Geography
Today, the People's Republic of China is divided into 23
provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities directly
under tile Central Government. and two special administrative
regions. Tibet is one of the five autonomous regions, featuring
autonomy mainly by the Tibetan race.
The Tibet Autonomous Region itl southwest China forms the
-outhwestern portion of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It adjoins the
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the provinces of Qinghai
to the north, Sichuan to the east and Yunnan to the southeast, and
the nations of Myanmar. India. Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal to the
south and west along an international border of nearly 4,000
kilometers. The 1.22-million-square-kilometer autonomous region
accounts for 12.8 percent of China's total land area.
,Averaging more than 4,000 meters in ele'. ation. Tibet forms
the main part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is known as the
"roof of the world". While the topography is complex. the area
can be divided into three distract natural zone,,:
The North Tibet Plateau in the north, which, accounting for
two-thirds of the region in area. is surrounded by the Kuntun,
Tanggula, Kangdesc, and Nyainqentanglha mountains:
The Tibet Valley in the south, where the Yarlung Zangbo River
and its tributaries flow:
High Mountains and Deep Valleys in the east. including,, part
of the Hengduan Mountains. which run east-west and then north-
south.
Geomorphologically. there are six principal forms: polar alti-
tude mountains, alpine mountains, medium-height mountains, low
mountains, hills and plains. volcanic. aeolian, karst and periglacial
landforms are found as well.
The Himalayas are a group of mountain ranges running roughly
parallel to one another in an east-west direction on the southern
edge of the Tibet Plateau along China's border with India and
Nepal. The mountains run for 2,400 kilometers at a-width of 200
to 300 kilometers and altitudes averaging over 6,000 meters. Mount
Qomolangma. the world's highest peak with an elevation of
8.848.13 meters, rising abruptly on the Sino-Nepalese border mid-
way through the range. Four peaks each with an elevation of over
8.000 meters and 38 peaks each over 7.000 meters can be found in
the more than 5.000 square kilometers surrounding Qomolangma.
More than 20 river, with drainage areas in excess of 10,000
square kilometers and more than 100 with drainage areas of more
than 2.000 square kilt, meters are lound in Tibet. Best known are
the Jinshajiang. Nujiang. Lancangjiang and Yarlung Zangbo rivers.
Tibet has more rivers flowing into foreign countries than any other
Chinese provinces, municipalities directly under the Central Gov-
ernment and autonomous regions. Great rivers of Asia that find
their origin in Tibet include the Ganges. Hindus. Brahmaputra.
Mekong. Salween and lrrawaddv. These rivers for the most part
arise from rains, melted ice and snow and underground water, hence
their water is of excellent quality, their flow rate high and siltage
low.
The Yarlung Zangbo River, the largest of its kind in Tibet, has
its source in the Gyimayangzong Glacier at the northern foot of
the Himalayas in Zhongba County. Alter flowing through Lhoyu
and entering India it is known as the Brahmaputra. The 2.057-
kilometer Chinese portion, with a drainage area of more than
240.000 square kilometers at an approximate average altitude of
4.500 meters high, is the world's highest-altitude river.
The 370-kilometer Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon. with a depth
of 5.382 meters, the world's deepest, is only 74 meters wide at the
narrowest point along its base and 200 meters at the widest.
The vast Tibet Plateau is bejeweled with more than 1.500 large
and small lakes: the Nam Co. Siling Co and Zhaxi Namco are
larger than 1.000 square kilometers and 47 other lakes are larger
than 100 square kilometers. All told there are 24.183 square kilo-
meters of lakes, about one-third of China's total. The Tibet Pla-
teau is the area in China with the most dense concentration of
lakes: in terms of number, area and altitude of lakes it leads all the
world's plateaus. Most of these lakes are saline. Seventeen, all
larger than 50 square kilometers, are located about 5,000 meters.
The Tibet Plateau's various complex topographies and land-
forms engender a distinctive climate. Beyond the general tendency
of a cold. dry northwest and a warm, wet southeast, can be found
a wide variety of localized climates and distinct vertical climatic
belts. Two sayings--"different weather five kilometers apart" and
"four seasons in one day"--well describe this phenomenon.
Tibet has thinner air. more sunlight, lower temperatures and
less precipitation than other areas in China. The air contains only
150 to 170 grams of oxygen per cubic meter. 62 to 65.4 percent
the rate found in plains areas. Solar energy is more readily avail-
able than elsewhere nationally, with more than one-third to even
double that available in plains area at the same latitude. There are
also more hours of daylight than elsewhere in China: in Lhasa
there are 3,021 hours of daylight annually. Daytime and nighttime
temperature vary greatly, despite tow average temperatures and
low annual temperature differentials. Average temperatures and
peak temperatures for the hottest month in Lhasa and Xigaze are
10-15 degrees centigrade lower than in Chongqing, Wuhan and
Shanghai at about the same latitude. Annual temperatures in Lhasa.
Qamdo, Xigaze and elsewhere in Tibet range 18 to 20 degrees
centigrade over the year. At elevations in excess of 5,000 meters
in Ngari Prefecture. daytime temperatures in August climb above
10 degrees centigrade, only to fall below zero at night.
Seasonal precipitation is disproportionately distributed through-
out the region. The dry season and the rainy season are clearly
demarcated. Rain usually falls at night. Annual precipitation is
5.000 millimeters in the lower elevations to the southeast decreas-
ing gradually to a mere 50 millimeters in the northwest. Precipita-
tion from October to April accounts for only 10 to 20 percent of
the yearly total. Rainfall is concentrated in the period between
May and September. accounting for about 90 percent of the yearly
precipitation.
The Tibet Autonomous Region is composed of one city and six
prefectures, including one city directly under the regional
government. 71 counties, and one county-level city. Lhasa. the
capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, is the political, economic.
cultural, and communication and transportation center for the en-
tire region. It has a recorded history of more than 1,300 years,
Located on the northern bank in the middle reaches of the Lhasa
River, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the city has an
elevation of ,3,658 meters. The city, with an area of 30,000 square
kilometers, is home to 400,000 people, including 140,000 fixing
in the 51-square-kilometer city proper. Tibetans. Han, Hui and
other ethnic groups live in the city. with Tibetans accounting' for
87 percent of the population.
Agriculture and animal husbandry are relatively: well devel-
oped in the areas surrounding the city proper. A group of veg-
etabie and meat production bases have recently been set up. The
region's mainstay industrial enterprises are concentrated in the
Lhasa area. There is a network of more than l0.000 commercial
outlets in the city.
Great changes have taken place to the city of Lhasa since Tibet's
peaceful liberation in 1951, and even more since China's imple-
mentation of the reform and opening policy in 1979. The urban
area has seen the construction of many new buildings combining
traditional Tibetan and modern styles, such as the Lhasa Hotel,
the Tibet People's Hall. the Tibet University, the Tibet Gymnasium.
the Regional People's Hospital, the Lhasa Cinema, the Potala Pal-
ace Square. the Tibet Library, the Tibet Museum and the Lhasa
Children's Center. Infrastructure including transportation, telecom-
munications and energy has developed rapidly. Program-controlled
telephones and a satellite communication ground station have al-
ready been set up. A regionwide highway network centering around
Lhasa has been formed. In the urban area the roads are asphalt and
there is running water and a sewage system. The 20-to-30-square-
kilometer Yangbajain geothermal field, listed as a key State de-
velopment pilot project, delivers ground surface natural thermal
energy as high as 107.000 kilocalories per second. With an esti-
mated 150.000 kilowatts potential, it is the largest geothermal
power plant currently under development in China.
Lnasa has more than 200 sites known for their cultural relics.
More than 20 of these have already been opened to tourism soon
to be joined by another 30..main tourist destinations include fa-
mous structures 1ike the Jokhang Monastery, the Ramoche
.Monastery, the Potala Palace. the Gandain Monastery, the
Zhaibung Monastery. the Sera Monastery, and the Norbu Lingka
and picturesque scenic spots such as the Nam Co Lake. hot springs
at Derzhom. and tile nature reserves in Lhunzhub and
Maizhokunggar. The Barkor Street at the center of the old city is a
place where tourists can find some of what remains of the city's
original appearance. Lined with closely packed shops, it is bus-
tling with activity. ,An endless stream of pilgrims winds its way
around the monasterv, passing by handicrafts and other traditional
goods spread out for sale to either side.