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Xingjiang's geography is one of the main reasons behind the region's sparse populations. Its terrain includes significant areas of mountains, reaching heights over 7,000 meters, and mostly covered by snow. Because of this, farming in most of the land is not possible. Additionally, Xingjiang contains little bodies of water; the only rivers accessible only provide water at times during the year, making them unreliable most of the time. All of these factors combined would make it hard to sustain dense populations with vital survival resources, such as water, food, and healthcare facilities.

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The Climate in Xinjiang is very diverse, as it has a desert area in it and it is also covered with large Mountains. Because of this it has a very dry climate, as it is not close to any big sources of water. The Temperatures vary as in the Tarim Basin region in january the average temperature is -7°C and in Junggar Basin the average temperature is -15°C. During July the average temperature of the Junggar Basin is  21°C in the north and in the south of the region averages up to 27°C. The hottest part in the Xinjiang region is called the Turfan depression in which the temperature can go up to 49°C, and in July its average temperature is 32°C. The precipitation in this region is insufficient with the annual rainfall  being about 6.5 inches.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Xinjiang/Climate

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Remote from the ocean and enclosed by high mountains, Xinjiang is cut off from marine climatic influences. It therefore has a continental, dry climate. The Tien Shan separates the dry south from the slightly less arid north, so the northern slopes of the Tien Shan are more humid than those of the south.

Precipitation not only is scanty but also fluctuates widely from year to year. On the average, the annual rainfall is about 6.5 inches (165 mm). Average January temperatures in the Tarim Basin are about 20 °F (−7 °C), compared with 5 °F (−15 °C) in many parts of the Junggar Basin. In the summer, average temperatures north of the Tien Shan are lower than they are south of the mountains. In the Junggar Basin, July averages vary from 70 °F (21 °C) in the north to 75 °F (24 °C) in the south. In the Tarim Basin, July temperatures average about 80 °F (27 °C). The hottest part of Xinjiang is the Turfan Depression, where a maximum of 120 °F (49 °C) and a July mean of 90 °F (32 °C) were recorded.

Plant and animal life

Because of the great expanses of desert, the plant life of much of Xinjiang is monotonous. There are pine forests in the Tien Shan and stands of drought-tolerant trees in many places on the edge of the Takla Makan Desert. Apart from these trees, the most common are varieties of poplar and willow. In the Tien Shan and other mountains there is a great assortment of plants and wildflowers, many of which have never been classified. Nonetheless, more than 3,000 plant species have been identified in Xinjiang, of which some 300 have economic or medicinal value.

© Corbis

Animal life is of greater interest, and big-game hunting is an attraction of the Tien Shan. The mountains are inhabited by antelopes, ibex (wild goats), wapiti (elks), various wild sheep, leopards, wolves, bears, lynx, and marmots. There are wild horses in the north, wild camels in the southern and eastern fringes of the Takla Makan Desert, and wild yaks (large, long-haired oxen) and wild asses on the Tibetan frontier. Birdlife is concentrated in wetter areas. The few varieties of fish are mostly of the carp family. Snakes are not numerous and appear to be harmless. Scorpions and centipedes, however, abound. During the summer, horseflies, mosquitoes, flies, and midges are thick in the woods. A great variety of butterflies are found in the mountains.

People

Population composition

Xinjiang is inhabited by more than 40 different ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Uighurs and the Han (Chinese). In addition to Hui (Chinese Muslims), other groups include Mongolians, Khalkha, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tungusic-speaking Manchu and Sibos, Tajiks, Tatars, Russians, and Tahurs.

© Tamir Niv/Shutterstock.com

The Han migration altered the pattern of population distribution and ethnic composition of Xinjiang. In 1953 about three-fourths of the population lived south of the mountains in the Tarim Basin. The Han influx was directed mainly to the Junggar Basin because of its resource potential. The Kazakhs, the third largest minority group in the region, are nomadic herders in the steppes of the Junggar Basin; they are especially concentrated in the upper Ili (Yili) River valley.

There are two major language groups besides Chinese in the region. The Mongolians speak languages of the Mongolian branch of the Altaic group, and the Uighurs, Kazakhs, and Uzbeks speak the Turkic branch of the Altaic group. The Tajiks, however, belong to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language group. Mongolian, Uighur, and Kazakh are written languages in everyday use; Mongolian has its own script, while Uighur and Kazakh are written in the Arabic script.

The largest Muslim groups in China are the Uighurs and the Hui. The Kazakhs and Tajiks also follow Islam, while the Mongolians are adherents of Buddhism.

Settlement patterns

There are many differences in rural settlement patterns in the north and the south. Oasis agriculture in the Tarim Basin occupies a large part of the population, and only a small percentage is engaged in animal husbandry. North of the Tien Shan the grasslands support many of the inhabitants, who are pastoralists.

Xinjiang has some major cities. Ürümqi, the regional capital, was once an agricultural centre for the Junggar Basin; it subsequently underwent considerable industrial and commercial development. Karamay, also in the Junggar Basin, was developed in the late 1950s as a centre of the petroleum industry. Shihezi, near the southern edge of the Junggar Basin, is a significant agricultural processing centre. Kuldja (Yining), located in the upper Ili River valley near Kazakhstan, is an administrative town with a growing food-processing industry. Kashgar (Kashi), the largest city of the Tarim Basin, is an ancient centre for the manufacture of handicrafts such as textiles, rugs, and tanned leather. Turfan, a vital highway and railway communication centre in northeastern Xinjiang, has growing petrochemical and cotton textile industries.

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Xinjiang - Xinjiang - Climate: Remote from the ocean and enclosed by high mountains, Xinjiang is cut off from marine climatic influences. It therefore has a continental, dry climate. The Tien Shan separates the dry south from the slightly less arid north, so the northern slopes of the Tien Shan are more humid than those of the south.

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The Uyghur Muslims are the largest minority population in China. The majority of them live in Xinjiang and have formed their own autonomous region, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). China has been accused of detaining over 1 million Uyghurs (1 in 12 of their population) in 're-education camps, where they are abused, tortured, and used as forced labor. There have been other allegations of sexual abuse, and of forcefully sterilizing women. China has denied all allegations and said that these camps were to combat separatism and Islamic militancy.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-22278037

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Maps comparing the GDP per capita, and ethnicity in Xinjiang

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Xinjiang is one of the poorest regions of China, with one of the lowest GDPs per capita. These maps show the correlation between the GDP per capita and ethnicity. As we can see, the area with the most intense concentration of Uyghur Muslims, is also the poorest area of Xinjiang. The areas with Han Chinese, are also the richest parts of Xinjiang, showing a direct correlation between ethnicity and GDP per capita. In general, however, the zone in itself is very poor which discourages people from migrating there, and encourages people to migrate to the East in search of better oppurtunities.