Wenchuan County

Wenchuan County (Chinese: 汶川县; pinyin: Wènchuān Xiàn, Tibetan: ལུང་དགུ་རྫོང༌།, ZYPY: Lunggu Zong) is a county in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.

This county has an area of 4,084 square kilometres (1,577 sq mi) and a population of 106,119 as of 2005.

Wolong National Nature Reserve is a protected area located in Wenchuan County, which houses more than 150 highly endangered giant pandas. The Wolong Special Administrative Region is also located here.

The area was the site of the epicentre and one of the most severely hit areas of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake (or Wenchuan earthquake).

Wenchuan earthquake

Further information: 2008 Sichuan earthquake

On May 12, 2008, the area was the site of the epicentre and one of the most severely hit areas of the great Sichuan, or Wenchuan, earthquake (汶川地震). In Chinese, the earthquake is named after the county, making its name resonate across the nation. In the county, 15,941 people were dead, 34,583 injured, and 7,474 still missing as of June 6, 2008.

Wenchuan was at the center of one of two areas where seismic intensity were the highest at XI liedu during this earthquake. Since the earthquake, the central government has increased fortification intensity for seismic design for this area from VII to VIII.

Subdivisions

The rebuilt Wenchuan

Wenchuan County has six towns and seven townships:

• Towns:
  • Weizhou (威州镇)
  • Xuankou (漩口镇)
  • Shuimo (水磨镇)
  • Yingxiu (映秀镇)
  • Miansi (绵虒镇)
  • Wolong (卧龙镇)
• Townships:
  • Keku (克枯乡)
  • Longxi (龙溪乡)
  • Yanmen (雁门乡)
  • Caopo (草坡乡)
  • Yinxing (银杏乡)
  • Sanjiang (三江乡)
  • Gengda (耿达乡)
  • Baihua (白花乡)

Transport

• China National Highway 317
• China National Highway 213

External links

• Official website of Wenchuan County Government