The Capitals of the Jin Empire capital prefecture modern place Zhongdu 中都 "Central Capital" Daxing 大興 Beijing Shangjing 上京 "Superior Capital" Huining 會寧 Acheng 阿城/Heilongjiang Dongjing 東京 "Eastern Capital" Liaoyang 遼陽 Liaoyang/Liaoning Xijing 西京 "Western Capital" Datong 大同 Datong/Shanxi Beijing 北京 "Northern Capital" Dading 大定 Ningcheng 寧城/Liaoning Nanjing 南京 "Southern Capital" Kaifeng 開封 Kaifeng/Henan The circuits or proto-provinces of the Jin empire were (in the map in Courier type, underlined): Shangjing 上京路 Xianping 咸平路 Linhuang 臨潢路 Yanjing 燕京, later Zhongdu 中都路 Dongjing 東京路 Xijing 西京路 Hebei-Dong 河北東路 Hebei-Xi 河北西路 Daming 大名路 Hedong-Bei 河東北路 Hedong-Nan 河東南路 Fu-Yan 鄜延路 Qing-Yuan 慶原路 Xi-Qin 熙秦, later Fengxiang 鳳翔路 Lintao 臨洮路 Jingzhao 京兆路 Bianjing 汴京, later Nanjing 南京路 Shandong-Xi 山東西路 Shandong-Dong 山東東路 Below the circuit levels were prefectures (zhou 州, in Arial type) and superior prefectures (fu 府; underlined in Arial type). In the east and northeast the Jin administration had several special circuits or proto-provinces whose governors controlled sparsely inhabited areas: Hesuguan 曷蘇館路, Posu 婆速路, Helan 曷懶路, Supin 速頻路, Huligai 胡里改路 and Puyu 蒲與路. The border to the Gobi desert and steppe was loosely controlled as "bandit suppression commissions" (or "pacific action commissions" zhaotaosi 招討司) of the Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast. The steppe was inhabited by various mongolic and turkic tribes with the most important ethnic groups being the Mongols (Monggol, "Menggu" 蒙古, "Menggus" 萌古斯), Tatars ("Dadan" 達旦, "Tatar" 塔塔兒), Onggirads (Ongirat, "Wangjila" 王紀剌, "Hongjila" 弘吉剌), Önggüds (Öngüt, White Tatars, "Wanggu" 汪古), Kereyids (Keraits, "Kelie" 克烈), Merkits ("Mirji" 密兒紀) Oirats (Oyrats, "Woyila" 斡亦剌), Buryats ("Balahu 八剌忽"), Naiman (乃蠻), and Kirghiz ("Jilijisi" 吉利吉思). The Tarim Basin 塔里木盆地 was controlled by Uighurs (Uyghur, "Weiwur" 畏兀兒) and the Western Liao empire (Xiliao 西遼). About the geography of the Western Xia empire (Xixia 西夏), see the corresponding page about Western Xia geography.