TibetOverview

TibetliesontheQinghai-TibetPlateauofthesouthwestborderofChina.Theaverageheightofthewholeregionismorethan4,000metersabovesealevel,forwhichTibetisknownas"RoofoftheWorld".ThehighestpeakofTibet,alsothehighestinHimalayasandinthewholeworld,isEverestPeak,whichisashighas8,846.27metersabovesealevel.

AlthoughapartofChina,Tibethasauniquecultureofallthereown.ItismainlyinhabitedbyTibetans,aminoritynationalityofoldandmysteriouspeople.TouristattractionsincludethePotalaPalaceinLhasa,JokhangTemple,andanumberofBuddhistsacredplaces.

Tibet(XiZanginChinese)istothesouthofXinJiangUygurAutonomousRegionandQingHaiProvince,tothewestofSichuan,tothenorthwestofYunnanandtothenorthofIndiaandNepal.Itspopulationof2.3millionpeoplecomefromavarietyofethnicgroupsincludingTibetan,Han,MonbaandLhota.ItscapitalcityisLhasa.

NorthwestTibet,mainlyQingHaiplateau,ishometoavarietyofunusualanduniqueanimals.AcrossthenorthernexpanseofTibet,youcanseevastgrasslandswherehorses,yakandsheeproamfreely.Theworldslowestvalley,theGrandYarlun-tzanpoRiverValleyliesineastTibet.

NearlyallTibetansfollowTibetanBuddhism,knownasLamaism,withtheexceptionofapproximately2,000followersofIslamand600ofCatholicism.TibetanBuddhismwasgreatlyinfluencedbyIndianBuddhisminitsearlytime,butafteryearsofevolution,TibetanBuddhismhasdevelopeditsowndistinctivequalitiesandpractices.Awell-knownexampleisthebeliefthatthereisaLivingBuddha,whoisthereincarnationofthefirst,abeliefalientoChineseBuddhism.

Itisfreezingcoldinmosttimeoftheyear.MosttouristscometovisitTibetonlyinthewarmestseasons,June,July,AugustandearlySeptember.