Located in the southwest frontier of the People's Republic of China, Tibet Autonomous Region has an area of over 1.2 million square kilometers, which makes up one-eighth of the total national area, only second to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. With the average elevation of over 4,000 meters, Tibet is the plateau region with the largest space and the highest sea level in the world, which is dubbed "the World Ridge" and "the Third Pole on the Globe". Tibet is contiguous to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous Region and Qinghai Province by the Kunlun and the Tanggula Mountains on the north, looks at Sichuan Province across the Jinsha River on the east, is connected with Yunnan Province on the southeast, borders Burmese, India, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and Kashmir. With nearly 4,000 kilometers land boundary line, it is China's southwest barrier.

Famous for peculiar geological features, magnificent natural scenery, splendid ethnic culture and characteristic local customs and practices, Tibet has become the Holy Land for numerous Chinese and overseas tourists, mountain explorers and scientific surveyors.
Geographically, Tibet can be divided into three major parts, the east, north and south. The eastern part is forest region, occupying approximately one-fourth of the land. Virgin forests run the entire breadth and length of this part of Tibet. The northern part is open grassland, where nomads and yak and sheep dwell here. This part occupies approximately half of Tibet. The southern and central part is agricultural region, occupying about one-fourth of Tibet's land area.

With all major Tibetan cities and towns such as Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse and Tsetang located in this area, it is considered the cultural center of Tibet. The total area of the Tibet Autonomous Region is 1,200,000 square kilometers and its population is 1,890,000. The region is administratively divided into one municipality and six prefectures. The municipality is Lhasa, while the six prefectures are Shigatse, Ngari, Shannan, Chamdo, Nagchu and Nyingchi.

Mountains
Tibet is a land of mountains, with the Tanggula range to the north, the Himalayas to the south, the Henduan Mountains to the east, the Kunlun Mountains to the west, and the Nyainqentanglha and Kangdese ranges in the center. The Himalayas are a group of mountain ranges running roughly parallel to one another in an east-west direction on the southern edge of the Tibet Plateau along China's border with India and Nepal. The mountains run for 2,400 kilometers at a-width of 200 to 300 kilometers and altitudes averaging over 6,000 meters. Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak with an elevation of 8848.13 meters, rises. Four peaks each with an elevation of over 8,000 meters and 38 peaks each over 7,000 meters can be found in the more than 5,000 square kilometers surrounding Qomolangma. Lozi, the world's fourth highest peak, rises some 8,501 meters in the south; Markalu, the world's fifth highest peak at 8,470 meters, lies to the east; Qowowuyag, the seventh highest peak at 8,153 meters, to the west; and Xixabangma, which lies still further to the west, soars to 8,012 meters. Nonetheless, the unique scenery of Qomolangma continues to lead the long list of majestic peaks in attracting worldwide attention. Clouds, which often envelope Qomolangma like a shroud, sometimes appear to surge by like a tidal wave, at other times drift gently away like smoke from a chimney, or on still other occasions appear as mysterious as a veiled beauty. Visitors often sit patiently at the foot of Qomolangma for hours simply to catch a glimpse of the spectacular scenes.

Rivers
More than 20 rivers, with drainage areas in excess of 10,000 square kilometers, are in Tibet. Great rivers of Asia that find their origin in Tibet include the Ganges, Hindus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Salween and Ilrrawaddv. These rivers for the most part arise from rains, melted ice and snow and underground water; hence their water is of excellent quality.

Tibetans refer to the Yarlung Zangbo River, the longest river in the region, as the "Cradle of Tibet" or the "Mother River." The Yarlung Zhangbo means "snow water from high mountains" in the Tibetan language, meanders some 2,091 km within the borders of Tibet. Yarlung Zangbo River has its source in the alter flowing through Lhoyuand entering India it is known as the Brahmaputra. With the drainage area of more than 240,000 square kilometers at an approximate average altitude of 4,500 meters high, is the world's highest-altitude river. The 370-kilometer Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, with a depth of 5,382 meters, is the world's deepest Canyon. It is only 74 meters wide at the narrowest point along its base and 200 meters at the widest.

Lakes
Most alpine lakes in the highlands are fed by water flowing from the melting snow on mountains. Namtso Lake, the largest holy lake in the region, lies in northern Tibet. The lake covers 1,920 square km and features crystal clear blue water. The water clarity of Tibet's lakes most often reaches depths of between 10-14 meters. The Mapam Yumco Lake in Ngari sits at the highest altitude of any lake in the world. The holy lake attracts an endless flow of pilgrims from Nepal and India, and is famous for its natural scenery which includes large flocks of sheep and herds of cows grazing on lush grass, as well as the untold number of ducks and swans living in their natural habitat on the numerous islets.

Undoubtedly, Tibet is one of the harshest places for human existence. It is cool in summer, but excruciatingly cold in winter. In Lhasa, the relatively humane city in Tibet, although the temperature may exceed 29 degrees C (84 degrees F) in summer, it can also plummet to minus 16 degrees C (3 degrees F) in winter! Solar radiation is extremely strong in Tibet. The sunlight in Lhasa is so intense that the city is called Sunlight City. The thin Tibetan air can neither radiate nor absorb heat, resulting in temperature extremes during both day and night. However it is not impossible to visit the holy snow land. The period from April to October is the best time to visit Tibet, avoiding the coldest months from December to February.

In northern Tibet, the average temperature is subzero and winter lasts from October through May or June. July and August are the best time to visit the area, enjoying warm temperatures, intense sunshine, beautiful scenery, and festive events.

In eastern Tibet, May, June and September are the height of the tourism season. In winter, roads are all blocked by heavy snow. Landslides are frequent occurrences, making travel difficult.
Although southern Tibet is balmy during May through October, most rainfall also comes during this season between June and September. Heavy rains during the nights block roads and make travel difficult. However, during this season, the scenery is at its best and there are also great festive events held. Hence, it is the preferred time to visit Lhasa, Shigatse, and Nyingchi. From November through May, strong winds are common occurrences.