Kansu Corridor

Kansu Corridor 

(also Hohsi Corridor), a chain of narrow basins extending along the northern foothills of the Nan Shan, in China. The corridor is bounded on the north by the Pei Shan and the Lungshou Shan. It is approximately 1,000 km long and ranges in width from 20 to 100 km; elevations range from 800 m in the west to 1,500 m in the east. The Kansu Corridor is a system of grabens with high southern and low northern sides. In the foothills of the mountains, the corridor is composed of coarse gravel; in the east it is overlain with loesses. In the west, solonchaks and stretches of sand are encountered in low areas. The principal rivers are the Sulo Ho and the Hei Ho (Jo Shui). The corridor has desert and semidesert vegetation and large oases, including Wuwei, Changyeh, Yumen, and Anhsi. The local population engages in irrigation farming, chiefly the cultivation of grain crops and cotton. Petroleum is extracted at Yumen.