Tibet / Xizang / Xijang

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reincarnation of his predecessor.

The present head of state is the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso, b. 1935), who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

The whole territory occupies the barren Tibetan Plateau, known as the ''Roof of the World'' because of its average altitude of more than 4000m/13,000ft. The highest section is on the border with Nepal, and Mount Everest is, of course, the highest peak (8848m/29,039ft). This plateau, the highest and most extensive in the world, consists of almost uninhabited steppes and deserts in the west and north and the populated region in the south, in the relatively fertile mountain valleys (average 3900m/12,800ft), especially that of the Yarlung Zangbo Jiang (Brahmaputra) river, between the Trans-Himalayas and the Himalayas. The plateau is bordered in the north by the Kunlun Mountains, the highest peak of which is the Muztag (7723m/25,347ft).

In southern Tibet rise the rivers Indus and its tributary the Sutlej, the Yarlung Zangbo Jiang, Irawadi, Nujiang and Lancangjiang (Mekong); they all flow from west to east. The upper reaches of the Changjiang form the eastern border with Sichuan.

In 1993 the Chang Tang region in northern Tibet, an area of some 300,000sq.km/116,000sq.mi, was declared a national park - the second largest in the world.

Tibet endures an extremely harsh climate, although the sun shines quite often. Average temperatures vary between 23°C (73°F) in summer and -15°C (5°F) in winter. On the inhospitable Northern Plateau, however, where snow and sandstorms can often rage for weeks on end, the thermometer can fall to below -50°C (-58°F).

In the 7th C a Buddhist kingdom was founded in Tibet, and this soon developed into a sizeable military power. In the 9th and 10th C Buddhism was ousted and replaced by Lamaism, the spiritual leader of which also exercised temporal power over the people. Under the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) Tibet became a kind of vassal state. Chinese influence became evident from the 14th C onwards. In 1642 the fifth Dalai Lama established a theocratic state. In the 18th and 19th C the influence of the Chinese emperors increased. In 1903-04 a military expedition into Tibet led by the British officer and explorer Francis Edward Younghusband succeeded in reaching Lhasa. In 1911 Tibet declared itself independent; by 1949 it was in reality an autonomous state based on Theocratism (a belief in union of the soul with God through contemplation) and Lamaism. In 1950 troops of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) occupied the country and a year later it was incorporated into the union of Chinese states. In 1959 an uprising was suppressed by the PLA, prompting tens of thousands of Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, to flee to India and neighboring countries; a number even sought refuge in Europe, especially in Switzerland. On September 9th 1965 Tibet was declared an Autonomous Region within the Chinese People's Republic. In 1966 and 1967 the Cultural Revolution made itself felt in Tibet also. The Red Guards prohibited any religious activity of any kind and destroyed almost all Tibet's historical monuments, especially Lama monasteries; by the time these excesses, which cost the lives of countless Tibetans, finally came to an end a mere thirteen of the original 3800 or so temples and monasteries remained.

After 1976 the leadership in Beijing adopted a more liberal and pragmatic attitude towards Tibet and the region's infrastructure benefited from the construction of a network of roads and the promotion of trade, commerce and industry (especially hydro-electric power, oil, precious metals and coal). In 1980 the Chinese introduced a program of reform for Tibet, the main points of which were the reintroduction of religious freedom and the partial re-privatization of agriculture.

Since 1987 there have been more and more demonstrations, particularly of monks and nuns, demanding Tibet's independence; many have been forcibly suppressed by Chinese troops. In 1992, when the central government opened Tibet up to international trade and tourism, and again in 1993 the protests by the Tibetan people against Chinese dominance increased in number. However, China continues to refuse to grant sovereignty to Tibet. The Dalai Lama pursues the politics of the "middle way", which consists of self-administration while being a member of the Chinese state. The government in Beijing is opposed to this plan also. The influx of Chinese settlers undermines the ethnic and cultural identity of the Tibetans. Every year, several thousand Tibetans flee to Nepal and India.