The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Manas
(mänäs´) (KEY) , town and oasis, central Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, on the Manas River, in the Dzungarian basin. It is the center of a large mechanized-farm area. Wheat, millet, sugar beets, melons, and cotton are grown. Since 1952 an extensive irrigation project, directed by the Chinese army, has reclaimed much acreage for cultivation. Oil deposits are in the area. The name sometimes appears as Ma-na-ssu.
