Highlands of Tibet: description, geographical location, interesting facts and climate

The Tibet Highlands is the most extensive high-mountainous region on the planet. It is sometimes called the "Roof of the World". It is Tibet, which until the middle of the last century was an independent state, and now is part of China. The second name is the Land of Snows.

Tibet Plateau: geographical location

The Highlands are located in Central Asia, mainly in China. In the west, the Tibetan plateau borders with the Karakorum, in the north - with Kun-Lun, and in the east - with the Sino-Tibetan mountains, in the south meets the majestic Himalayas. In Tibet, three areas are distinguished: central and western (U-Tsang), northeast (Amdo), east and south-east (Kam). The highland covers an area of 2 million square kilometers. The average height of the Tibetan Plateau is from 4 to 5 thousand meters.

Relief

In the northern part there are hilly and flat plains with high altitude above sea level. Externally, North Tibet resembles the middle mountains, only considerably elevated. There are glacial forms of relief: punches, troughs, moraines. They start at an altitude of 4,500 meters. On the edges of the highlands are mountains with steep slopes, deep valleys and gorges. Closer to the Himalayas and Sino-Tibetan mountains, the plains acquire a view of the intermontane depressions, where the Brahmaputra flows - the largest river. The Tibetan Plateau here is reduced to 2500-3000 meters.

Origin

The Himalayas and Tibet together with it were formed as a result of subduction - collision of lithospheric plates. The formation of the Tibetan Plateau was as follows. The Indian platform plunged under the Asian plate. At the same time, she did not go down into the mantle, but began to move horizontally, thus, moved a long distance and lifted the Tibetan Highlands to a greater height. Therefore, the relief here is mostly flat.

Climate

The climate, which has the Tibetan highlands, is very harsh, characteristic of the highlands. And at the same time, the air here is dry, since the highlands are located inside the continent. In most of the uplands, the amount of precipitation is 100-200 millimeters per year. On the outskirts reaches 500 millimeters, in the south, where monsoons are blowing, 700-1000. In the main, precipitation falls in the form of snow. Thanks to this dry climate, the snow line passes very high, at a mark of 6000 meters. The largest area of glaciers in the southern part, where Kailas and Tangla are located. In the north and in the center, the average annual temperature fluctuates between 0 and 5 degrees. The snow-white winter lasts a long time, here there are thirty-degree frosts. Summer is quite cool with a temperature of 10-15 degrees. In the valleys and closer to the south, the climate becomes warmer.

The Tibetan Plateau has a high altitude, so the air is very sparse, this feature contributes to sharp temperature fluctuations. At night the territory is strongly cooled, there are strong local winds with dust storms.

Inland waters

Rivers and lakes, for the most part, have enclosed basins on the highlands, that is, they do not have external runoff to the seas and oceans. Although on the outskirts, where the monsoons dominate, there are sources of large and significant rivers. Here the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Yellow River, the Indus, the Salween, the Brahmaputra take their origin. All these are the largest rivers of India and China. In the north, the supply of water is mainly due to the melting of snow and glaciers. In the south, rain is still affected. Inside the Tibetan Plateau, the rivers are of a flat nature, and within the ranges along the periphery they can be very stormy and swift, their valleys are rather like gorges. In the summer rivers run high, and in winter they freeze.

Numerous lakes in the Tibetan Plateau are at an altitude of 4,500 to 5,300 meters. Their origin is tectonic. The largest of them: Seling, Namzo, Dangrayum. Most of the lakes have a shallow depth, the shores are low. The water in them has a different salt content, so the colors and shades of the water mirrors are varied: from brown to turquoise. In November they seize the ice, the water is frozen until May.

Vegetation

Highlands of Tibet occupy mostly high-altitude steppes and deserts. In vast areas there is no vegetation cover, here is the kingdom of rubble and stone. Although on the outskirts of the highlands there are fertile lands with mountain meadow soils.

In the high desert deserts, the vegetation is low. Herbs of the Tibetan Plateau: wormwood, acantholimon, astragalus, saussure. Semishrubs: ephedra, teresken, tanacetum.

Mosses and lichens are widespread in the north. Where ground waters are close to the surface, there is also meadow vegetation (sedge, cotton grass, citric, cobresia).

In the east and south of the Tibetan Plateau the amount of precipitation increases, the conditions become more favorable, high-altitude zones appear. If mountain deserts prevail at the top, then the mountain steppes (feather grass, fescue, bluegrass) dominate. In the valleys of large rivers, bushes grow (juniper, caragana, rhododendron). Here also there are tugai forests from willow and poplar-turangi.

Animal world

In the Tibetan highlands in the north live ungulates: yaks, antelopes, argali, orongo and hell, kiang kuku-yaman. Hare, pikas and voles fall. There are predators: bear-pishchuhod, fox, wolf, takal. The following birds live here: finches, ular, and Saja. There are predatory: the eagle-longtail and the Himalayan sip.

The history of the unification of Tibet

The Qiang tribes (the ancestors of the Tibetan people) moved to the territory of the highland from Kukunor in the 6th to 5th century BC. In the 7th century of the new era, they moved to agriculture, at the same time, the primitive communal system is disintegrating. Tibetan tribes are united by Namri - the ruler from Yarlung. With his son and heir to Sronzangambo, the existence of the Tibetan Empire (7-9 centuries) begins.

In 787, Buddhism became the religion of the state. During the reign of Langdarma, his followers began to be persecuted. After the death of the ruler, the state splits into separate principalities. In the 11th and 12th centuries, many religious Buddhist sects appear here, monasteries are being built, the largest of which acquire the status of independent theocratic states.

In the 13th century Tibet fell under the influence of the Mongols, the dependence disappears after the fall of the Yuan dynasty. From the 14th to the 17th century, there is a struggle for power. Monk Tszonkaba organizes a new Buddhist sect of Gelukba, in the 16th century the head of this sect receives the title of Dalai Lama. In the 17th century, the fifth Dalai Lama turned to the Oirat khan Kukunor for help. In 1642, the rival - Tsang Tsang - was defeated. The sect of Gelukba begins to rule in Tibet, and the Dalai Lama becomes the spiritual and secular head of the country.

Further history

By the middle of the 18th century, the east and northeast of Tibet are part of the Qin Empire. By the end of the century other state territories were subordinated. The power remained in the hands of the Dalai Lama, but under the control of the Qing court. In the 19th century, the British invaded Tibet, in 1904 their troops entered Lhasa. There was signed a treaty granting the privileges of Great Britain in Tibet.

The Russian government interfered, with England signed an agreement on the preservation and respect for the territorial integrity of Tibet. In 1911, the Xin-Han Revolution took place, during which all Chinese troops were expelled from Tibet. Later, the Dalai Lama announced the interruption of all ties with Beijing. But in Tibet, there was a strong English influence. After the end of World War II, the influence of the United States is intensified here. In 1949, the authorities proclaimed the independence of Tibet. China regarded this as separatism. The movement of the People's Liberation Army towards Tibet began. In 1951, the state received the status of national autonomy within China. After 8 years, an uprising started again, and the Dalai Lama was forced to hide in India. In 1965, the Tibet Autonomous Region was established here. After that, the Chinese authorities carried out a series of repressions against the clergy.

How did Buddhism appear in Tibet?

The penetration of Buddhism into Tibet is entwined with secrets and legends. The state at that time was young and strong. According to legend, Tibetans learned about Buddhism thanks to the miracle that happened. When King Lhatotori reigned, a small casket fell from the sky. It contained the text of Karandaviha sutra. Thanks to this text the state began to flourish, the tsar considered it to be its secret helper.

The first of the Tibetan kings of the Dharma was Sronzangambo, later he was considered the incarnation of the patron saint of Tibet, the Bodhisattva of Avalokitesvara. He married two princesses, one was from Nepal, the other from China. Both brought with them Buddhist texts and objects of worship. The Chinese princess took with her a large statue of Buddha, which is considered the main relic of Tibet. Tradition honors these two women as the embodiment of Tara - green and white.

In the middle of the 8th century, the well-known philosopher Shantarakshita was invited to preach, and soon he founded the first Buddhist monasteries.