Tibet City Guide - overview

This is the land of majestic mountains, exotic culture and gentle people. Tibet, 'the roof of the world', lay largely undiscovered by the rest of the world until the beginning of the 20th century, but has since fascinated travellers seeking the unspoilt and more remote corners of the globe.

China invaded and annexed Tibet in 1950, since when the country has officially been known as the Tibet Autonomous Region. Unless travelling on an organised tour, anyone wishing to visit Tibet must obtain a permit in advance from the Tibet Tourist Authority. This vast territory in the southwest of China consists of a massive plateau surrounded by towering mountain ranges. The Himalayas ring it in the south, the Karakoram Range is to the west, the Kunlun to the north, and smaller ranges fringe the east forming a barrier between Tibet and China's internal provinces. Most of Tibet is several thousand feet above sea level, meaning that the air is thin. The region is a Mecca for mountaineers, containing some of the world's highest mountain peaks, capped by Mount Everest at 29,029ft (8,848m), sited in the middle section of the Himalayas in Tibet's Tingri Country.

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.

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