Following are the facts and figures about Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

-- The gross domestic product of Xinjiang hit 420 billion yuan (about 61.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2008, with per-capita ranking11th in the country.

-- Xinjiang is rich in oil and natural gas. In 2008, the region produced 27.2 million tonnes of crude oil, the second largest oil producer in the country. Its natural gas output was 24 billion cubic meters last year, ranking first in the country.

-- Last year, Xinjiang hosted 22.3 million tourists, including 360,000 from overseas, reaping a revenue of nearly 20 billion yuan in the sector.

-- The region's foreign trade has been growing rapidly in the past few years. The total value of its foreign trade was 22.2 billion U.S. dollars last year.

-- The region, which covers one sixth of the country's total land area, has nearly 150,000 km of highways, 3,000 km of railways and 14 airports in operation.

-- The region had 8,076 various education institutions at the end of 2008, with more than 4.4 million students.