Tibet, a rich and beautiful land, is located at the main part of Qinghai-Tibet plateau, south-West frontier of China. Tibet borders with Sichuan, Yuannan, Qinghai And Xinjiang; to the south contiguous to India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Burma, and bounded by Kashmir on the west.
Geography
The geography of Tibet consists of the high mountains, lakes and rivers lying between Central, East and South Asia. Tibet is often called "the roof of the world", comprising table-lands averaging over 4,950 meters above the sea with peaks at 6,000 to 7,500 m, including Mount Everest. Most of Tibet sits atop a geological structure known as the Tibetan Plateau which includes the Himalaya and many of the highest mountain peaks in the world.
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 ad Tsetang located in this area, it is considered the cultural center of Tibet.
History
 In the 7th century, Songtsen Gampo, the leader of Tubo Kingdom, successively unified Tibet and married the Han Princess Wen Cheng who brought advanced technology and culture to Tibet. An era on friendly terms between Tang Dynasty and Tibet initiates. Till now, the Princess is still respected and worshipped by Tibetans and the history of Princess WenchengĄ¯s long journey to Tibet becomes a model for friendly association between Tibetans and Han people.
Population
Tibet is the most sparsely populated province in China. The average population density stands at 2 people per square kilometer. Some area is even depopulated zone. Ideology of people in this land differs greatly from any other nationality both at home in china and in the world. Religion seems almost everything. Many live for the next life, rather than for the present. They accumulate deeds of virtue and pray for the final liberation-enlightenment. Pious pilgrims from every corner of Tibet day to day gather at Jokhang Temple and Bharkor Street offering donations and praying heart and soul for their own Selves, for their friends, and for their friends' friends.
Religious Culture
 The Tibetan Buddhism culture, which has its own distinctive qualities and practices, is famous for the belief that there is a Living Buddha, who is the reincarnation of the first one. Additional, the motivations of pilgrimage are many, but for the ordinary Tibetan, it amounts to a means of accumulating merit or good luck. Mani stone mounds put up by devout believers can be seen everywhere, while crowds of worshipers inside & outside monasteries are either turning their prayer wheels, prostrating in prayer or bowing to Buddhist statues. Tibet, the lost paradise under sky, is undoubtedly a place where the spirit lives!
Food
Tibetan people eat the staple food Tsampa (which is made of roasted barley, ground with a hand mill into very fine flour) at every meal, and when traveling, it is brought along as a ready-made meal. The salted butter tea and sweet milk tea is an indispensable Tsampa companion. The most popular kinds of milk in Tibet are used to extract ghee. They often treat guests of qingke beer which is a sort of light alcohol made of wheat or highland barley through fermentation. The distilled liquor not only helps to keep the body warm but also promote the digestion of the meat.
In addition, Tibetan dagger is seen as the necessary part of the ordinary Tibetan's basic paraphernalia, not just a tool to defend, cut and eat meat, but a fashionable accessory.
 Scenery
Tibet, the amazing sacred land with a thousand-year history, enjoys such unparalleled travel resources as Mt. Qomolangma (the highest peak in the world) and Lake Namtso (the highest saltwater lake in the world). The blue sky, clear water and fresh air all add charm to this heavenly land. There are numerous scenic spots and historical attractions as well as religious monuments (such as grand Potala Palace and the Jokhang). As the Tibet Railway traverse mountain ranges and pass via rivers and lakes, the sceneries along the route become more attractive.
Traffic
 Tibet had no regular highways in the past. After the peaceful liberation, four distinct roads from Sichuan, Qinghai, Xingjiang and Yunnan to Tibet were built one after another. China-Nepal highway has provided major access to Lhasa, too. A highway network of Tibet, with Lhasa at the center has formed.
Then, the aviation has been launched to link Tibet. Nowadays, there are regular flights flying to and fro between Lhasa and many cities.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which is the longest and highest railway built atop a plateau, is China's first railroad to Tibet. It is not only a landmark achievement in Chinese engineering and design, but a modern wonder in the world railway history. During the construction of the railway, three challenges are encountered - permafrost, lack of oxygen and a fragile ecosystem. To avoid the threat of the terrible thunder near the Tanggula Pass with an altitude of 5,072 meters, the first-class equipments were installed and all the difficulties were overcome in the end. This miraculous sky railway, which runs across the 'roof of the world', is not only making Tibet step into a flourishing future in open stance, but also bringing new developing space to Tibet and richer life to Tibetans.
Although there are various modern vehicles today, skin rafts are still used as special tools to pass through the rivers in Tibet. |
