Tibet-Roof of the World

flycy · (#1 (**permalink**))

Tibet-Roof of the World

Locked in by towering mountains. the Tibet Autonomous Region. on the southwestern border of China. lies in the main part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. which is the highest in the world. Set up as an autonomous region in 1965. it is situated 78`24``-99`06`` east longitude and 26`52``-36`32`` north latitude with an area of more than 1.2 million square kilometers. taking up 1/8 of the country`s total area and ranking the 2nd in China. only next to Xinjiang. Tibet neighbors Qinhai and Xinjiang in the north. Yunnan in the southeast. and Kashmir. India. Nepal. Sikkim. Bhutan and Burma in the west and south.

Climate

Tibet has a highland climate. with lower temperature and less precipitation than most parts of China. It has thin air. long hours of sunshine and intense solar radiation. There is great difference in climate between the north and south -- the Northern Tibet Plateau has a mean annual temperature of -2oC and is covered with snow half of the year. and the Southern Tibet Valleys are much more temperate and humid.
Administrative Division and Population
It is divided into 1 prefecture-level city. 6 districts. 1 county-level city and 76 counties. with a population of 2.62 million as of 2000. Populated principally by the Tibetan people. Tibet also has the Han. Menba. Luoba. and Hui ethnic groups.

Food

Zanba. mutton and beef are the staple food of Tibetans. Tea with butter or milk. sour milk and cheese are the favorites of all Tibetans. Other special food includes Qingke barley wine. roasted highland barley flour. and snow-lotus. etc.

Culture

Tibetans like singing and dancing. Another local art is Tibetan Opera.
peak has long attracted mountaineers. scientists. and ordinary tourists.
Tibetans are also good dancers and singers. Their dancing is beautiful with movements executed either with the arms and waist or with legs and feet. and the tap dance is the most typical Tibetan style. The Tibetan opera is one of the famous opera forms in China. Tibetans believe in Lamaism. which was introduced in the 13th century.