Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

is a plateau region

Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...

 in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people

Tibetan people

The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...

. With an average elevation

Elevation

The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....

 of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World."

A unified Tibet first came into being under Songtsän Gampo in the 7th century. From the early 17th century until the 1959 uprising

1959 Tibetan uprising

The 1959 Tibetan uprising, or 1959 Tibetan Rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the Communist Party of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement in 1951...

, the Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...

s (Tibetan Buddhist

Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...

 spiritual leaders) were, at least nominally, heads of a centralised Tibetan administration, with political power to administer religious and administrative authority over large parts of Tibet from the traditional capital Lhasa

Lhasa

Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...

. They are believed to be the emanations of Avalokiteśvara

Avalokitesvara

Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....

 (or "Chenrezig" [spyan ras gzigs] in Tibetan), the bodhisattva

Bodhisattva

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...

 of compassion.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tibet:

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country names: Tibet
  Tibet
  Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
  
  ; or Xizang
• Official English country names: Tibet
  Tibet
  Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
  
  ; or the Xizang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China
  People's Republic of China
  China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
  
  
• Common endonym(s):
• Official endonym(s):
• Adjectival(s): Tibetan
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Tibet
• ISO region code for Xizang: CN-54
  ISO 3166-2:CN
  ISO 3166-2:CN is the entry for China in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for China, ISO 3166-2 codes are defined...
  
  

Geography of Tibet

• Location:
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
     and Eastern Hemisphere
    Eastern Hemisphere
    The Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the Prime Meridian and west of 180° longitude. It is also used to refer to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, vis-à-vis the Western Hemisphere, which includes...
    
    
  • Eurasia
    Eurasia
    Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
    
    
    • Asia
      Asia
      Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
      
      
      • Central Asia
        Central Asia
        Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
        
        
      • South Asia
        South Asia
        South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
        
        
      • East Asia
        East Asia
        East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
        
        
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    : China Standard Time (UTC+08)
  • Extreme points of Tibet
    • High: Mount Everest
      Mount Everest
      Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
      
       8848 m (29,029 ft) – highest point on Earth
      Earth
      Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
      
      
    • Low: Yarlung Zangbo 1615 m (5,299 ft)
• Population of Tibet:
• Area of Tibet:
• Demographics of Tibet
• Atlas of Tibet

Environment of Tibet

• Climate

Flora (plants of Tibet)

• • Lichen
    Lichen
    Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
    
    s
  • Grass
    Grass
    Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
    
    es
  • Ampelocissus xizangensis
    Ampelocissus xizangensis
    Ampelocissus xizangensis is a deciduous vine in the Vitaceae family, native to shrublands in the high valleys of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal, at elevations about 2000 m high....
    
    
  • Anisodus tanguticus
    Anisodus tanguticus
    Anisodus tanguticus is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae which includes many important agricultural plants. It is mostly found growing in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. A. tanguticus are collected and used mostly for its medicinal effects thought to be derived from the plants...
    
    
  • Aralia tibetana
    Aralia tibetana
    Aralia tibetana is a species of plant in the Araliaceae family. It is endemic to Tibet - China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
    
    
  • Borinda
    Borinda
    Borinda is a genus of clumping bamboos erected in 1994 by Stapleton and previously included in the genera Fargesia and Yushania. They have been recognized to present different flowers and shorter rhizomes than Yushanias....
    
    
  • Buddleja crispa var. tibetica
    Buddleja crispa var. tibetica
    Tibetica is a xerophytic variety of Buddleja crispa discovered and collected in 1904 in the Llalung Valley , Tibet, by H. J. Walton, a member of the Tibet Frontier Commission, whilst travelling from Sikkim to Lhasa...
    
    
  • Buddleja forrestii
    Buddleja forrestii
    Buddleja forrestii is a deciduous shrub or small tree widely distributed from India to western China. First described by Diels in 1912, he named the species for plant hunter George Forrest, who discovered the plant in Yunnan in 1903, and introduced it....
    
    
  • Cedrus deodara
  • Cupressus gigantea
    Cupressus gigantea
    Cupressus gigantea, the Tibetan cypress, is a species of conifer in the Cupressaceae family in Asia.-King Cypress:The biggest known specimen is famous King Cypress, about 50 meters high, 5.8 meters in diameter, of crown-projection-area; and calculated age of 2,600 years.-Source:* Conifer...
    
    
  • Cupressus torulosa
    Cupressus torulosa
    Cupressus torulosa, known as the Himalayan cypress, is a species of cypress in southern Asia.-Distribution:The Himalayan cypress is an evergreen conifer tree species is found in the Himalaya from . It is also found on limestone terrain in Sichuan China and in Vietnam.-See also:*Cupressus*Index:...
    
    
  • Fallopia baldschuanica
    Fallopia baldschuanica
    Fallopia baldschuanica is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by several common names, including Russian vine, Bukhara fleeceflower, Chinese fleecevine, mile-a-minute and silver lace vine...
    
    
  • Incarvillea
    Incarvillea
    Incarvillea is a genus of 16 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to central and eastern Asia, with most of the species growing at high altitudes in the Himalaya and Tibet. The most familiar species is Incarvillea delavayi, a garden plant commonly known as "hardy gloxinia"...
    
    
  • Juniperus indica
    Juniperus indica
    Juniperus indica is a juniper native to high altitudes in the Himalaya, occurring from the northern Indus Valley in Kashmir east to western Yunnan in China....
    
    
  • Juniperus tibetica
    Juniperus tibetica
    Juniperus tibetica is a species of juniper, native to western China in southern Gansu, southeastern Qinghai, Sichuan, and Tibet, where it grows at high to very high altitudes of 2,600–4,800 m....
    
    
  • Luculia gratissima
    Luculia gratissima
    Luculia gratissima is an ornamental plant in the Rubiaceae family, which is native in Himalaya, Nepal to Assam, Tibet, Indo-China, Yunnan.-External links:*** photo...
    
    
  • Paeonia lactiflora
    Paeonia lactiflora
    Paeonia lactiflora, also Chinese Peony , and common garden peony is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to central and eastern Asia from eastern Tibet across northern China to eastern Siberia...
    
    
  • Parapteropyrum
    Parapteropyrum
    Parapteropyrum is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae with a single species endemic to Tibet....
    
    
  • Russian sage
  • Noble rhubarb
  • Salvia castanea
    Salvia castanea
    Salvia castanea is a herbaceous perennial plant discovered in the Yunnan Valley in China in 1904 by plant collector George Forrest. It also grows in Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. The plants used in horticulture today likely came from seed collected from a plant at 14,000 in Nepal, at the base of Mt....
    
    
  • Salvia wardii
    Salvia wardii
    Salvia wardii is a perennial plant that is native to Tibet, found growing in alpine grasslands and thickets at elevation. It grows high, on strong stems that are glandular and hairy, forming into a thick spreading plant. It has many basal leaves that are ovate to subhastate, long and wide...
    
    
  • Spikenard
    Spikenard
    Spikenard is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas of China, also found growing in the northern region of India and Nepal. The plant grows to about 1 m in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers...
    
    
  • Tetrapanax tibetanus
    Tetrapanax tibetanus
    Tetrapanax tibetanus is a species of plant in the Araliaceae family. It is endemic to China.-References:* China Plant Specialist Group 2004. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
    
    
  • Tibetan Elm
    Ulmus microcarpa
    Ulmus microcarpa L. K. Fu, known as the Tibetan Elm in the USA, remains one of the more obscure Chinese elms, endemic only to the broadleaved forests of the south-eastern corner of Xizang Province at altitudes of around 2800 m....
    
    
  • Siberian Elm
  • Utricularia salwinensis
    Utricularia salwinensis
    Utricularia salwinensis is a small, probably perennial, carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. It is endemic to China and is only known from the type location in northwestern Yunnan and two other collections in southeastern Xizang...
    
    
• Fauna
  • Tibetan Wild Ass
    Kiang
    The kiang is the largest of the wild asses. It is native to the Tibetan Plateau, where it inhabits montane and alpine grasslands. Its current range is restricted to Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, plains of the Tibetan plateau and northern Nepal along the Tibetan border...
    
    
  • Tibetan Gazelle
    Goa (antelope)
    The Goa , also known as the Tibetan Gazelle, is a species of antelope that inhabits the Tibetan plateau.-Description:...
    
    
  • Snow Leopard
    Snow Leopard
    The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
    
    
  • Black-necked Crane
    Black-necked Crane
    The Black-necked Crane is a medium-sized crane that is found on the Tibetan Plateau of Asia. It is 139 cm long with a 235 cm wingspan, and it weighs 5.5 kg . It is whitish-gray, with a black head, red crown patch, black upper neck and legs, and white patch to the rear of the eye...
    
    

Geographic features of Tibet

• Tibetan Plateau
  Tibetan Plateau
  The Tibetan Plateau , also known as the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a vast, elevated plateau in Central Asia covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai, in addition to smaller portions of western Sichuan, southwestern Gansu, and northern Yunnan in Western China and Ladakh in...
  
  
  • Surrounding mountains:
    • Himalayas
      Himalayas
      The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
      
      
    • Kunlun Mountains
      Kunlun Mountains
      The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.The...
      
      
    • Altyn-Tagh
      Altyn-Tagh
      Altyn-Tagh, Astyn-Tagh, Altun Mountains, Altun Shan or Aerjin Shan Tagh proper is a part of the range south of Lop Nor), is a mountain range in northwestern China that separates the eastern Tarim Basin from the Tibetan Plateau...
      
      
    • Qilian Mountains
    • Hengduan Mountains
    • Karakoram
      Karakoram
      The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
      
      

• • Lake Region (Changtang):
    • Pangong Tso
      Pangong Tso
      Pangong Tso is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about . It is long and extends from India to Tibet. 60% of the length of the lake lies in China. The lake is wide at its broadest point...
      
      
    • Lake Rakshastal
      Lake Rakshastal
      Lake Rakshastal is a lake in Tibet, lying close to the west of Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash. The Satluj River originates at Rakshastal's northwestern tip. Despite its close proximity to Lake Manasarovar—over the road to Purang County, Lake Rakshastal does not share the lore of worship with...
      
      
    • Lake Manasarovar
      Lake Manasarovar
      Lake Manasarovar, Mapam Yumco , or Manasa Sarovar/Lake Manas , is a fresh-water lake in Tibet Autonomous Region of China approximately from Lhasa. To the west of Lake Manasa Sarovar is Lake Rakshastal and towards the north is Mount Kailash...
      
      
    • Yamdrok Lake
      Yamdrok Lake
      Yamdrok Lake is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet . It is over long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake does have an outlet stream at its far western end....
      
      
    • Dagze Lake
    • Namtso
      Namtso
      Namtso or Lake Nam is a mountain lake on the border between Damxung County of Lhasa Prefecture and Baingoin County of Nagqu Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, approximately NNW of Lhasa....
      
      
    • Pagsum Lake
    • Siling Lake
    • Lhamo La-tso
      Lhamo La-tso
      Lhamo La-tso or Lhamo Latso , the small oval 'Oracle Lake', is where senior Tibetan monks go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions...
      
      
    • Lumajangdong Co
      Lumajangdong Co
      Lumajangdong Co is a lake in China with an area of 250 km². It is located at 34° 2' 0" and 81° 40' 0". Gormain lies a few miles to the northeast.-External links:* * Map showing location of the lake...
      
      
    • Qinghai Lake
      Qinghai Lake
      Qinghai Lake , is a saline lake situated in the province of Qinghai, and is the largest lake in China. The names Qinghai and Kokonor both mean "Blue/Teal Sea/Lake" in Chinese and Mongolian. It is located about west of the provincial capital of Xining at 3,205 m above sea level in a depression...
      
      

• • River region:
    • Yellow River
      Yellow River
      The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
      
      
    • Yangtze River
      Yangtze River
      The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
      
      
    • Yalong River
      Yalong River
      The Nyag Qu or Yalong River, also called Ya-lung River is an 822 mile long river in the Sichuan province of southern China. It flows into the Yangtze River along the border with Yunnan. It is a tributary of the Yangtze River...
      
      
    • Salween River
      Salween River
      The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...
      
       (Nu)
    • Mekong
      Mekong
      The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
      
       (Lancang)
    • Indus River
      Indus River
      The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
      
      
    • Sutlej
      Sutlej
      The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.The Sutlej...
      
      
    • South Tibet Valley:
      • Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon
      • Yarlung Zangbo River
        Yarlung Zangbo River
        Yarlung River is a watercourse that originates upstream from the South Tibet Valley and Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, in Tibet. It then passes through the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is known as the Dihang....
        
         (Brahmaputra River
        Brahmaputra River
        The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
        
        )
      • Nyang River
        Nyang River
        The Nyang River is a major river in south-west Tibet and the longest tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo river....
        
        
      • Lake Paiku
        Lake Paiku
        Lake Paiku -- in Tibetan Paiku-Tso or -Tsho -- is at 4,591 meters elevation on the Tibetan Plateau at , 18 km south of the Yarlung Tsangpo Lake Paiku (or Peiku) -- in Tibetan Paiku-Tso or -Tsho -- is at 4,591 meters (15,070 ft) elevation on the Tibetan Plateau at , 18 km south of the Yarlung...
        
        
      • Lake Puma Yumco
        Lake Puma Yumco
        Lake Puma Yumco is a lake located at 5,030 meters above mean sea level on the southern Tibetan Plateau. It is long, and is wide. Streams of water from the snow-capped surrounding mountains feed the lake, but the lake has no outlet...
        
        

Administrative divisions of Tibet

Main article: Administrative divisions of Tibet

• Capital of Tibet: Lhasa
  Lhasa
  Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
  
  

Tibet is divided into 7 prefecture-level divisions, 73 county-level divisions, and 692 township-level divisions. The 7 prefecture-level divisions are:

• Lhasa City
• Nagchu Prefecture
• Chamdo Prefecture
• Nyingtri Prefecture
• Shannan Prefecture
  Shannan Prefecture
  The Shannan Prefecture also known as the Lhoka Prefecture is a prefecture in the southeastern area of the Tibet Autonomous Region...
  
  
• Xigazê Prefecture
  Xigazê Prefecture
  Xigazê is a prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region in China.The administrative center of the prefecture is the city of Shigatse ....
  
  
• Ngari Prefecture
  Ngari Prefecture
  Ngari Prefecture is a prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Its capital is Gar County. Its regional headquarters is in the town of Purang. The biggest town is Ali. It includes part of the Aksai Chin area, a disputed region claimed by India but over which China exercises administrative...
  
  

There are also three traditional provinces or regions of Tibet:

• Ü-Tsang
  Ü-Tsang
  Ü-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount...
  
  
• Amdo
  Amdo
  Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
  
  
• Kham
  Kham
  Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
  
  

Government and politics of Tibet

Main article: Politics in Tibet

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : Autonomous areas of China
  Autonomous areas of China
  In a similar fashion to the former Soviet Union's titular nations, a number of areas associated with one or more ethnic minorities are designated as autonomous within the People's Republic of China . These areas are recognized in the PRC's constitution and are nominally given a number of rights not...
  
  ; Government in exile
  Central Tibetan Administration
  The Central Tibetan Administration , is an organisation based in India with the stated goals of "rehabilitating Tibetan refugees and restoring freedom and happiness in Tibet". It was established by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959 shortly after his exile from Tibet...
  
  
• Capital of Tibet: Lhasa
• Elections in Tibet

Executive branch of the government of Tibet

• Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region: Padma Choling
  Padma Choling
  Padma Choling is the eighth and current Chairman of the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. He took this position in 2010 from the vice-chairmanship that he had since 2003, since given to Lobsang Gyaltsen. He also heads the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress...
  
  
• Local Communist Party secretary
  Communist Party of China
  The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
  
  : Zhang Qingli
  Zhang Qingli
  Zhang Qingli was the Secretary of the Communist Party of China Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee. He is also a member of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Known for his tough policies in ethnic regions, Zhang has dismissed ethnic officials whom he considers unreliable...
  
  

Legislative branch of the government of Tibet

• Tibetan Regional Congress Standing Committee (unicameral)

Law and order in Tibet

• Constitution of Tibet
• Crime in Tibet
  • Law enforcement in Tibet
• Human rights in Tibet
  Human rights in Tibet
  Human rights in Tibet are a contentious political issue.Pre-1950 Tibet has been described as a society in which the concept of human rights was unknown: it was ruled by a theocracy, beset by serfdorm and a form of slavery, had a caste-like social hierarchy, lacked a proper judicial system, enforced...
  
  
  • LGBT rights in Tibet
    LGBT rights in Tibet
    LGBT rights in Tibet are stagnant but homosexuality is not criminalized. The lands compromising the Tibetan Plateau are divided between the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India...
    
    
  • Freedom of religion in Tibet
  • Capital punishment in Tibet

Government in exile

• Kalon Tripa
  Kalon Tripa
  The Kalon Tripa, also Tibetan Prime Minister or "Chief Kalon", is the leader of the Kashag or Cabinet, part of the executive branch of the Central Tibetan Administration, a government in exile that claims the territory of the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China...
  
  
• Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration
  Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration
  The Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration, also known as the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, is the unicameral legislative organ of the Central Tibetan Administration. Established and based in India, it was founded in 1960, and was most recently elected to a 14th 5-year term from 2006-2011...
  
  
• National Democratic Party of Tibet
  National Democratic Party of Tibet
  National Democratic Party of Tibet is the only political party created by and for Tibetans "in exile"....
  
  

History of Tibet

Main articles: History of Tibet

History of Tibet

Tibetan history, as it has been recorded, is particularly focused on the history of Buddhism in Tibet. This is partly due to the pivotal role this religion has played in the development of Tibetan, Mongol, and Manchu cultures, and partly because almost all native historians of the country were...

 and Timeline of Tibetan history

Timeline of Tibetan history

A chronology of the history of Tibet:...

• List of rulers of Tibet
• Tibetan Empire
  Tibetan Empire
  The historic name for the Tibetan Empire is different from Tibet's present name.Traditional Tibetan history preserves a lengthy list of rulers, whose exploits become subject to external verification in the Chinese histories by the seventh century. From the 7th to the 11th century a series of...
  
  
• Mongol invasions of Tibet
• Phagmodrupa Dynasty
  Phagmodrupa dynasty
  The Phagmodrupa dynasty or Pagmodru of Tibet was established by Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen at the end of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Tai Situ came from the monastic fief Phagmodru , which was originally founded as a hermitage in 1158 by the famous Kagyu scholar Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo...
  
  
• Tibet during the Ming Dynasty
  Tibet during the Ming Dynasty
  The exact nature of Sino-Tibetan relations during the Ming Dynasty of China is unclear. Analysis of the relationship is further complicated by modern political conflicts, and the application of Westphalian sovereignty to a time when the concept did not exist...
  
  
• History of European exploration in Tibet
  History of European exploration in Tibet
  Tibet has attracted European missionaries and explorers for over 500 years. The location of Tibet, deep in the Himalaya mountains, made travel to Tibet extraordinarily difficult at any time, in addition to the fact that it traditionally was forbidden to all western foreigners...
  
  
• British Expedition to Tibet
  British expedition to Tibet
  The British expedition to Tibet during 1903 and 1904 was an invasion of Tibet by British Indian forces, whose mission was to establish diplomatic relations and trade between the British Raj and Tibet...
  
  
• Tibet (1912–1951)
• History of Tibet (1950–present)
• Incorporation of Tibet into the People's Republic of China
• Western support for Tibetan independence
• Tibetan Resistance Since 1950
  Tibetan resistance since 1950
  Tibetan resistance to Chinese domination did not begin with the Invasion of Tibet in 1950. The history of Tibet and the history of China have been interconnected throughout the centuries. The complexity of their relationship is the root of the contemporary dispute over Tibetan claims of sovereignty...
  
  
• 1959 Tibetan uprising
  1959 Tibetan uprising
  The 1959 Tibetan uprising, or 1959 Tibetan Rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the Communist Party of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement in 1951...
  
  
• 1987–1989 Tibetan unrest
• 2008 Tibetan unrest
  2008 Tibetan unrest
  The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also known from its Chinese name as the 3•14 Riots, was a series of riots, protests, and demonstrations that started in Tibetan regional capital of Lhasa and spread to other Tibetan areas and a number of monasteries including outside the Tibet Autonomous Region...
  
  

Culture of Tibet

Main article: Tibetan Culture

Tibetan culture

Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...

• Tibetan people
  Tibetan people
  The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
  
  
• Cuisine of Tibet
  Cuisine of Tibet
  Tibetan cuisine reflects local climes and customs. Few crops grow at the high altitudes that characterize Tibet, although a few areas in Tibet are low enough to grow such crops as rice, oranges, bananas, and lemon. The most important crop is barley. Flour milled from roasted barley, called tsampa,...
  
  
• Traditional Tibetan medicine
  Traditional Tibetan medicine
  Traditional Tibetan medicine is a centuries-old traditional medical system that employs a complex approach to diagnosis, incorporating techniques such as pulse analysis and urinalysis, and utilizes behavior and dietary modification, medicines composed of natural materials and physical therapies...
  
  
• Tibetan calendar
  Tibetan calendar
  The Tibetan calendar is a lunisolar calendar, that is, the Tibetan year is composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three years, so that an average Tibetan year is equal to the solar year.The Tibetan New Year...
  
  
• Tibetan Festivals
  Tibetan Festivals
  In Tibet, the Tibetan calendar lags approximately four to six weeks behind the solar calendar. For example the Tibetan First Month usually falls in February, the Fifth Month June or early July and the Eight Month in September.-Losar:...
  
  
• Public holidays
  Public holidays in the People's Republic of China
  There are currently seven official public holidays in the mainland territory of the People's Republic of China. There was a major reform in 2008, abolishing the Labour Day Golden Week and adding three traditional Chinese holidays...
  
  
• Newspapers in Tibet

Sport in Tibet

Religion in Tibet

• Religion in Tibet
  Religion in Tibet
  The main religion of Tibet has been Buddhism since its outspread in the 8th century AD. Before the arrival of Buddhism the main religion here was an indigenous Shamanist religion, Bön which now comprises a sizeable minority and which would later influence the formation of Tibetan Buddhism.There are...
  
  
• Tibetan Buddhism
  Tibetan Buddhism
  Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
  
  
• Tibetan Muslims
  Tibetan Muslims
  The Tibetan Muslims, also known as the Kachee , form a small minority in Tibet. Despite being Muslim, they are classified as Tibetans, unlike the Hui Muslims, who are also known as the Kyangsha or Gya Kachee...
  
  
• Bön

Art in Tibet

• Tibetan art
  Tibetan art
  Tibetan art refers to the art of Tibet. For more than a thousand years, Tibetan artists have played a key role in the cultural life of Tibet. From designs for painted furniture to elaborate murals in religious buildings, their efforts have permeated virtually every facet of life on the Tibetan...
  
  
• Contemporary Tibetan art
  Contemporary Tibetan art
  Contemporary Tibetan art refers to the art of modern Tibet, or Tibet after 1950. It can also refer to art by the Tibetan diaspora, which is explicitly political and religious in nature...
  
  
• Architecture in Tibet
  Architecture in Tibet
  Architecture in Tibet contains Chinese and Indian influences, and reflects a deeply Buddhist approach. The Buddhist Prayer wheel, along with two deer or dragons, can be seen on nearly every Gompa in Tibet...
  
  
  • World Heritage Sites in Tibet:
    • Potala Palace
      Potala Palace
      The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara...
      
      
    • Jokhang
      Jokhang
      The Jokhang, , also called the Qokang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery or Zuglagkang , is located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa. For most Tibetans it is the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. It is in some regards pan-sectarian, but is presently controlled by the Gelug school...
      
      
    • Norbulingka
      Norbulingka
      Norbulingka is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet, built from 1755. It served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the 14th Dalai Lama's exile in 1959...
      
      
• Tibetan-language films
• Tibetan Literature
  Tibetan literature
  Tibetan literature generally refers to literature written in the Tibetan language since the invention of the Indic-style script in the mid 7th century...
  
  
• Music of Tibet
  Music of Tibet
  The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region, centered in Tibet but also known wherever ethnic Tibetan groups are found in India, Bhutan, Nepal and further abroad...
  
  

National symbols of Tibet

• Emblem of Tibet
  Emblem of Tibet
  The Emblem of Tibet is a symbol of the Tibetan government in exile. It combines several elements of the flag of Tibet, with slightly different artistry, and contains many Buddhist symbols. Its primary elements are the sun and moon above the Himalayas, which represent Tibet, often known as the Land...
  
  
• Flag of Tibet
  Flag of Tibet
  The Tibetan flag, also known as the 'snow lion flag' and the 'Free Tibet flag', was a flag of the military of Tibet, introduced by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1912 and used in the same capacity until 1959. Designed with the help of a Japanese, it reflects the design motif of Japanese military's Rising...
  
  
• Tibetan National Anthem
• Tibetan Uprising Day
  Tibetan Uprising Day
  Tibetan Uprising Day, observed on March 10, commemorates the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Tibet

Main article: Economy of Tibet

Economy of Tibet

The economy of Tibet is dominated by subsistence agriculture. Due to limited arable land, livestock raising is the primary occupation mainly on the Tibetan Plateau, among them are sheep, cattle, goats, camels, yaks, donkeys and horses. The main crops grown are barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye,...

• Currency
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Renminbi Yuan
  Renminbi
  The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
  
   (de facto
  De facto
  De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
  
  )
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : CNY
• Education in Tibet
  Education in Tibet
  Education in Tibet is the public responsibility of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Education of ethnic Tibetans are subsidized by the government...
  
  
• Communications in Tibet

Transport in Tibet

• Airports in Tibet
  • Qingzang Railway
    Qingzang railway
    The Qinghai–Xizang railway, Qingzang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway , is a high-elevation railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in People's Republic of China....
    
    
• Roads in Tibet
• Tibetan tourism
• Tibetan agriculture
• Tibetan industry
• Tibetan water resources
• Tibetan energy resources
• Tibetan mineral resources

See also

• Index of Tibet-related articles
  Index of Tibet-related articles
  This is a list of topics related to Tibet.Those interested in the subject can monitor changes to the pages by clicking on Related changes in the sidebar.-A:*Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture*Agvan Dorjiev*Alexandra David-Néel*Amban*Amdo...
  
  
• List of international rankings
• List of Tibet-related topics
• Outline of Asia
  Outline of Asia
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Asia:Asia – world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
  
  
• Outline of China
  Outline of China
  right|188pxthumb|An enlargeable map of the [[People's Republic of China]]The People's Republic of China is the most extensive country in East Asia and the third or fourth most extensive country in the world...
  
  
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  

External links

• Tibetan Studies Internet Resources