The upper Ili Valley is separated from the
Dzungarian Basin in the north by the Borohoro Mountains, and from the
Tarim Basin in the south by the
Tian Shan. This region was the stronghold of the
Qing administration in Xinjiang in the late 18th and 19th centuries. It was occupied by Russia from 1871 to 1881 (from the
Yaqub Beg rebellion until the
Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)). Presently, the region forms part of Xinjiang's
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. The main city of the region,
Yining (Kulja), is located on the northern side of the river (about upstream from the international border). Until the early 1900s, the city was commonly known under the same name as the river, (
Pinyin: ;
Wade-Giles: ).
Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County in located on the southern side, which is home to many of China's
Xibe people (who resettled there in the 18th century as part of the Manchu Garrison). There are at least two dams on the Ili's tributary, the Kash River (), in
Nilka County, at and . At least two dams have been constructed on the Ili's left tributary, the Tekes River, and the Qiapuqihai Hydropower Station () in
Tokkuztara County (). There is also another smaller dam at , on the border of Tokkuztara and
Künes Counties. == Kazakh region ==