The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, first-level subdivision, as well as many similar terms, are g ...
-level
autonomous region
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country sub ...
of the
People's Republic of China
China (), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC; ), is a country in East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia
Asia () is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere ...

in
Southwest China
Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China
China (), officially the People's Republic of China (PRC; ), is a country in East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia
Asia () is Earth' ...

. It was overlayed on the traditional
Tibet
Tibet (; ; ) is a region in East Asia covering much of the Tibetan Plateau spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, Monpa, Tamang people, Tamang, Qia ...

an regions of
Ü-Tsang
Ü-Tsang or Tsang-Ü is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the others being Amdo in the north-east, Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Geographically Ü-Tsang co ...
and
Kham
Kham (; )
is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. K ...

.
It was formally established in 1965 to replace the
Tibet Area, the former
administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, first-level subdivision, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular ...
of the People's Republic of China (PRC) established after the
annexation of Tibet
The annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, called the "Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" by the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese government, and the "Chinese invasion of Tibet" by the Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan pe ...
. The establishment was about five years after the
1959 Tibetan uprising
The 1959 Tibetan uprising or the 1959 Tibetan rebellion () began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level L ...
and the dismissal of the
Kashag
The Kashag (; ), was the governing council of Tibet
Tibet (; ; ) is a region in East Asia covering much of the Tibetan Plateau spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such ...
, 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
. The Tibet Autonomous Region spans over and is the second-largest
province-level division of China by area, after
Xinjiang
Xinjiang (),, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; alternately romanized as Sinkiang officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and formerly romanized as Sinkiang, is a landlocked autonomous region
An autonomous ...

. Due to its harsh and rugged terrain, it is lightly populated at just over 3.5 million people.
History
Yarlung kings founded the
Tibetan Empire
The Tibetan Empire (, ; ) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songsten Gampo in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the 38th ...

in 618. By the end of the 8th century, the empire reached its greatest extent. After a civil war, the empire broke up in 842. The royal lineage
and ruled over small kingdoms such as
Guge
200px, A brass alloy statue of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, Guge, c. 1050 CE.
Guge () was an ancient kingdom in Western Tibet. The kingdom was centered in present-day Zanda County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region. At various point ...
,
Maryul
Maryul of Ngari (''Mar-yul'' of ''mNgah-ris'', meaning the "lowland of "), or the Kingdom of Ladakh, was a west an kingdom based in modern-day and . The Maryul kingdom was based in and evolved into the modern Ladakh.
The kingdom was founded b ...
and Nyingma. The Mongol Empire
conquered Tibet in 1244 but the region was granted a degree of political autonomy.
Kublai Khan
Kublai (; also spelled Qubilai or Kübilai; mn, Хубилай, Khubilai ; ; 23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as Emperor Shizu of Yuan, was the fifth khagan-Emperor of China, emperor of the Mongol Empir ...

later incorporated the region into his
Yuan empire. The
Sakya
:''This article concerns the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. For information on the ancient Śākya tribe, see'' .
The Sakya (, "pale earth") school is one of four major schools of , the others being the , , and . It is one of the s along with ...
lama
Drogön Chögyal Phagpa patriarchs, first Imperial Preceptor
The Imperial Preceptor, or Dishi (, lit. "Teacher of the Emperor") was a high title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an ...
became religious teacher to Kublai, and was made the head of the region.
From 1354 to 1642, Central Tibet (
Ü-Tsang
Ü-Tsang or Tsang-Ü is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the others being Amdo in the north-east, Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Geographically Ü-Tsang co ...
) was ruled by a succession of dynasties from
Nêdong,
Shigatse
Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê (; ), is a prefecture-level city
A prefectural-level municipality (), prefectural-level city or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China
China (), offi ...

and
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet. The inner urban ...

. In 1642, the
Ganden Phodrang
The Ganden Phodrang or Ganden Podrang (; ) is a Dalai Lama
, coatofarms =
, coatofarms_article =
, coatofarms_link =
, incumbent = 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
, incumbentsince = 22 February 1940
, image = Dalailama ...
court of the
5th Dalai Lama
Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (; ; 1617–1682) was the 5th Dalai Lama
, coatofarms =
, coatofarms_article =
, coatofarms_link =
, incumbent = Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsan ...

was established by
Güshi Khan
Güshi Khan (1582 – 14 January 1655; ) was a Khoshut prince and founder of the Khoshut Khanate, who supplanted the Tumed descendants of Altan Khan as the main benefactor of the Dalai Lama and the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1637, Güshi ...
of the
Khoshut Khanate
The Khoshut Khanate was an Oirats, Oirat khanate based in the Tibetan Plateau from 1642 to 1717.
Name
It is also referred to as Heshuote Khanate (和碩特汗國), State of Khoshut, or Quoshote Khanate. In Cyrillic it is spelled Хошууд ...

, who was enthroned as King (chogyal) of Tibet. The Khoshuts ruled until 1717 when they were overthrown by the
Dzungar Khanate
The Dzungar Khanate, also written as the Zunghar Khanate, was an Inner Asia
Inner Asia refers to landlocked regions within East Asia and North Asia that are part of today's Western China, Mongolia
Mongolia (, Mongolian language, M ...
. The Dzungar forces were in turn expelled by the
Manchu
The Manchu (; ) are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym and endonym, exonym for a historical and geographic region of Russia and China in Northeast Asia (mostly in ...
expedition to Tibet during the
Dzungar–Qing Wars
The Dzungar–Qing Wars ( mn, Зүүнгар-Чин улсын дайн, ) were a decades-long series of conflicts that pitted the Dzungar Khanate against the Qing dynasty of China and their Mongolian vassals. Fighting took place over a wide sw ...
. This began the
Qing rule over Tibet and marked the first time that Tibet was controlled by the central Chinese government.
Despite some politically charged historical debate on the exact nature of
Sino-Tibetan relations,
most historians agree that Tibet under the Ganden Phodrang was an independent state, albeit under different foreign suzerainties, for most of its history and including the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was the Dynasties in Chinese history, ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last imperial dynas ...

period (1368–1644).
From 1912 to 1950, the
State of Tibet became ''de facto'' independent after the fall of the Qing dynasty. The
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. It shares Maritime boundary, maritime borders with the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the sout ...
that succeeded the Qing, was too preoccupied with fractious
warlordism
A warlord is a strong leader able to exercise military, economic, and political control over a subnational territory within a sovereign state because of their ability to mobilize loyal armed forces. These armed forces, usually considered militia
...
(1916–1928),
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war in China fought between the Kuomintang (KMT)-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China (ROC) and forces of the Communist Party of China (CPC) lastin ...
(1927–1949) and
Japanese invasion to have been able to assert any authority in Tibet. Other smaller kingdoms of ethno-cultural Tibet in eastern
Kham
Kham (; )
is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the others being Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The original residents of Kham are called Khampas (), and were governed locally by chieftains and monasteries. K ...

and
Amdo
Amdo ( Help:IPA/Tibetan, am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the others being U-Tsang in the west, Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Amdo ...

had been under ''de jure'' administration of the Chinese dynastic government since the mid-18th century; today they are distributed among the provinces of
Qinghai
Qinghai (; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known Kokonor, is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Northwest China, the northwest of the China, People's Republic of China. It is one of ...

,
Gansu
Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a landlocked province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative region, subnatio ...

,
Sichuan
Sichuan (; , ; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan) is a landlocked province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, admini ...

and
Yunnan
Yunnan () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Ku ...

. (See also:
)
In 1950, the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare
War is an intense armed conflict between St ...
marched into Tibet and defeated the Tibetan local army in a
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
fought near the city of
Chamdo
Chamdo (officially Qamdo, and known in Chinese as Changdu) is a prefecture-level city
A road sign shows distance to the "Huangshi urban area" () rather than simply " Yangxin County from the neighboring Xianning), but still from the Huangshi ...
. In 1951, the Tibetan representatives signed a
17-point agreement with the
Central People's Government
The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China
China, officia ...
affirming China's
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the supreme authority within a territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body, or institution that has the ultimate a ...
over Tibet and the
incorporation of Tibet. The agreement was ratified in Lhasa a few months later. Although the 17-point agreement had provided for an autonomous administration led by the
Dalai Lama
, coatofarms =
, coatofarms_article =
, coatofarms_link =
, incumbent = Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso; born Lhamo Dhondup), ...

, a "Preparatory Committee for the Autonomous Region of Tibet" (PCART) was established in 1955 to exclude the Dalai Lama's government and create a system of administration along Communist lines. Under threat of his life from Chinese forces the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 and renounced the 17-point agreement. Tibet Autonomous Region was
established in 1965, thus making Tibet a provincial-level division of China.
Geography
The Tibet Autonomous Region is located on the
Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau
In geology
Geology (from the Ancient Greek γῆ, ''gē'' ("earth") and - ...
, the highest region on earth. In northern Tibet elevations reach an average of over .
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, world's ...

is located on Tibet's border with
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

.
China's provincial-level areas of
Xinjiang
Xinjiang (),, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; alternately romanized as Sinkiang officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and formerly romanized as Sinkiang, is a landlocked autonomous region
An autonomous ...

,
Qinghai
Qinghai (; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known Kokonor, is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Northwest China, the northwest of the China, People's Republic of China. It is one of ...

and
Sichuan
Sichuan (; , ; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan) is a landlocked province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, admini ...

lie to the north, northeast and east, respectively, of the Tibet AR. There is also a short border with
Yunnan Province
Yunnan () is a landlocked province
A province is almost always an administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, first-level subdivi ...

to the southeast. The countries to the south and southwest are
Myanmar
Myanmar, ); UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, John ...

,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi
Hindi (Devanagari: , हिंदी, ISO 15919, ISO: ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: , ISO 15919, ISO: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in Hindi Belt, ...

,
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul, ), officially known as the Kingdom of Bhutan ( dz, འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་, Druk Gyal Khap), is a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas. It is bordered by Chin ...

, and
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

. China claims
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh (, literally "land of dawn-lit mountains") is a state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* The State (newspaper), ...

administered by India as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It also claims several areas adjoining the Chumbi Valley that are recognised as Bhutan's territory. China administers several border areas of
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory, and constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...

claimed by India.

Physically, the Tibet AR may be divided into two parts: the lakes region in the west and north-west and the river region, which spreads out on three sides of the former on the east, south and west. Both regions receive limited amounts of rainfall as they lie in the
rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its Windward and leeward#Meteorological significance, leeward side.
Evaporation, Evaporated moistu ...

of the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language of South Asia that belongs to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It ar ...

; however, the region names are useful in contrasting their
hydrological
Hydrology (from Greek#REDIRECT Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece
Greece ( el, Ελλάδα, , ), officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country located in Southeast Europe. Its population is approxi ...
structures, and also in contrasting their different cultural uses:
nomad
A nomad ( frm, nomade "people without fixed habitation") is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer is a human
Humans (''Homo ...

ic in the lake region and
agricultural
Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary
Image:Family watching television 1958.jpg, Exercise trends, Increases in sedentary behaviors such as watching tele ...

in the river region. On the south the Tibet AR is bounded by the Himalayas, and on the north by a broad mountain system. The system at no point narrows to a single range; generally there are three or four across its breadth. As a whole the system forms the watershed between rivers flowing to the Indian Ocean — the
Indus#REDIRECT Indus River
{{Redirect category shell,
{{R from move
{{R from miscapitalisation
{{R unprintworthy
...

,