The Autonomous Region of Tibet is located on the southwestern edge of China and in the southwest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It borders the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province to the north, Sichuan Province to the east, Yunnan Province to the southeast, and Burma, India, Bhutan, Sikkim, and Nepal to the south and west. The total length of the border between these countries and Tibet is nearly 4,000 km. The autonomous region covers an area of 1.22 million square kilometers, which constitutes 12.8% of the total area of China. Tibet occupies most of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, averaging 4,000 meters above sea level and known as the "Roof of the World". Topographically, Tibet can be divided into three regions: the Northern Tibetan Plateau, enclosed by mountain ranges such as Kunlun, Tanggula, Gangdise, and Nyaingentanglha, which occupy two-thirds of the total area of the Autonomous Region of Tibet; the valleys in Southern Tibet, lying between Gangdise and the Himalayas and traversed by the Yarlung Zangbo River and its tributaries; and the eastern area with high mountains and deep gorges, representing part of the Hengduan Mountains.
The Himalayas on the southern side of the Tibetan Plateau consist of numerous east-west mountain ranges, with the main part located on the border with India and Nepal. The Himalayas span a total length of 2,400 km, a width of 200-300 km, and an average elevation of 6,000 meters above sea level. The Autonomous Region of Tibet is home to more than 20 rivers with drainage areas exceeding 10,000 square kilometers and over 100 rivers with drainage areas exceeding 2,000 square kilometers. The largest rivers include the Jinsha River (Upper Yangtze), Nu River (Salween), Lancang River (Mekong), and Yarlung Zangbo River (Brahmaputra). Several of Tibet's rivers flow into neighboring countries, where they are known as the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Salween, and Irrawaddy rivers. Tibetan rivers generally carry abundant water of good quality with low sediment content. The Yarlung Zangbo River, Tibet's largest river, originates in the Zhongba County at the northern foot of the Himalayas and flows through the Lhoyu area into India, where it is known as the Brahmaputra. Within China, the Yarlung Zangbo River has a length of 2,057 km and a drainage area of 240,000 square kilometers. This drainage area lies over 4,500 meters above sea level, making the Yarlung Zangbo the highest river in the world. The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, with a depth of 5,382 meters, is the deepest canyon in the world, measuring just 74 meters at its narrowest point and 200 meters at its widest. The canyon has a total length of 370 km. On the expansive Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there are more than 1,500 large and small lakes.
Tourism is built up further and reached a staggering rate. The development of tourism is significantly supported by the Lhasa Railway as an alternative to air travel. To this end, the carriages of the Lhasa line are equipped with panoramic windows, and the route includes stops at special viewpoints. 80 to 90 percent of tourists in Tibet are citizens of the People's Republic of China. Among foreign tourists, Japanese tourists form the largest group, with increasing numbers of Americans and Europeans.
Lhasa is the center of politics, economy, culture, transportation, and tourism in the Autonomous Region of Tibet. The city is located in the valley of the Lhasa River, a major tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River. Lhasa boasts a history of over 1,300 years. Of its 410,000 residents, 87 percent are Tibetans. Lhasa itself is home to over 30 nationalities. In Tibetan, Lhasa means "holy place". Due to its abundant sunshine, the city is also known as the "City of Sun". The Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa are world-renowned UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is particularly impressive for its religious atmosphere.
In addition to the Potala Palace and numerous monasteries such as the Ganden Monastery, Sera Monastery, Ramoche Monastery, and Zhaibung Monastery, visitors should definitely explore Barkhor Street and the Tibet Museum. Further afield are Norbulingka, known as the "Treasure Garden" in Tibetan, and the Yangbajain Geothermal Field.
The Butterlamp Festival, known as Chunga Choepa in Tibetan, marks the climax of celebrations during the Tibetan New Year, occurring on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
It commemorates Shakyamuni Buddha's victory in a debate against his opponents, with a legend stating that in 1409, a lord celebrated by lighting 1409 butter lamps of various shapes and colors.
In Lhasa, especially on Barkhor Street, numerous sculptures are displayed, and people enthusiastically sing and dance through the streets. On this day, people visit temples to burn incense in honor of Buddha.
As night falls, butter lamps shaped like gods, flowers, trees, birds, and animals illuminate the darkness. The streets are brightly lit up, giving this celebration its nickname, the Lantern Festival.
Lhasa-Gonggar Airport is located near the county seat of Gonggar, approximately 45 kilometers south of Lhasa. It has flight connections with Chinese cities such as Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Shangri-La (formerly Zhongdian), as well as with the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. In 2021, Terminal 3 was completed.
The existing road to the airport, which was very mountainous and 100 kilometers long, was replaced with a 51-kilometer-long road costing approximately 175 million USD. This has reduced the bus travel time to Lhasa from one and a half hours to less than half.
Bangda Airport, also known as Chamdo Airport, is a Chinese commercial airport located 66.1 kilometers south of Qamdo City in Chengguan Township, at the center of the Qamdo Prefecture. At an altitude of 4,334 meters (14,219 ft) above sea level, it was the highest airport in the world before being surpassed by Daocheng Yading Airport in Sichuan. The single runway is 5,500 meters (18,045 ft) long, setting a world record for civilian airports. The extraordinary length is necessary due to the low air density at high altitudes, resulting in low lift. Takeoffs require a long acceleration to achieve a high ground speed (excluding headwinds) until the air density-dependent speed indicator exceeds the stall speed. Similarly, landing aircraft touch down at high ground speed and require a long braking distance.
There is a bus service to the nearest town of Chengguan, and in 2010, the road was upgraded, reducing travel time from 3 hours to 2 hours.
