Tibet is the highest region on earth a plateau region north of the Himalayas, it shares national borders with India, Kashmir, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Myanmar in the south and west, while within China it abuts Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces to the north, east, and south. The region is sparsely populated with a total population of 2.9 million occupying an area of 1.25 million square kilometers, about the size of Western Europe. The majority of the indigenous rural population derives its livelihood from agriculture and nomadic pastoralism.

Due to the size and its huge difference in elevation, Tibet has a wide range of climatic conditions. The northern regions, with vast open plains and an average altitude of 16,000feet, have the harshest climate, with consistently low temperatures all year long and biting winds. In summer, temperature range from 65 to 85°F, and in winter they sometimes drop to –30°F. Yearly rainfall average between six and eight inches. The rocky soil is generally incapable of supporting agriculture, and the nomads who feed their herds on the sparse vegetation have to move regularly in order to avoid overgrazing.

Throughout all of Tibet, the air is thin, and the sun is strong. The high altitude is often debilitating for people from lower elevations, many of whom suffer altitude sickness and shortness of breath. The central valley enjoys a much more temperate climate than the northern plateaus, and areas below 12,000 feet are able to sustain settled agriculture.

More than 80% of the population of the TAR are ethnic Tibetans, about 25% of whom are nomads. There are an estimated 2 million Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region that practice some form of nomadism. For centuries these nomads have ranged across the grasslands of the Tibetan plateau with their grazing herds of sheep, cattle, goats, and yaks. Herding families tend to be poor and money is earned by trading animals for grain or selling them or their meat for money. Other ethnic groups include the Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and considerable numbers of Han and Hui people. Due to its generally harsh terrain, is the least densely populated provincial-level division of the PRC.

Tibet has some of the world’s tallest mountains, and several major rivers have their source in the Tibetan Plateau. The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, along the Yarlung Zangbo River, is one of the deepest and longest canyons in the world. It has also two world heritage sites – the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, which were the residences of the Dalai Lama. Lhasa the capital contains several significant temples and monasteries, including the Jokhang Temple.