The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With 8,472 square miles (21,940 km2) and a population of more than 2.2 million people, it is the second-largest metropolitan area centered in Missouri (after Greater St. Louis) and is the largest metropolitan area in Kansas, though Wichita is the largest metropolitan area centered in Kansas. Alongside Kansas City, Missouri, these are the suburbs with populations above 100,000: Overland Park, Kansas; Kansas City, Kansas; Olathe, Kansas; Independence, Missouri; and Lee's Summit, Missouri.
Maqin County, located in the southeast of Qinghai Province and northeast of Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, is a national "Sanjiangyuan" ecological reserve. The county has a total area of 13400 square kilometers in 2009, of which the grassland area is 17.6362 million mu, and the available grassland area is 16.2801 million mu, accounting for 92.3% of the grassland area. It is a typical plateau and mountain type, with an average elevation of more than 4100 meters. It now has jurisdiction over 35 administrative villages and 96 animal husbandry cooperatives in 6 townships and 2 towns. In December 2016, it was listed as the third batch of national comprehensive pilot areas for new urbanization. On December 29, 2018, the sixth national unity and progress demonstration zone (unit) was named by the State Civil Affairs Commission.