Urummqi (literally "beautiful pasture", from the Dzungar Oirat language) is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China in Northwest China. Urummqi was a major hub on the Silk Road during China's Tang dynasty, and developed its reputation as a leading cultural and commercial center during the Qing dynasty.
With a built-up (or metro) population of 2,988,715 as of 2010 census (6 urban and suburban districts but Dabancheng not yet urbanized) and 3.03 million in 7 urban and suburban districts, Urummqi is the largest city in China's western interior. Since the 1990s Urummqi has developed economically and serves as a regional transport node, cultural, and commercial centre.