Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of Ü-Tsang and Kham.
Tibet Autonomous Region | |
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| Chinese transcription(s) | |
| • Simplified Chinese | 西藏自治区 |
| • Hanyu pinyin | Xīzàng Zìzhìqū |
| • Abbreviation | XZ / 藏 (Zàng) |
| Tibetan transcription(s) | |
| • Tibetan script | བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས། |
| • Tibetan pinyin | Poi Ranggyong Jong |
| • Wylie translit. | bod rang skyong ljongs |
The Potala Palace in Lhasa | |
Location of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China (territory claimed by China but controlled by India is striped) | |
| Country | China |
| Capital and largest city | Lhasa |
| Divisions - Prefecture-level - County-level - Township- level | 7 prefectures 74 counties 699 towns and subdistricts |
| Government | |
| • Type | Autonomous region |
| • Body | Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Wang Junzheng |
| • Congress Chairman | Losang Jamcan |
| • Government Chairman | Yan Jinhai |
| • Regional CPPCC Chairman | Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai |
| • National People's Congress Representation | 24 deputies |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,228,400 km2 (474,300 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| Highest elevation | 8,848 m (29,029 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 3,648,100 |
| • Rank | 32nd |
| • Density | 3.0/km2 (7.7/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 33rd |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic composition | 86.0% Tibetan 12.2% Han 0.8% others |
| • Languages and dialects | Tibetan, Mandarin Chinese |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-XZ |
| GDP | 2022 |
| – Total | ¥213 billion (31st) $31.7 billion (nominal) |
| – Per capita | ¥58,438 (25th) $8,688 (nominal) |
| – Growth | 1.1% |
| HDI (2021) | 0.614 (31st) – medium |
| Website | www |
| Tibet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Tibet" in Chinese (top) and Tibetan (bottom) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 西藏 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xīzàng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Western Tsang" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Tibet Autonomous Region | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 西藏自治区 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 西藏自治區 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xīzàng Zìzhìqū | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tibetan | བོད་ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Manchu name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchu script | ᠸᠠᡵᡤᡳ ᡩᡯᠠᠩ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanization | wargi Dzang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mongolian name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mongolian | ᠲᠢᠪᠧᠲ Tibyet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It was formally established in 1965 to replace the Tibet Area, the former administrative division of the PRC established after the annexation of Tibet. The establishment was about five years after the 1959 Tibetan uprising and the dismissal of the Kashag, and about 13 years after the original annexation.
The current borders of the Tibet Autonomous Region were generally established in the 18th century and include about half of historic Tibet, or the ethno-cultural Tibet. The Tibet Autonomous Region spans over 1,200,000 km2 (460,000 sq mi) and is the second-largest province-level division of China by area, after Xinjiang. Due to its harsh and rugged terrain, it is sparsely populated at just over 3.6 million people with a population density of 3 inhabitants per square kilometre (7.8/sq mi).