The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) announced that a 7.01 magnitude earthquake struck the border area between Kyrgyzstan and China's Xinjiang region on Monday (Tuesday local time). The center reported that the earthquake occurred at a depth of ten kilometers. In the neighboring country of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported a 6.7 magnitude earthquake. In Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, residents fled their homes and gathered outside despite the cold weather, with some still in their nightwear. No reports of damage have emerged. Residents in Uzbekistan also felt the earthquake, which was followed by aftershocks about 30 minutes later. It is noteworthy that a similar earthquake struck Tajikistan around the same time last year, affecting China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked mountainous country located in Central Asia, bordered to the north by Kazakhstan, to the west and southwest by Uzbekistan, to the southeast by Tajikistan, and to the east by China. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.
Xinjiang is an autonomous region with a special administrative system, part of the People's Republic of China, situated in the far northwest of the country. Its capital is Ürümqi. Historically, the region was called Xiyu (Western Region in Chinese), which has a Muslim majority due to its location on the Silk Road. Some separatist movements both inside and outside China refer to it as a special region for the Uyghurs, naming it East Turkestan, where "Turk" and "Stan" mean land of the Turks. During the Chinese Civil War, it gained independence in 1944 but was returned to Chinese governance in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was established. Since then, it has undergone significant development over the past thirty years and is rich in oil, natural gas, and uranium ores.
