1 Jan, 2008

About Tibet/XiZang

Posted by real

Population: 2.03 million
Urban population: 250,000

Capital: Lhasa

Major towns: Lhasa, Xigaze, Gyangze, Qamdo, Nyingchi, Gar

Nationalities: Tibetan (1.97 million), Han, Menba, Luoba, and Hui

Area: 1,200,000 square kilometers

Altitude:
over 4,000 meters on the whole; 8,848 meters at the peak of Qomolangma (Mount Everest)

Climatic features:
highland climate, with lower temperatures and less precipitation than most of China; thin atmosphere; long hours of sunshine; intense solar radiation

Average temperature:
minus 18 - 3.6 centigrade degree in Jan, 7 - 19 degree in July.

Annual average rainfall:
60 - 1,000 mm; high precipitation in the east and south and low in the north; 90 percent of the rain falls from June to September

Physical features:
almost the whole region is a plateau, known as the roof of the world; a small area in the southeast descends to the Brahmaputra River Valley; north of the Gangdis Range and south of the Kunlun Range is the vast Northern Tibet Plateau with hills, basins, lakes, and snow-covered peaks; the southern valleys between the Gangdis and the Himalayas are Tibet's principal farming and pastoral lands; in the east is a region of parallel mountains and valleys, which are the northern half of the Hengduan Mountains.

Monks in the mountain of TibetMountains:
the Himalayas in southern Tibet have an average elevation of 6,000 meters; in the north are the Kunlun and Tanggula Ranges; in the central southwest lies the Gangdis Range; the Hengduan Mountains are to the immediate east of the Nyainqentanglha Rang.

Rivers:
the Yarlung Zangbo River, which is the upper reach of the Brahmaputra River, winds its way through Tibet's southern valleys; the Nujiang, Lancang, and Jinsha Rivers, which are respectively the upper reaches of the Salween, Mekong, and Yangtze Rivers, cut through the Hengduan Mountains and enter Yunnan Province.

Lakes:
Tibet has over 1,000 lakes, with the Nam Co (1,920 square kilometers) being the second largest salt lake in China; other major lakes are the Siling Co, Gyaring Co, Ngangze Co, Tangra Yumco, and Yamzho Yumco

Products:
wheat, highland barley, buckwheat; iron, coal, copper, borax, salt; medicinal herbs

Administrative divisions:
2 city and 76 counties

Neighboring areas:
Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan Provinces; Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Neighboring countries:
India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Burma

Tourist attraction:
Potala Palace in Lhasa

Economy:
Tibetan economy is developing in recent years, with GDP 7698 million Yuan, the gross output value of agriculture and industry 5321 million Yuan, and the per capita GDP 3194 Yuan in 1997. The total value of imports and exports in Tibet in 1997 reached up to 118.33 million US dollars. The government revenue was more than 3693 million Yuan, and the output of grain was about 0.7919 million tons. At present, the farming and animal husbandry are the major industries in Tibet. The gross output of agriculture accounted for 77.9 percent of the gross output value of agriculture and industry in 1997. But the productivity is very low, and the handwork in farming and animal husbandry are still some of primary pattern. Although in some areas near cities few of machines used in agricultural, the manpower and animal power are still applied in plowing land. So the output of agricultural production is neither high nor stable. In Tibet the industry sectors are quite small in size and few in kinds, with extensive management at low efficiency.

People's Life:
Based on the statistics at the end of 1997, about 1.2047 million people worked as employees, accounting for 48.6 percent of total population in Tibet. Total wage bill of staff and workers was 1703.66 million Yuan. and the per capita yearly wage was 10098 Yuan. The annual net per capita income of farmers and herdsmen was 1085 Yuan. The annual per capita income for urban and town residents was up to 5913 Yuan. Per capita consumption of all residents on average was 1471 Yuan, and for rural residents 939 Yuan, non-rural residents 4744 Yuan in 1997. In terms of health facility, for every 10000 persons were served with 25.7 hospital beds and 21.4 medical practitioner.

Education:
At the end of 1997, Tibet had 4 universities with 3200 enrolled students and 849 teachers, about 106 middle schools with 44143 students and 4132 teachers, and 806 primary schools with 300453 pupils and 13938 teachers. Tibet's people have relatively lower educational level than that of other provinces or regions with a large quantity of illiterates and semi-illiterates. The weakness in educational infrastructure and the lack of advanced and intermediate professionals and staff are the major problems in Tibet.

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