Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region (Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region) of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, Ningxia is crossed by the Yellow River. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary. The region is the home of the Hui people, one of the 56 officially recognised Nationalities of China. The capital is Yinchuan.
Ningxia is bounded by Shaanxi (to the east) and Gansu (in all directions but the north) provinces and Inner Mongolia (to the north) Autonomous Region and has an area of around 66,400 square kilometres (25,600 sq mi). Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was detached and reconstituted as an autonomous region for the Hui people in 1958. This sparsely settled mostly desert region lies in the vast plain of the Yellow River in the north which has been irrigated for centuries. Over the years an extensive system of canals has been built. Extensive land reclamation and irrigation projects have made increased cultivation possible.