom Jiuzhi one can go to the north and west entrance of Nyenpo Yurtse. Jiuzhi is at the elevation of 3650m. Jiuzhi is a county level town in Qinghai. It has plenty of hotels and restaurants, a hospital and places for shopping food.
Jiuzhi County is located on the eastern part of the Southern Qinghai Plateau, with mountains and ridges overlapping and undulating peaks in the territory. The Golog Mountains of the Bayan Har Mountains traverse the entire territory. Most of the southern mountains are north-south-oriented canyons, and the northern mountains are with wide valleys and mountain basins. Bayan Har Mountains stretch from northwest to southeast, and Nyenpo Yurtse Mountains traverse the entire territory to form the county’s topography. The terrain gradually decreases from south, northeast to northwest, and the altitude is between 3568 meters and 5369 meters.
Jiuzhi has a typical continental climate characteristic of the plateau. There are no four seasons throughout the year, only cold and warm seasons. The annual average temperature is 0.1 ℃. Cold period below 0 ℃ is as long as 184 days, and the even colder period below -10 ℃ are over 100 days. The annual sunshine hours are 2084.5-2509.5 hours, which is the area with the least sunshine hours in Qinghai Province. Plenty of precipitation, with an average annual rainy day of 171 days and a rainfall of 764.4 mm, ranking first in Qinghai Province.
