Tibet at Glance
SIZE 2.5 million sq. km.
CAPITAL Lhasa
POPULATION 6 million Tibetans and an estimated 7.5 million Chinese, most of whom are in Kham and Amdo.
LANGUAGE Tibetan (of the Tibeto-Burmese language family). The official language is Chinese.
STAPLE FOOD Tsampa (roasted barley flour)
NATIONAL DRINK Salted butter tea
TYPICAL ANIMALS Wild yak, Bharal (blue) sheep, Musk deer, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle, Kyang (wild ass), Pica
TYPICAL BIRDS Black necked crane, Lammergeier, Great crested grebe, Bar-headed goose, Ruddy shel duck, Ibis-bill
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PROBLEMS		 Rampant deforestation in Eastern Tibet, poaching of large mammals
AVERAGE ALTITUDE 14,000 ft.
HIGHEST MOUNTAIN Chomo Langma (Mt. Everest) 29, 028 ft.
AVERAGE RAINFALL Varies widely. In the west it is 1 mm in Jan. to 25 mm in July. In the east, it is 25-50 in Jan. and 800 in July
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE July 58 f; Jan. 24 f.
MINERAL DEPOSITS Borax, uranium, iron, chromite, gold
MAJOR RIVERS Mekong, Yangtse, Salween, Tsangpo, Yellow
ECONOMY Tibetans: predominantly in agriculture and animal husbandry. Chinese: predominantly in government, commerce and the service sector.
PROVINCES U-Tsang (Central Tibet), Amdo (N.E. Tibet), Kham (S.E. Tibet)
BORDERING COUNTRIES India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China
NATIONAL FLAG Snow lions with red and blue rays. Outlawed in Tibet.
POLITICAL AND
RELIGIOUS LEADER		 The 14th Dalai Lama. In exile in Dharamsala, India.
GOVERNMENT IN EXILE Parliamentary
GOVERNMENT Communist
RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE P.R.C.		 Colonial
LEGAL STATUS Occupied

People

The majority of tibet's population of 1,890,000 are Tibetans. Tibet is so thinly populated thaat it averages out 1.6 8 persons per square kilometers. About 90% of the people live on farming and husbandry. Farmers live in the valleys of Tsangpo River (Brahmapotra) and its major tributaries Kyichu and Nuuang-chu. this area produces barely, wheat, peas and rape-seed, the great northern grassland which occupies a good half of tibet is the home of nomads, yaks and sheep. Nomads have no fixed abodes, and keep roaming along fine pasture together with all their belongings-tents and Livestock. The remaining population, approximately 10%, live in towns earning their living mainly On business and handicraft, and many are factory workers and government officials.

History

Basically, the Tibetan climate is not as harsh as many people imagine it to be. The best time of year to be in Tibet is from April to the beginning of November, after which temperatures start to plummet. The central Tibet, including Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse and Tsedang, generally has very mild weather from April to November, though July and August can be rainy - these two months usually see around half of Tibet's annual rainfall. October and November often bring some dazzling clear weather and daytime temperatures can be quite comfortable at Tibet's lower altitude.

Aministrartive Division

The country is divided into twenty administrative units called dzongkhags. The larger dzongkhags are further divided into sub-district called dungkhag. A group of villages are grouped to form a constituency called gewog and administered by a gup, who is elected by the people.