In 1997, rioting broke out in this region after the execution of 30 activists in the city of Gulja, which lies on the Ili River. The northern half of this region is dominated by the Dzungarian Basin and contains Turpan, a city located on the northern part of a trade route that branched out to avoid the Taklamakan Desert. Lop Nur is a major nuclear test site in this resource-rich region. Migration 
In 1997, rioting broke out in this region after the execution of 30 activists in the city of Gulja, which lies on the Ili River. The northern half of this region is dominated by the Dzungarian Basin and contains Turpan, a city located on the northern part of a trade route that branched out to avoid the Taklamakan Desert. Lop Nur is a major nuclear test site in this resource-rich region. Migration to this province's city of (*) Kashgar has fueled ethnic unrest, while the summer of 2009 saw major rioting in this region's Han-dominated capital of Urumqi. For 10 points, identify this province of northwestern China, often referred to as the autonomous region of a certain predominantly Islamic ethnic group.
In 1997, rioting broke out in this region after the execution of 30 activists in the city of Gulja, which lies on the Ili River.
{Xinjiang} [or {Uyghur Autonomous} Region; accept {Sinkiang}; accept {Eastern Turkestan} or {Chinese Turkestan} or {Uyghuristan} from a Uyghur nationalist)