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Nagqu (also Naqu, Nakchu, or Nagchu; ; ) is a prefecture-level city in the north of the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet. On May 7, 2018, the former Nagqu Prefecture was officially declared the sixth prefecture-level city in Tibet after Lhasa, Shigatse, Chamdo, Nyingchi and Shannan. The regional area, covering an area of , is bordered by Bayingolin and of Xinjiang to the north, Haixi, Yushu Prefectures of Qinghai and Chamdo to the east, Nyingchi, Lhasa and Shigatse to the south, Ngari Prefecture to the west. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 462,381. Since its official establishment in 2018, it is the largest prefecture-level city by area in the world, being slightly larger than Sweden.
Nagqu contains 89 townships, 25 towns, and 1,283 villages. The Nagqu Town is along the China National Highway 109, northeast of Lhasa. Amdo Town, Nyainrong and Xainza are other towns of note. Extremely rich in water resources, with 81% of Tibet's lakes, covering a total area of over , it contains lakes such as Namtso, Siling Lake and rivers such as Dangqu.
Every August (the sixth month in the Tibetan calendar), Nagqu hosts the Kyagqen Horse Race, a major event locally attracting tens of thousands of herdsmen to participate in horseracing and archery contests.
The earliest mosque was built in the 14th century. During the Song dynasty, Nagqu was called one of the Four Northern Tribes (). In 1269, the Mongolian soldiers began to garrison in the northern Tibet, and later the "39 Tribes of Hor" (, ) formed Mongolian forces in northern Tibet. In 1731, the Qing dynasty placed the territory of 39 Tribes under the direct jurisdiction of the Amban.
In 1751, Kanxiang Dzong () in Nagqu was formed to the direct rule of the Kashag, and part of the area was under the jurisdiction of Panchen Lama. Around the Xinhai Revolution, the government of the Kashag Government relegated the region of 39 Tribes to its rule and forcibly took over the Panchen Lama. In 1916, the "Hor Director" () was established. In 1942, the prefecture of Changchub Chikyab (, ) was formed.
In 1951, the seat of Changchub Chikyab Prefecture was Nagqu (Heihe) Town, the prefecture administered the pasture land to the northern Lhasa and 6 in Heihe area, the Conference Hall of Panchen Chamber () administered Damusajia Dzong (). The prefecture of Changchub Chikyab had jurisdiction over 14 dzongs in 1954.
The Preparatory Committee of Tibet Autonomous Region set up Chikyab Office () in Nagqu in October 1956, The prefecture of Changchub Chikyab was renamed to Heihe in 1959, the prefecture of Heihe was renamed to Nagqu in January 1960, its seat was Heihe County (modern Seni District).
The former Nagqu Prefecture was approved for prefecture-level city status on October 2, 2017, by the State Council, and it was officially established on May 7, 2018.
Nagqu is extremely rich in water resources, with a total surface water resources of about , groundwater resources of about and a further in glacial ice storage. The region contains 81% of Tibet's lakes, covering a total area of over . There are 11 lakes with an area of over and 121 lakes with an area of more than . Notable lakes include Namtso, spanning Nagqu's Baingoin County and neighboring Lhasa prefecture-level city's Damxung County with a surface area of , and Siling Lake (Qilin) spanning Baingoin and Xainza County counties, which at is the second largest saltwater lake in the northern Tibetan Plateau. Dorsoidong Co and Chibzhang Co, over northwest of Nagqu Town covered a lake area of as of 2018. The principal rivers of Nagqu are the Dangqu, Zhajia Zangbo, Jiagang Zangbu, Suoqu, Xiaqu, Benqu, Ba Qingqu, and Yiqu with hundreds more throughout the region. Purugangri Glacier is located about from Nagqu town within Qiangtang Nature Reserve, at 6,000 to 6,800 metres above sea level. Covering an area of , it has been confirmed to be the world's third largest.
Nagqu is a natural disaster-prone region, being affected by Monsoon, Plate tectonics, plus complex terrain and other disaster-causing factors. The annual average temperature is , while the coldest temperatures can reach . Overall it classifies as a dry-winter subalpine climate ( Dwc) bordering on a cool semi-arid climate ( BSk), with comfortable, humid summers and long, frigid, dry, windy winters. The differences between day and night are severe. It is not uncommon to have nights with temperatures below freezing after days with temperatures of or days with temperatures above freezing in winter after night temperatures of . Annual sunshine totals more than 2,886 hours. Nagqu town had an average annual rainfall of between 1956 and 2010. The southeastern part of the prefecture is wetter, with annual precipitation exceeding . while the northwestern part is driest with an average annual precipitation below . The effects of global warming increasingly pose a problem in the region, with record highs in 2019.
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| Seni District | 色尼区 | gser rnyed chus | 108,781 | 16,195 | 6.71 | |||
| Lhari County | 嘉黎县 | lha ri rdzong | 32,356 | 13,056 | 2.47 | |||
| Biru County | 比如县 | 'bri ru rdzong | 60,179 | 11,680 | 5.15 | |||
| Nyainrong County | 聂荣县 | gnyan rong rdzong | 32,376 | 9,017 | 3.59 | |||
| Amdo County | 安多县 | a mdo rdzong | 37,802 | 43,411 | 0.87 | |||
| Xainza County | 申扎县 | shan rtsa rdzong | 20,285 | 25,546 | 0.79 | |||
| Sog County | 索县 | sog rdzong | 43,621 | 5,744 | 7.59 | |||
| Baingoin County | 班戈县 | dpal mgon rdzong | 36,842 | 28,383 | 1.29 | |||
| Baqên County | 巴青县 | sbra chen rdzong | 48,284 | 10,326 | 4.67 | |||
| Nyima County | 尼玛县 | nyi ma rdzong | 29,856 | 72,499 | 0.41 | |||
| Shuanghu County | 双湖县 | mtsho gnyis rdzong | 11,999 | 116,637 | 0.10 | |||
With Nagqu being one of China's five biggest pastures, and possibly the highest in the world at above sea level, most counties rely on animal husbandry, and few counties are semi-agricultural and semi-animal husbandry areas. As of 2017, the regional GDP in Nagqu was 11,982 million Renminbi (1,775 million US dollars), completed fixed assets investment 18,549 million yuan (2,747 million US dollars), urban and rural residents per capita disposable income reached 31,252 yuan (4,629 US dollars), 9,792 yuan (1,450 US dollars), total retail sales of social consumer goods 2,127 million yuan (315 million US dollars), tax revenue exceeded 1,000 million yuan (148 million US dollars). Agriculture and animal husbandry accounted for 1.923 billion yuan. By 2015, the manufacturing industry was expected to be valued at 1.852 billion yuan, an increase of 23.4%. Production of medicines and Tibetan carpets have significantly increased in recent times. As of 2015 there were 5 scientific research institutions and 11 agricultural and animal husbandry science and technology-related institutions, employing 5,856 professional and technical personnel.
Every August (June in the Tibetan calendar), Nagqu hosts the Kyagqen Horse Race, a major event locally, attracting tens of thousands of herdsmen who arrive in Nagqu on their horses and with goods. They set up camp in tents in the southern part of the main town and participate in horse racing, horsemanship and archery contests on August 10. Hats, mostly made from lamb skins and artificial leather and an "antenna-like stripe of fabric at the top" are worn by women during the festival.
In Baingoin County, the Qiduo Cave Paintings are significant, with one cave containing over 200 images of animals, characters and symbols.
Fritillaria grow on alpine bushes and alpine meadows at an altitude of 4000–5000 meters, and is valued in Chinese herbal medicine for its ability to loosen mucus on the lungs and cure pulmonary-related ailments. Cordyceps sinensis is also valued for its effect on the lungs and kidneys, and is eaten as a delicacy in soups in restaurants in countries such as Singapore. Snow Lotus and Musk, known for its central nervous system stimulating effect, are also grown. Due to the region being too cold for trees to grow, the Chinese government are considering using solar power to introduce new forested areas to Nagqu, though it is not believed to be economically sustainable.
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