Tibetan Areas

Tibet lies at the centre of Asia, with an area of 2.5 million square kilometers. The earth's highest mountains, a vast arid plateau and great river valleys make up the physical homeland of 6 million Tibetans. It has an average altitude of 4500 meters above sea level.

The historic Tibet is comprised of the three provinces of Amdo, Kham and Ü-Tsang.

Amdo is now split into the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu & Sichuan. Kham is largely incorporated into the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai. Ü-Tsang, which, together with western Kham, is today referred to by China as the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).