Tibet

Tibet Autonomous Region lies on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of the southwest border of China and covers an area of 1,222,000 square kilometers (471,800 square miles). It is to the south of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, to the west of Sichuan, to the northwest of Yunnan and to the north of India and Nepal. With an average elevation of 4,900 meters (16,000 feet), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the 'Roof of the World'.

The Himalayas, ranging from east to west on the southern edge of the Tibet Plateau, run for 2,400 kilometers (1,491 miles) with an elevation of more than 6,000 meters (19,685 feet). The highest peak of Tibet, also the highest in Himalayas and in the whole world, is Everest Peak, which is as high as 8,848.13 meters (29,029.3 feet) above sea level. The local people come from a variety of ethnic groups including Tibetan, Han, Monba and Lhota. Its capital city is Lhasa.

Tibet has a dry, cold climate with an average annual temperature of 1 degree Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit). In general, temperatures in Tibet frequently drop suddenly after sunset. In the mountains and plateaus it is especially cold, and strong winds are common year round. The average annual snowfall is only 18 inches, due to the rain shadow effect whereby mountain ranges prevent moisture from the ocean from reaching the plateaus. The best time of year to visit Tibet is from April to the beginning of November.

Tibet has abundant cultural and historical relics that can be explored to develop tourism. Some key cultural relics are under state-level protection such as the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple, and the Norbulingka Palace. The region currently has four tourist areas of Lhasa, the west, southwest and south: the Lhasa tourist area includes Lhasa, Yangbajain, Damxung, Gyangze, Zetang, Xigaze and Yamzhoyum Co Lake; western Tibet is Ngari Prefecture, the so-called 'rooftop atop the world's rooftop'; the southwest Tibet tourist district is a place for mountaineers; in southern Tibet, centered around Nyingchi, one can pass through the four seasons of the year in a single day.

Today, with daily flights in and out of Lhasa, visiting Tibet has become much more feasible and can take much less time. What is more, the newly-built Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest railway connecting Tibet with eastern Chinese provinces for the first time by rail, has already been a fantastic choice for visitors to Tibet.