worldwidewandering - a travel atlas / Discuss

worldwidewandering says:

from Bombus

Capital: Lhasa
Languages: Mandarin Chinese, Tibetan
Ethnic Groups: Tibetans, Menba (Monpa), Lhoba, Mongols, Han Chinese, and Hui
Religions: Tibetan Buddhism, Islam
Monetary Unit: Yuan

Also see: China


from radclifferiley

Thibet; Wylie: Bod; Lhasa dialect IPA: [pʰø̀ʔ]; Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 西藏, Hanyu Pinyin: Xīzàng; also referred to as 藏区 (Simplified Chinese), 藏區 (Traditional Chinese), Zàngqū (Hanyu Pinyin), see Name section below) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World".

Existing as a separate nation for centuries, Tibet is today administered mostly under the People's Republic of China. Tibet is also officially claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan). However in the Tibetan sovereignty debate, the government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of Tibet in Exile disagree over when Tibet became a part of China, and whether this incorporation into China is legitimate according to international law.

The Tibetan Empire came into existence in the seventh century when Emperor Songtsän Gampo united many areas and tribes of the region. Since the early 1600s a lineage of allegedly reborn (tulku) magistrates, known as the Dalai Lamas have administrated Tibet, and the fourteen Dali Lama's are believed to be the incarnations of Avalokiteśvara ("Chenrezig" [spyan ras gzigs] in Tibetan), the bodhisattva of compassion.

Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the Tibetan government, administering religious and administrative authority over a large portion of the country from the traditional capital Lhasa, regarded as Tibet's holiest city...more
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On flickr:
• Tibet Photo
• tibet
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Other Forums:
• Lonely Planet Thorntree: Tibet

Originally posted at 7:06PM, 21 April 2007 PDT (permalink)
worldwidewandering edited this topic 49 months ago.