Located in the southwest frontier of the People's Republic of China, Tibet
Autonomous Region has an area of over 1.2 million square kilometers., which
makes up one-eighth of the total national area, only second to Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region. With the average elevation of over 4,000 meters, Tibet is the
plateau region with the largest space and the highest sea level in the world,
which is dubbed "the World Ridge" and "the Third Pole on the Globe". Tibet is
contiguous to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous Region and Qinghai Province by the
Kunlun and the Tanggula Mountains on the north, looks at Sichuan Province across
the Jinsha River on the east, is connected with Yunnan Province on the
southeast, borders Burmese, India, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and Kashmir. With
nearly 4,000 kilometers land boundary line, it is China's southwest barrier.
Famous for peculiar geological features, magnificent natural scenery,
splendid ethnic culture and characteristic local customs and practices, Tibet
has become the Holy Land for numerous Chinese and overseas tourists, mountain
explorers and scientific surveyors.
Geographically, Tibet can be divided into three major parts, the east, north
and south. The eastern part is forest region, occupying approximately one-fourth
of the land. Virgin forests run the entire breadth and length of this part of
Tibet. The northern part is open grassland, where nomads and yak and sheep dwell
here. This part occupies approximately half of Tibet. The southern and central
part is agricultural region, occupying about one-fourth of Tibet's land area.
With all major Tibetan cities and towns such as Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse and
Tsetang located in this area, it is considered the cultural center of Tibet. The
total area of the Tibet Autonomous Region is 1,200,000 square kilometers and its
population is 1,890,000. The region is administratively divided into one
municipality and six prefectures. The municipality is Lhasa, while the six
prefectures are Shigatse, Ngari, Shannan, Chamdo, Nagchu and Nyingchi.
