Altay Prefecture (; ; ) is located in northern
Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. It has an
area of and a population of 561,667 (2000). It is a part of
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. At the 2000 census, Altay was the only major subdivision of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture with an ethnic
Kazakh majority (about 51%). In 2007 it had a GDP of
RMB 9.9 billion with a 12% growth rate. It is also shares international border with the neighboring
Altai Republic,
Russia.