East Turkestan

East Turkestan is a loosely defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, at the crossroads of East and Central Asia. The term was coined in the 19th century by Russian Turkologists to replace "Chinese Turkestan," which referred to the Tarim Basin. From the 20th century, Turkic Muslim Uyghur separatists and their supporters used "East Turkestan" to refer to the whole of Xinjiang or a future independent state, rejecting the name "Xinjiang" due to its Chinese perspective. Two historical entities, the First East Turkestan Republic (1933-1934) and the Second East Turkestan Republic (1944-1946), existed. East Turkestan is a founding member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO).