They are Nei Mongol, Xinjiang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet), Ningxia Huizu, and in the
south Guangxi Zhuangzu, formerly a province. These autonomous regions constitute 42 percent of the territory of China but contain only some 6 percent of the population, Even some of the lower order civil divisions are based on ethnic groups, but in no case does their autonomy extend to more than cultural affairs; China's government is highly centralized. It uses a variety of technical and administrative devices to maintain control, one of which is the commune, the smallest minor civil division,