Facts About Tibet

Legal Status:	Independent until 1949 and now occupied.
Size:	2.5 million square kilometres.
Population:	6 million in 1949.
Political & Spiritual Leader:	His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Religion:	Buddhism. Prior to 1959 there were over 6000 monasteries in Tibet. The Chinese have destroyed all but 13 of these.
Capital:	Lhasa
Language:	Tibetan
Staple Food:	Tsampa (roasted barley flour)
National Drink:	Salted butter tea.
Average Altitude:	3,500 metres
Highest Mountain:	Mount Everest (Chomolungma)
Domestic Animal:	Yak
Mineral Deposits:	Borax, chromite, gold, iron, uranium.
Economy:	Agriculture and animal husbandry.
National Flag:	Snow lions with red and blue rays (outlawed in Tibet).

Tibet is Significant

Tibet is one third the size of Australia

Tibet is one-third of the size of Australia.

It is strategically important to China, bordering Burma, Bhutan, China, East Turkestan, India, Mongolia and Nepal.

Historical Map of Tibet

Tibetans use the name "Tibet" to mean the 3 provinces above, which was the area traditionally known as Tibet prior to the 1949-50 Chinese invasion.