In midsummer, the air temperature can sometimes reach 35°C, but the water is so cold that you will hardly be able to swim in it. Most travellers refuse to swim. The temperature is no more than 12°C on the sunniest days. There is an ongoing debate among scientists about the origin of the Karakul ice.

Xinjiang is inhabited by more than 40 different ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Uyghurs 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.

Facts and Stats | PBS. Stretching across an area four times the size of California, Xinjiang is China's largest province. Officially called the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by the Chinese government, this northwestern province accounts for one-sixth of China's total territory.

Lake Karakul in northeast Tajikistan is a hypersaline lake with no external drainage, receiving less than 3 cm precipitation per year. It is on the highest part of the fabled Pamir highway at 3900 m. In the local Kyrgyz language, the lake is called "The Black Lake".