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.
Qilian County, which belongs to Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, gets its name because it is located in the hinterland of the middle part of Qilian Mountains. It is adjacent to the Gansu Hexi Corridor, the primary passage of the ancient Silk Road, to the north, so it is known as the "north gate" of Qinghai. Qilian County covers an area of 14000 square kilometers, accounting for 41% of the total land area of the whole state. It has jurisdiction over 45 administrative villages in 4 townships and 3 towns, with a total population of 50,000 as of 2013, with 15 ethnic groups, including Han, Tibetan, Mongolian and Hui, with ethnic minorities accounting for 79.2% of the population. The average elevation in the territory is 3169 meters, the county seat is 2787 meters above sea level, the annual average temperature is 1 ℃, and the annual precipitation is about 420mm, which is a typical plateau continental climate. Qilian is an important resource-rich area in Qinghai Province. A variety of mineral resources, known as "China's Ural", is a key county in the development of resources in the province. "Qilian" system