The Salar are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority of China whose population of over 1 million is concentrated along the Yellow River on the border between Qinghai and Gansu provinces. Unlike the Hui, the Salar have retained a distinct language down to the present day, a Turkic language also known as Salar. Owing to their proximity to Han, Hui, and Tibetan communities, the language, culture, and lines of ethnic descent of the Salar display strong outside influence.