Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region (Xīzàng Zìzhìqū 西藏自治区 or Xizang for short), is an administrative subdivision of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It includes only half of what has historically been called Tibet, including Tibet's historic capital of Lhasa. Within the PRC the TAR is identified with Tibet, a characterization hotly disputed by many Tibetan exile groups, particularly the Government of Tibet in Exile, which define the term to include former Tibetan Provinves Amdo, today encorporated in Qinghai and parts of Gansu provinces, and Eastern Kham, today western Sichuan and northern Yunnan provinces.
| Province Abbreviation(s): 藏 zàng | |
| Capital | Lhasa |
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 2nd 1,200,000 km² xx% |
| Population
- Density | Ranked 32nd
2.2/km² |
| Administration Type | Autonomous Region |
| File:China province xizang.png | |
History
Main article: History of Tibet
The position of the Chinese government is that Tibet has been an integral, although autonomous, part of China for several hundred years. The position of the Government of Tibet in Exile and the Free Tibet movement is that it was formerly an independent nation and was conquered by China in 1951.
In 1950 the People's Liberation Army entered Tibet against little resistance. In 1951 a treaty signed by representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama provided for rule by a joint Chinese-Tibetan authority. During the 1950s Chinese rule grew more oppressive, and in 1959, the Tibetans rebelled. The rebellion was soon crushed, and the Dalai Lama fled to India. The Panchen Lama was set up as a figurehead in Lhasa. In 1965 Tibet became an Autonomous Region. The monastic estates were broken up and secular education introduced. During the Cultural Revolution there was a campaign of organized vandalism against Tibet's Buddhist heritage.
Since 1979 Chinese policy in Tibet has veered between moderation and repression. Most religious freedoms have been restored, provided the lamas do not challenge Chinese rule.
Geography
Xizang is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the highest region on Earth. Most of the Himalaya mountain range lies within Xizang; Mount Everest is on Xizang's border with Nepal.
Xizang is bounded on the north and east by Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Sichuan, on the west by Kashmir and on the south by Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Xizang also borders on Bhutan, Sikkim, India, and Pakistan.
Economy
The Xizang economy is dominated by subsistence agriculture. Due to limited arable land, livestock raising is the primary occupation. The Qinghai-Tibet Railroad is being built to link the region with China proper.
Demographics
Xizang has the lowest population density among all of the province-level administrative regions in China, mainly due to its mountainous and harsh geographical features.
More than 90% of the people living in Xizang are ethnic Tibetan. Other ethnic groups include Han, Menba, Lhoba and Hui.