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How do oases support settlement and farming in the Tarim Basin?

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Pagoda near Tian Lake — Xinjiang Pagoda close to Tian Lake, Ürümqi, Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, China.

In the arid Tarim Basin, oases are essential for sustaining human settlement and agriculture, as the region is the driest in Eurasia with extremely scanty precipitation.21

These oases are primarily supported by runoff from the surrounding mountain ranges, including the Tien Shan and the Kunlun Mountains. As snow melts in these mountains, water flows into the basin, feeding rivers and replenishing groundwater strata. This water allows for irrigation-based agriculture, which has historically been the foundation for scattered Uighur settlements.2134

While traditional oasis agriculture remains significant, the Chinese government has promoted large-scale irrigation projects and canals to expand farming in the region. These efforts support the production of various crops, including cotton, rice, grains, and fruits such as watermelons and grapes, which are vital to the local economy. Consequently, the majority of the population in the Tarim Basin is concentrated in these oasis areas, rather than engaging in the pastoralism found in the grasslands north of the Tien Shan.214