# Makit County

Makit County is a county in Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It contains an area of 10,927 km$^2$ (4,219 sq mi). The Yarkand River passes through the county. The county is bordered to the north by Maralbexi County, to the east by Guma County (Pishan) in Hotan Prefecture, to the west by Yarkant County, and to the south by Kargilik County.

## Name

The name of the county is also transliterated from Uyghur as Markit, Mekit and Merket, and from Mandarin Chinese as Maigaiti (Mai-kai-t'i, Maikaiti).

## History

In 1928, Makit County was created as part of Kashgar Circuit (喀什噶爾道).
In 2002, 240 Tajik (China) households displaced from Taxkorgan reclaimed a desert village in the county.
In early 2011, a Uyghur butcher in Makit County and six friends were arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a Han Chinese prostitute.
As part of the policies of Chen Quanguo, 61 convenience police stations were being built in the county in 2016.
In August 2018, a 10-year-old boy whose parents were detained in the Xinjiang internment camps drowned in the Zerepshan River.
According to an anonymous Uyghur local government employee quoted in a Radio Free Asia article, during Ramadan 2020 (April 23 to May 23), residents of the county were told they could face punishment for fasting including being sent to an internment camp.

## Climate

The number of days of dusty/sandy weather per annum in Makit County has dropped from 106 in 2010 to 40 in 2018. Over the same period, annual rainfall increased from 53.6 mm (2.11 in) to 109.6 mm (4.31 in) per year.
Climate data for Makit, elevation 1,178 m (3,865 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.7 (65.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 35.4 (95.7) | 36.7 (98.1) | 39.6 (103.3) | 39.3 (102.7) | 40.4 (104.7) | 35.4 (95.7) | 30.3 (86.5) | 25.9 (78.6) | 19.3 (66.7) | 40.4 (104.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.9 (33.6) | 7.3 (45.1) | 16.6 (61.9) | 24.5 (76.1) | 28.6 (83.5) | 32.0 (89.6) | 33.1 (91.6) | 31.5 (88.7) | 27.7 (81.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 12.2 (54.0) | 3.1 (37.6) | 19.9 (67.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.4 (22.3) | 0.4 (32.7) | 9.3 (48.7) | 16.7 (62.1) | 20.8 (69.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 25.3 (77.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 19.3 (66.7) | 12.0 (53.6) | 3.7 (38.7) | −3.2 (26.2) | 12.2 (54.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.9 (12.4) | −5.7 (21.7) | 2.4 (36.3) | 9.2 (48.6) | 13.3 (55.9) | 16.6 (61.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 17.2 (63.0) | 12.0 (53.6) | 4.2 (39.6) | −3.0 (26.6) | −8.1 (17.4) | 5.5 (41.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −25.5 (−13.9) | −27.0 (−16.6) | −6.2 (20.8) | −1.0 (30.2) | 3.6 (38.5) | 7.4 (45.3) | 11.0 (51.8) | 9.3 (48.7) | 3.0 (37.4) | −4.6 (23.7) | −11.9 (10.6) | −21.1 (−6.0) | −27.0 (−16.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 1.6 (0.06) | 1.8 (0.07) | 2.8 (0.11) | 4.2 (0.17) | 10.2 (0.40) | 8.2 (0.32) | 15.0 (0.59) | 10.1 (0.40) | 6.7 (0.26) | 1.0 (0.04) | 1.4 (0.06) | 1.2 (0.05) | 64.2 (2.53) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 25.2 |
| Average snowy days | 5.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 3.6 | 11.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 63 | 55 | 43 | 37 | 41 | 45 | 52 | 58 | 60 | 59 | 59 | 66 | 53 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 161.6 | 168.3 | 193.7 | 218.2 | 270.6 | 306.2 | 306.6 | 276.3 | 255.6 | 253.3 | 207.1 | 163.7 | 2,781.2 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 53 | 55 | 52 | 54 | 61 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 70 | 56 | 63 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||

## Administrative divisions

The county includes 2 towns and 8 townships.
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Uyghur (UEY) | Uyghur Latin (ULY) | Administrative division code | Notes |
| Towns |||||||
| Makit Town | 麦盖提镇 | Màigàití Zhèn | مەكىت بازىرى | mekit baziri | 653127100 | |
| Bazarjemi Town | 巴扎结米镇 | Bāzhājiémǐ Zhèn | بازارجەمى بازىرى | bazarjemi baziri | 653127101 | formerly Bazarjemi Township (بازارجەمى يېزىسى / 巴扎结米乡) |
| Townships |||||||
| Shehitdong Township | 希依提墩乡 | Xīyītídūn Xiāng | شېھىتدۆڭ يېزىسى | shëhitdöng yëzisi | 653127201 | |
| Yantak Township | 央塔克乡 | Yāngtǎkè Xiāng | يانتاق يېزىسى | yantaq yëzisi | 653127202 | |
| Tümantal Township | 吐曼塔勒乡 | Tǔmàntǎlè Xiāng | تۈمەنتال يېزىسى | tümental yëzisi | 653127203 | |
| Ghazkol Township | 尕孜库勒乡 | Gǎzīkùlè Xiāng | غازكۆل يېزىسى | ghazköl yëzisi | 653127204 | |
| Qizilawat Township | 克孜勒阿瓦提乡 | Kèzīlè'āwǎtí Xiāng | قىزىلئاۋات يېزىسى | qizil'awat yëzisi | 653127205 | |
| Qumqisar Township | 库木库萨尔乡 | Kùmùkùsà'ěr Xiāng | قۇمقىسار يېزىسى | qumqisar yëzisi | 653127206 | |
| Hangghitliq Township | 昂格特勒克乡 | Ánggétèlèkè Xiāng | ھاڭغىتلىق يېزىسى | hangghitliq yëzisi | 653127207 | |
| Qurma Township | 库尔玛乡 | Kù'ěrmǎ Xiāng | قۇرما يېزىسى | qurma yëzisi | 653127208 | |

## Economy

The county has a highly developed irrigation system. Agricultural products of the county include cotton, corn, wheat, flax, melons, and sugar beet. The livestock industry is strong. Local specialities include dried apricot and raisins. Industries include coal mining, tractor manufacture, construction, textiles, etc.

## Demographics

As of 2015, 225,608 of the 272,010 residents of the county were Uyghur, 45,241 were Han Chinese and 1,161 were from other ethnic groups.
According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 220,000.
As of 1999, 78.36% of the population of Makit (Markit, Maigaiti) County was Uyghur and 21.43% of the population was Han Chinese.

## Transportation

* Sanchakou–Yarkant Expressway

## Historical maps

Historical English-language maps including Makit:
* Map including Makit (labeled as MAI-KAI-T'I (MERKET)) and surrounding region from the International Map of the World (AMS, 1966)
* Map including Makit (labeled as MARKIT (MAI-KAI-T'I)) (DMA, 1980)
* From the Operational Navigation Chart; map including Makit (labeled as Markit (Mai-kai-t'i))(DMA, 1980)
* Map including Makit (labeled as Markit (Mai-kai-t'i)) (DMA, 1984)