Nomenclature
The names of most of the PRC's autonomous areas are made from linking together:
- the name of a geographical area;
- the name or names of the predominant ethnic minority or minorities;
- the word "Autonomous";
- a type of administrative division.
For instance:
| Level | Geographical area | + | Ethnic name/s | + | "Autonomous" | + | Admin. division | = | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guangxi | Zhuang | Autonomous | Region | Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | ||||
| 2 | Dehong | Dai & Jingpo | Autonomous | Prefecture | Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture | ||||
| 3 | Shizhu | Tujia | Autonomous | County | Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County | ||||
| 3 | Evenk | Evenks | Autonomous | Banner | Evenk Autonomous Banner |
In the Chinese name of the administrative area, the nationality name is always suffixed with -族 ("nationality"), unless the nationality name consists of more than two syllable (e.g. Xinjiang Uygur /Wéi'wǔ'ěr AR) or the geographical name contains the nationality name (e.g. Inner Monglia and Tibet ARs). This distinction is not reflected in translation into English.
Some autonomous areas have more than one specified minority, which tend to be listed in the name of the prefecture, creating rather long names. Two autonomous counties simply use "Various Nationalities" in their names as placeholders, rather than listing out all of their designated ethnicities:
| Full name | Geographical | Nationality | Administrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture | Enshi | Tujia and Miao | Autonomous Prefecture |
| Shuangjiang Lahu, Va, Blang and Dai Autonomous County | Shuangjiang | Lahu, Va, Blang and Dai | Autonomous County |
| Longlin Various Nationalities Autonomous County | Longlin | Various Nationalities (Miao, Yi and Gelao) | Autonomous County |
| Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County | Longsheng | Various Nationalities (Dong, Yao, Miao) | Autonomous County |
A few autonomous areas break the regular nomenclature pattern, because the name of the nationality is already contained within the geographical name, or because there is no geographical name:
| Full name | Geographical | Nationality | Administrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tibet Autonomous Region | Tibet | (Tibetan) | Autonomous Region |
| Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | Inner Mongolia | (Mongol) | Autonomous Region |
| Dongxiang Autonomous County | — | Dongxiang | Autonomous County |
| Evenki Autonomous Banner | — | Evenks | Autonomous Banner |
| Oroqin Autonomous Banner | — | Oroqin | Autonomous Banner |
Read more about this topic: Autonomous Administrative Divisions Of The People's Republic Of China