TIBET : THE ROOF OF THE WORLD : LHASE XIGATZE ROUTE & YAMDROK LAKE

Tibet (Tibetan : བོད་, Chinese : 西藏 : pinyin: Xīzàng) is a region covering much of the Tibetan Plateau in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) China.Tibet is the highest region on Earth, with an average elevation of 5000 m (16000 ft).The highest elevation in Tibet is Mount Everest, Earth’s highest mountain rising 8848 m (29029 ft) above sea level

Why is Tibet called `The Roof of the World`?

• Tibet is often called the “roof of the world, because it is a very high plateau
• Tibet is the highest region on Earth, with an average elevation of 5000 m (16000 ft)
• Tibet has some of the world’s tallest mountains, with several of them making the top ten list
• The highest elevation in Tibet is Mount Everest, Earth’s highest mountain, rising 8848 m (29029 ft) above sea level
• Mount Everest, located on the border with Nepal, is, at 8848 metres (29029 ft) the highest mountain on earth
• Several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan Plateau (mostly in present-day Qinghai Province)
• These include the Yangtze, Yellow River, Indus River, Mekong, Ganges, Salween and the Yarlung Tsangpo River (Brahmaputra River)
• The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, along the Yarlung Tsangpo River, is among the deepest and longest canyons in the world
• Tibet has numerous high-altitude lakes referred to in Tibetan as tso or co.
• These include Qinghai Lake, Lake Manasarovar, Namtso, Pangong Tso, Yamdrok Lake, Siling Co, Lhamo La-tso, Lumajangdong Co, Lake Puma Yumco, Lake Paiku, Como Chamling, Lake Rakshastal, Dagze Co and Dong Co.
• The Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor) is the largest lake in the People’s Republic of China
• Tibet has been called the “Water Tower” of Asia, and China is investing heavily in water projects in Tibet
• The Indus and Brahmaputra rivers originate from a lake (Tib: Tso Mapham) in Western Tibet near Mount Kailash

How is the general climate in Tibet ?

• The atmosphere is severely dry nine months of the year, and average annual snowfall is only 18 inches (46 cm), duto the rain shadow effect
• Western passes receive small amounts of fresh snow each year but remain traversible all year round
•  Low temperatures are prevalent throughout these western regions, where bleak desolation is unrelieved by any vegetation bigger than a low bush, and where wind sweeps unchecked across vast expanses of arid plain
• The Indian monsoon exerts some influence on eastern Tibet
• Northern Tibet is subject to high temperatures in the summer and intense cold in the winter

How are the general habitations in Tibet ?

• There are over 800 settlements in Tibet
• Lhasa is Tibet’s traditional capital and the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region
• Lhasa contains two world heritage sites – the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, which were the residences of the Dalai Lama
• Lhasa contains a number of significant temples and monasteries, including Jokhang and Ramoche Temple
• Shigatse is the second largest city in the Tibet AR, west of Lhasa. Gyantse and Qamdo are also amongst the largest.
• Other cities and towns in cultural Tibet include Shiquanhe (Ali), Nagchu, Bamda, Rutog, Nyingchi, Nedong, Coqên, Barkam, Sakya, Gartse, Pelbar, Lhatse, and Tingri; in Sichuan, Kangding (Dartsedo); in Qinghai, Jyekundo (Yushu), Machen, and Golmud