Tibet

Tibet, a rich and beautiful land, lies on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau of China which is the world's highest region. Tibet (Xi Zang in Chinese) is to the south of Xin Jiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qing Hai Province, to the west of Sichuan, to the northwest of Yunnan and to the north of India and Nepal. Its capital city is Lhasa.

Geographically, Tibet can be divided into three majoy 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. 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, Lhokha, Chamdo, Nakchu and Nyingtri(kongpo). The People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region exercises the hightest adminis-trative authority in Tibet.

Tibet is scenically rich with snow-covered peaks, glaciated high passes, aquamarine lakes, primeval forests and almost continual bright-blue skies. Despite its altitude and thick snow covering the mountains, Tibet actually has snowfalls only a few times a year with plenty of sunshine the rest of the time. Tibet's major cities and towns are congregated mainly in the southern part of the region. Here, in the agricultural sector, are the capital Lhasa and the other major city of Shigatse, which offer the region's most important tourist attractions.

Highlights in Tibet

1. Make a personal pilgrimage and be awed by the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor circuit in the holy city of Lhas

2. Wind your way up Gyangtse's Kumbum Chorten, Tibet's architectural masterpiece

3. Breathe heavily and marvel at the indescribable colours at Namtso Lake

4. Feel your soul change as you gaze at a Mt. Everest sunrise from Rongphu Monastery

5. "Enjoy" the teeth-ratting trip on the Friendship Hwy from Lhasa to Kathmandu over the plateau's high passes and down into the subcontinent, before this bad boy gets paved