Information at a Glance

Land Size: 2.5 million square kilometres, which includes U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo provinces consisting of U-Tsang and a small portion of Kham, consists of 1.2 million square kilometres. The bulk of Tibet lies outside the TAR.

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, Panda

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, nuclear waste, degradation of grassland

Average Altitude: 4,000 metres or 13,000 feet above sea level.

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: July14.5 degrees celcius (58 F) Januaryminus 16.5 degrees celcius (24 F)

Mineral Deposits: Borax, uranium, iron, chromite, gold

Major Rivers: Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra in India), Machu (Yellow River in China), Drichu (Yangtse in China), Senge Khabab (Indus in India), Phungchu (Arun in India), Gyalmo Ngulchu (Salween in Burma) and Zachu (Mekong in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos).

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

Current Government: Communist

Relationship with the P.R.C.: Colonial

Legal (Political) Status: Occupied

Destruction of Monasteries since Occupation: about 6,000

Death of Tibetan since Occupation: 1.2 million