The Tibet Autonomous Region, perched on the southwest Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is a southwestern frontier region in China. At an average altitude of 4,000m, Tibet is the world's largest and highest plateau known as the 'Roof of the World'. The world's largest canyon the Yalung Zangbo Canyou, is in Tibet. In the mid-7th century, Songtsan Gambo established the unified Tubo dynasty and befriended the Tang Dynasty by marrying Princess Wencheng in 641 AD. In the mid-13th century, Tibet was incorporated as an administrative region of the Yuan Dynasty. Peaceful liberation came in 1951, and serfdom was abolished during the Democratic Reform of 1959. The Tibet Autonomous Region was officially established in 1965. Breathtaking is hardly an adequate word for Tibet's landscape, which consists of snow-capped mountains of astonishing heights, primitive forests, vast steppes, mighty rivers, the world's highest lakes, and exotic wildlife and plants. Tibetans, who make up upwards of 90 percent of the local population, are born singers and dancers with a splendid civilization. Buddhist art thrives, and among the region's 2,700 temples are such famous ones as the Potala Palace, the Norbulinka Palace, the Jokhong Temple, and the Tashilhunpo Monastery.



Tibet at a Glance:
Location: Asia
Area: 471,700 sq. miles border 2.5 million sq.km, approximately. The size of Western Europe
Terrain: 70% Grassland, from high plateau to tropical forest
Climate: Average temperature 21-8 degrees Celsius (summer) 7-15 (in winter), extremely dry except during raining season (July-August)
Population: 2.62 million
Religions: Tibetan Buddhism, and Animism
Languages: Tibetan, Chinese
Currency: Chinese Yuan