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Tibet Autonomous Region

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The Tibet Autonomous Region is a huge part of China.

TibetanPlateau
TibetanPlateau

It sits high up on the Tibetan Plateau. This is the highest region on our entire Earth. Because the land is so rugged and harsh, not many people live there. Only about 3.6 million people call this place home.

The famous Mount Everest sits right on the border with Nepal. To the north and east, you will find Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Sichuan. To the southeast, there is a short border with Yunnan. The region is the second-largest province-level area in China.

The land can be split into two very different parts. The first part is the lake region in the west and northwest.

IMG 1565 Yamdrok Tso
IMG 1565 Yamdrok Tso

This area is a wide, windy grassland called the Chang Tang. It is about the same size as the country of France. Most of the lakes here are salty or alkaline. Some lakes, like Namtso, are very famous.

NamTso scene
NamTso scene

Because it is far from the ocean, the air is very dry. The ground can be boggy and covered in clumps of grass. You might even see hot springs that look like ice columns.

The second part is the river region. This area covers the east, south, and west sides of the lake region. It is full of fertile mountain valleys. Many big rivers start here, like the Yangtze and the Mekong.

TibetanPlateau
TibetanPlateau

One river is the Yarlung Tsangpo. It flows through a canyon that might be the deepest in the world. These valleys have good soil and many green trees. Because the land is so good for farming, people live and work here. This is very different from the nomadic life in the lake region.

Tibet has a very long and complex history. In the 6th century, King Songtsen Gampo helped build a great empire. He conquered many nearby kingdoms to make his land larger. Later, the Mongols ruled the region under the Yuan Dynasty. In the 1600s, the 5th Dalai Lama established a new court. For a long time, people debated if Tibet was an independent state. In 1951, Tibetan representatives signed an agreement with the Chinese government. The Tibet Autonomous Region was officially set up in 1965.

Today, the region is a part of the People's Republic of China. It is divided into seven main areas, including six cities. Lhasa is one of the most important cities in the region.

Tibet-6048 - Largest Sitting Maitreya Buddha
Tibet-6048 - Largest Sitting Maitreya Buddha

The government in China sets many of the rules for the area. However, laws say that the region should have some control over its own language and schools. It remains a place of great wonder due to its mountains and high peaks. You can see how the rivers and lakes shape everything there.

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🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006 edit 1.jpg
Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet...
File:IMG 1565 Yamdrok Tso.jpg
IMG 1565 Yamdrok Tso.jpg
File:NamTso scene.jpg
NamTso scene.jpg
File:Tibet-6048 - Largest Sitting Maitreya Buddha.jpg
Tibet-6048 - Largest Sitting Maitreya Buddha.jpg
File:Chinese army moving from Golmud to Lhasa.jpg
Chinese army moving from Golmud to Lhasa.jpg
File:TibetanPlateau.jpg
TibetanPlateau.jpg
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