Introduction

Popularly known as the “Roof of the World”, Tibet is the highest region on the Earth. It is the home of the indigenous Tibetan people situated in the Central Asia with an average elevation of 4,900 M.

In the seventh century the famous King Sogntsen Gampo united many parts of Tibet. The Dalai Lamas are the spiritual leader of Tibet since early 1600s. They also had been the political and head of the centralized Tibetan administrations. But today it is a part of the People’s Republic of China

Most of the region is severely dry with rarified air as the mountain rages prevent the moisture from the ocean from reaching the plateaus. The western passes receives very small amounts of snow thus remains accusable throughout the year.

Low temperatures are prevalent throughout these western regions with scarce vegetation. The Indian monsoon exerts some influence on eastern Tibet. Northern Tibet is subject to high temperatures in the summer and intense cold in the winter.

The main regions are Amdo, Kham and Ü-Tsang. Tibetan cultural influences extend to the neighboring states of Bhutan, Nepal, adjacent regions of India such as Sikkim and Ladakh, and adjacent provinces of China where Tibetan Buddhism is the predominant religion.

Several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan Plateau including: Yangtze, Yellow River, Indus River, Mekong, Brahmaputra River (the main river that flows through Tibet. In Tibetan, referred to as the Yarlung Tsangpo), Ganges, Salween and Yarlung Tsangpo River

The Indus, Brahmaputra rivers originate from a lake in Western Tibet, near Mount Kailash. The mountain is a holy pilgrimage for both Hindus and Tibetans. The Hindus consider the mountain to be the abode of Lord Shiva. The Tibetan name for Mt Kailash is Khang Rinpoche.

Lhasa is Tibet's traditional capital and the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa contains the world heritage site the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, the residences of the Dalai Lama. Lhasa contains a number of significant temples and monasteries which are deeply engrained in its history including Jokhang and Ramoche Temple.

Shigatse is the country's second largest city, west of Lhasa. Gyantse, Chamdo are also amongst the largest.

Other cities in Historic Tibet include, Nagchu, Nyingchi, Nedong, Barkam, Sakya, Gartse, Pelbar, Lhatse, and Tingri; in Sichuan, Kangding (Dartsedo); in Qinghai, Jyekundo or Yushu, Machen, and Golmud. There is also a large Tibetan settlement in South India near Kushalanagara. India created this settlement for Tibetan refugees that escaped Chinese persecution and fled to India.