There are more than 37 recognized ethnic groups in Qinghai, which makes the population of the entire province about 5.2 million. As of the latest census in 2010, that population has grown to about 5.6 million people. The dominant Han population is 54.5% of the ethnic group, which is much smaller than many of the other provinces in China. Of the remaining minority, the majority identify as Tibetan or Hui. There are also some Mongol and Salar groups. Tibetans and Mongols are extremely sparsely distributed across the rural western part of the province.
The predominant regions in the province of Qinghai are Chinese folk religions, which include Confucianism and Taoism among the Han Chinese. There is also a small minority that observes Buddhist culture and traditions. The large Tibetan population in the area practices the Tibetan schools of Buddhism and the traditional Tibetan Bon religion. The Hui-Chinese ethnic group in the region mainly practices Islam. Christianity makes up less than 1% of the religious observance in the region. According to the religious survey of 2010, about 17.5 percent of the population of Qinghai follow Islam.
Qinnhgai has been largely influenced by both the Tibetan and Mongol cultures, as it sits between the reaches of these two countries to the north and south. There is also a large section of people influenced by the Inner Asian Muslim culture which is situated to the east and west. The languages of Qinghai are extremely unique, as they have borrowed words from Tibetan, Salar, Yugur, and Monguor to influence the dialects of the region. The Dongguan Mosque within the Qinghai region has been operating since 1380.
Qinghai, sometimes romanized as Tsinghai, is a landlocked province located to the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is considered the fourth-largest province by area but has the smallest population. The capital of the province is Xining. The Chinese name Qinghai is so named after the Qinghai lake, which is the largest lake in the nation of China. In Tibetan, this lake is known as Tso non, and as Kokonor Lake in English.
As previously mentioned, the historical populations of the province have largely been the Han Chinese ethnic group, as well as a large amount of Mongolian and Tibetan people. The area of Qinghai was initially controlled by Manchu Qing China in the year 1724 after the defeat of the Koshit Mongols. Until that time, the Mongols controlled most of the region.
The majority of the tourist attractions are in the principal city of Xining, especially during the hot summer months. Tourists from the Southern and Eastern parts of China travel to Xining as the weather is extremely mild and comfortable, comparatively, during July and August. China's largest lake, Qinghai Lake, is a major tourist attraction, both domestically and abroad. The lake itself is at a 3600m elevation and the surrounding area is made up of rolling grasslands.