The principal cities in the Junggar Basin are Urumqi, Shehezi, Ghulja, Karamay, Altay, and Changji, and the basin holds China's second largest desert, the Gurbantünggüt.
2010, Yalikun Tashi, Philippe C. Chamard, Marie-Françoise Courel, Tashpolat Tiyip, Yiliminuer Tuerxun, Sam Drake, “The Recent Evolution of the Oasis Environment in the Taklimakan Desert, China”, in Graciela Schneier-Madanes, Marie-Françoise Courel, editors, Water and Sustainability in Arid Regions: Bridging the Gap Between Physical and Social Sciences, Springer, page 52