Haiyuan County

Haiyuan County (simplified Chinese: 海原县; traditional Chinese: 海原縣; pinyin: Hǎiyuán Xiàn; Wade–Giles: Hai-yüan Hsien, Xiao'erjing: خَيْ‌يُوًا ثِيًا) is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhongwei in the southwest of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China. It is bordered by Gansu to the west. The county has a total area of 6,897 km² (2,663 sq mi), and a population of approximately 470,000 people as of 2019. It was the site of the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake, which killed at least 200,000 people within and outside of Haiyuan.

Haiyuan 海原县 خَيْ‌يُوًا ثِيًا
County
Haiyuan in Zhongwei
Zhongwei in Ningxia
Coordinates: 36°33′54″N 105°38′36″E / 36.5650°N 105.6434°E / 36.5650; 105.6434
Country	China
Autonomous region	Ningxia
Prefecture-level city	Zhongwei
County seat	Sanhe
Area
• County	4,989.55 km2 (1,926.48 sq mi)
Population  (2019)
• County	470,000
• Density	94/km2 (240/sq mi)
• Rural	78%
• Hui	70%
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Website	www.hy.gov.cn

Haiyuan County has many residents of the Hui ethnicity. They make up 70 percent of the total population.^[1] Although agricultural development is important in the county, the arid climate, high alkaline content of the soil, and the course planting kernels make it difficult to retain moisture and fertility. Due to these characteristics, farmers in the county have begun to develop organic fennel in recent years.^{[citation needed]} Haiyuan is one of the poorest counties in Ningxia.^[1] The county government is located in the town of Haicheng, and the county's postal code is 751800.^{[citation needed]}