Brief Introduction to the Contents of Atlas of Xizang Autonomous Region

Xizang Autonomous Region is located in the southwest frontier of China, southwest of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It borders Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in the north, Sichuan Province in the east, Yunnan Province in the southeast and Myanmar, India, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and other countries in the south, forming all or part of China's borders with these countries, with a total length of nearly 4,000 kilometers. Xizang Autonomous Region starts at 26 degrees 52 minutes north latitude in the south and ends at 36 degrees 32 minutes north latitude in the north; It starts at 78 degrees 24 minutes west longitude and ends at 99 degrees 06 minutes east longitude. The longest from north to south is about 1000 km, and the widest from east to west is 2000 km. The land area of the whole region is 1.22 million square kilometers, accounting for about 12.8% of the national total area.

Topography and mountains

Xizang Autonomous Region is the main part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters, and is known as the "roof of the world". The terrain here is complex and can be roughly divided into three different natural regions: the western part is the northern Tibet Plateau, which is located between Kunlun Mountain, Tanggula Mountain, Gangdise Mountain and Nyainqentanglha Mountain, accounting for two-thirds of the total area of the autonomous region; The southern part is the southern Tibet valley, which lies between the Gangdise Mountain and the Himalayas. East Tibet is a mountainous and canyon area, with a series of high mountains and deep valleys that gradually turn from east to west to north and south. It is a part of the famous Hengduan Mountains. Geomorphology can be basically divided into six types: extremely high mountain, high mountain, Zhongshan, low mountain, hilly and plain, as well as periglacial landform, karst landform, aeolian landform and volcanic landform.

The Himalayas, which meanders on the south side of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, consists of a series of parallel east-west mountains, the main part of which is on the border between China and India and Nepal, with a total length of 2,400 kilometers, a width of about 200-300 kilometers and an average elevation of over 6,000 meters. Mount Qomolangma is the highest mountain in the world, with an altitude of 8848.13m, located in the middle of the Himalayas. Within its surrounding area of more than 5,000 square kilometers, there are 4 peaks over 8,000 meters and 38 peaks over 7,000 meters.

Rivers and lakes

There are more than 20 rivers with a drainage area of 1 000 square kilometers and more than 2000 rivers with a drainage area of 1 000 square kilometers in Xizang Autonomous Region. The famous rivers are Jinsha River, Nujiang River, Lancang River and Yarlung Zangbo River. Tibet is also the China province with the largest distribution of international rivers, and the sources of famous Asian rivers such as Ganges, Indus, Yarlung Zangbo, Mekong, salween and Irrawaddy are all here. The water sources of rivers in Tibet are mainly composed of rainwater, snowmelt water and groundwater, with large flow, low sediment concentration and good water quality.

The Yarlung Zangbo River, the largest river in Tibet, originates from the Gemayengzong Glacier at the northern foot of the Himalayas in Zhongba County, Ali. It is the highest river in the world, with a total length of 2,057 kilometers, a drainage area of over 240,000 square kilometers and an average elevation of about 4,500 meters. After the Yarlung Zangbo River flows into India, it is called Brahmaputra River.

There are more than 0.5 million lakes10.5 million square kilometers, including 47 lakes10.0 million square kilometers in Tibet Plateau. The total area of lakes is about 24,000 square kilometers, accounting for about one third of the total area of lakes in China. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is not only the largest lake concentration area in China, but also the plateau lake area with the highest lake surface, the largest range and the largest number in the world. There are many lakes and saltwater lakes here, but few freshwater lakes. There are 17 lakes above 5000 meters above sea level.

The climate in Tibet has the following characteristics:

The air is thin, the air pressure is low and the oxygen content is low.

Strong solar radiation and long sunshine time. Because of the high altitude, thin air, low dust and water vapor content and high transparency in Tibet Plateau, when sunlight passes through the atmosphere, it has less energy loss and stronger radiation. Tibet is the place with the largest solar radiation energy in China. The total radiation in Lhasa is 195 kcal/cm2, while that in Chengdu with similar latitude is only 88 kcal/cm2, and that in Shanghai is 1 13 kcal/cm2. The sunshine hours in Tibet Plateau are far more than those in other parts of China at the same latitude. For example, the annual sunshine hours in Lhasa are 302 1 hour, Chengdu is 1 186 hours, and Shanghai is 1932 hours.

The temperature is low and the daily temperature difference is large. Due to the high terrain, the temperature in Tibet Plateau is much lower than that in the Yangtze River basin at the same latitude, and the daily temperature difference is large.

The whole year is divided into obvious dry season and rainy season. Under the alternating control of winter west wind and summer southwest monsoon, the division between dry season and rainy season in Tibet is very obvious. Generally, the dry season is 10 to April, and the rainy season is from May to September.

The climate type is complex and varies greatly vertically. Tibet is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, and its altitude has dropped from about 5000 meters to several hundred meters. So from southeast to northwest, the climate types are tropical, subtropical, temperate plateau, sub-frigid plateau, frigid plateau and so on. In the alpine valleys and southern slopes of the Himalayas in southeastern Tibet, due to the repeated uplift of the terrain, the temperature gradually decreased, and the climate changed vertically from tropical or subtropical climate to temperate, cold temperate and frigid climate. "Four seasons in one mountain, ten miles in different days" has been truly reflected here.

administrative division

Xizang Autonomous Region is one of the five autonomous regions in People's Republic of China (PRC), and it is an ethnic autonomous region dominated by Tibetans.

Xizang Autonomous Region has 6 regions, 1 prefecture-level city, 1 county-level city and 76 counties. Among them, Lhasa has seven counties under its jurisdiction, 1 county-level chengguan district; Changdu area governs 15 counties (four of which have not yet been established), and the administrative office is located in Changdu County; Shannan region governs 12 county, and its administrative office is located in Zedang town. Xigaze area governs 17 counties and 1 county-level cities, and its administrative office is located in Xigaze city; Naqu area governs 10 county and 1 special area, and the administrative office is located in Naqu county. Ali area governs 8 counties (of which 1 county has not yet been established), and the administrative office is located in shiquanhe town; Linzhi area governs 7 counties, and its administrative office is located in Bayi Town. Lhasa, the capital of the autonomous region, is the political, economic and cultural center of Tibet.

human population

Xizang Autonomous Region, with a population of over two million, is the province with the least population and the lowest density in China. Tibetans account for 94.7% of the population in this area.

The population distribution in Tibet is very uneven. Qamdo, Linzhi, Shannan, Shigatse and Lhasa in the southeast account for only 42% of the whole region, while the total population accounts for 85% of the whole region. Naqu and Ali in the northwest account for 58% of the whole area, and the population only accounts for 15% of the whole area. 195 1 Since the peaceful liberation, the CPC Central Committee and the people's government have formulated a population development policy according to the actual situation in Tibet, vigorously developing the economy and medical and health undertakings, and making the population of Tibet increase year by year.

Tibet is famous for its grandeur, magic and magnificence. She has a long history, magnificent rivers and mountains, peculiar ethnic customs and fairyland-like natural landscape. If you set foot on this strange and magical land, follow the footsteps of pilgrims to that ancient and distant era, visit the splendid ancient temples, appreciate the splendid culture and art, appreciate the magnificent scenery of mountains and lakes, appreciate the unique folk customs of snowy plateau, and visit the icebergs and snow peaks, you will surely be intoxicated.

Tibet is located in the southwest border of the motherland, bordering India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanmar and other countries outside, and neighboring Qinghai, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Yunnan and other provinces and regions inside. Tibet has a population of more than 2.4 million, of which Tibetans account for 94.7%, and the rest are Han, Menba, Lhoba, Hui and Naxi. In this magical land of Tibet, there are rich, unique and world-class tourism and cultural resources, with rugged mountains and scattered lakes, magnificent natural scenery, quaint and colorful folk customs, blue grassland and dense virgin forests, magnificent ancient temples and vast land, which attracts worldwide attention. Tibet is increasingly becoming a world-wide tourist attraction with its extraordinary natural and cultural landscape, and it has become the most desirable hot spot for tourists all over the world. Tibet's tourism resources are diverse and have first-class tastes, which can be roughly divided into the following three categories:

The first category-plateau natural landscape

As the "roof of the world", Tibet has rich three-dimensional landscapes, including mountains, grasslands, forests, rivers, glaciers, river valleys, lakes and rare animals and plants, most of which belong to the zigzag sequence. For example, the Himalayas, known as the "roof of the earth world", has more than 40 peaks over 7000 meters, which is the youngest and highest on the earth; Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world; Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, the largest canyon in the world, with an average depth of 5000 meters; The unique landscapes of Nujiang River, Lancang River and Jinsha River in Changdu area of eastern Tibet; Hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of no-man's land in northern Tibet where all kinds of wild animals flock in droves; There are also about 1500 lakes distributed in the north and south of the plateau; Wait a minute. All the landscapes have a great impact on the extraordinary scale and an irresistible attraction in the highly pure and pollution-free primitive state.

The second category-historical, religious and cultural landscapes

Tibet is an area where Tibetans are the main residents. Tibetans have a long history. They have developed under the unique natural conditions and social environment, and created profound culture, including religious culture. All historical, religious and cultural traditions have been systematically and completely preserved and embodied in temples, palaces, manors, buildings, murals, sculptures, temples and other cultural relics all over Tibet. The world-famous Potala Palace is a model, and its historical and cultural status is as important as the three major temples in Lhasa, Tashilhunpo Temple, Sakya Temple, Jokhang Temple and Sanye Temple.

The third category is the folk customs of plateau nationalities.

People in Xizang has lived in the plateau for a long time, and has already adapted to the special natural environment of the plateau, and has formed a very distinctive folk custom. As we all know, Tibet is a "sea of songs and dances", and Tibet's food, houses, costumes, handicrafts and so on. They all have deep feelings for Gao Yuanfeng and the plateau. What is particularly fascinating is the colorful traditional folk festivals. Each festival vividly shows the unique plateau folk customs with strong traditional colors. Among them, Lhasa Xuedun Festival and Naqu Qiangtang Qiaqing Horse Racing Festival have long been known to many tourists, and they have comprehensively displayed the customs and cultures of plateau cities, rural areas and pastoral areas in completely different styles.

With the reform and opening up and the expansion of interpersonal communication, our region, like other parts of the country, hopes that more and more tourists will travel to Tibet. However, considering the particularity of natural conditions in Tibet and the limited tourism management capacity in our region, relevant policies need to be paid attention to.

1. Tibet is a border province with a long international border, bordering India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Myanmar and other countries. This is the geographical advantage of developing international tourism in our region. However, due to the need of nature protection, Tibet is not yet fully open to the outside world, and the natural scenery or cultural relics in the unopened areas are not regarded as tourist attractions. At present, apart from Lhasa International Airport, Zhangmu Port is the only national first-class border port, and Pulan Port in Ali is a second-class port.

2. Determined by natural conditions, the tourist season in Tibet is relatively concentrated, with July, August and September as the peak season every year, accounting for almost 90% of the annual tourist volume, which brings great pressure to our reception and transportation. In addition, our region has a vast territory, scattered scenic spots, and relatively poor road conditions and climatic conditions, so we must provide absolute guarantee for the safety of tourists. Therefore, overseas tourists, including compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, are required to travel to Tibet. They must organize groups and do not accept individual travelers. At the same time, the confirmation letter of foreigners' travel to Tibet must be handled through Xizang Autonomous Region Tourism Bureau, and you can contact any international travel agency in our region in advance.

3. Domestic tourists traveling to Tibet are not restricted by individual travelers or groups. However, if the route enters the border, such as Mount Everest and the sacred lake of Mount Ali, you need to go to the public security organ for a border pass, which is similar to tourists visiting Shenzhen. If you only travel in the hinterland of Tibet, namely Lhasa, Shannan Zedang, Gyangze and Shigatse, you don't need a border pass.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that because Tibet is located in a cold climate and has a high altitude, most tourists will have a certain degree of altitude sickness when they first visit Tibet. Generally, people who are in good health will not have a big impact, but for those who are weak, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, it is recommended to take oxygen after entering Tibet.