[2][3] The county borders Qinghai Province to the south and Xinjiang to the west.

[3] The westernmost county-level division of Gansu, the county has an area of 32,374 km2 (12,500 sq mi)[3] and a population of 10,545 as of 2010.

[3] The Aksai Kazakh Autonomous Region Preparatory Committee was set up in 1953, south of Dunhuang.

[4] On April 26, 1954, the Aksai Kazak Autonomous Region was established.

[4] The county lies on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and has an average elevation of about 3,200 meters.