Tibetan Highland - the most extensive highland area on the planet. It is sometimes called the "Roof of the World". On it is Tibet, which was an independent state until half of the last century, and is now part of China. Its second name is the Land of Snows.
Tibetan Plateau: geographic location
The highlands are located in Central Asia, mainly in China. In the west, the Tibetan Plateau borders the Karakorum, in the north - with Kun-Lun, and in the east - with the Sino-Tibetan Mountains, in the south it meets the majestic Himalayas.
There are three regions in Tibet: central and western (U-Tsang), northeastern (Amdo), eastern and southeastern (Kam). The highlands cover 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 a high altitude. Outwardly, Northern Tibet resembles the middle mountains, only significantly elevated. There are glacial landforms:punishments, troughs, moraines. They start at an altitude of 4500 meters.
At the edges of the highlands are mountains with steep slopes, deep valleys and gorges. Closer to the Himalayas and the Sino-Tibetan mountains, the plains take on the appearance of intermountain depressions, where the Brahmaputra, the largest river, flows. The Tibetan Plateau here drops to 2500-3000 meters.
Origin
The Himalayas and Tibet along with it were formed as a result of subduction - the collision of lithospheric plates. The Tibetan Plateau was formed in the following way. The Indian platform has sunk under the Asian plate. At the same time, it did not go down into the mantle, but began to move horizontally, thus advancing a great distance and raising the Tibetan highlands to a great height. Therefore, the terrain here is mostly flat.
Climate
The climate that the Tibetan Plateau has is very severe, typical of the highlands. And at the same time, the air here is dry, since the highlands are located inside the mainland. In most of the highlands, the rainfall is 100-200 millimeters per year. On the outskirts it reaches 500 millimeters, in the south, where the monsoons blow, - 700-1000. Most of the precipitation falls in the form of snow.
Due to such a dry climate, the snow line runs very high, at the mark of 6000 meters. The largest area of glaciers is in the southern part, where Kailash and Tangla are located. In the north and in the center, the average annual temperature fluctuates between 0 and 5 degrees. Snowy winter lasts a long time, there are thirtyfrosts. Summer is quite cool with temperatures 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 rarefied, this feature contributes to sharp temperature fluctuations. At night, the area is very cool, strong local winds with dust storms occur.
Inland waters
Rivers and lakes for the most part in the highlands have closed pools, that is, they do not have external flow into the seas and oceans. Although on the outskirts, where monsoons dominate, there are sources of large and significant rivers. The Yangtze, Mekong, Yellow River, Indus, Salween, Brahmaputra originate here. All these are the largest rivers of India and China. In the north, water flows are fed mainly by melting snow and glaciers. Rains are still affecting the south.
Inside the Tibetan Plateau, the rivers have a flat character, and within the ridges along the periphery they can be very stormy and swift, their valleys rather look like gorges. In summer, the rivers are flooded, and in winter they freeze.
Many lakes in the Tibetan Plateau are located at an altitude of 4500 to 5300 meters. Their origin is tectonic. The largest of them are: Seling, Namtso, Dangrayum. Most of the lakes have a shallow depth, the banks are low. The water in them has a different s alt content, so the colors and shades of the water mirrors are varied: from brown to turquoise. In November, they are seized by ice, the water remains frozen until May.
Vegetation
Tibetan Highlands are mainly occupiedhigh mountain steppes and deserts. There is no vegetation cover on vast territories; here is the kingdom of rubble and stone. Although on the outskirts of the highlands there are also fertile lands with mountain meadow soils.
Vegetation is stunted in the high deserts. Herbs of the Tibetan Plateau: wormwood, acantolimons, astragalus, Saussurea. Subshrubs: ephedra, teresken, tanacetum.
Mosses and lichens are widespread in the north. Where groundwater is close to the surface, there is also meadow vegetation (sedge, cotton grass, rush, kobresia).
In the east and south of the Tibetan Plateau, the amount of precipitation increases, conditions become more favorable, altitudinal zonality appears. If mountain deserts dominate above, then mountain steppes (feather grass, fescue, bluegrass) below. Shrubs (juniper, caragana, rhododendron) grow in the valleys of large rivers. Tugai forests of willow and turanga poplar are also found here.
Animal world
Ungulates live in the Tibetan Plateau in the north: yaks, antelopes, argali, orongo and hell, kiang kuku-yaman. Hares, pikas and voles come across.
There are also predators: a pischivorous bear, a fox, a wolf, a takal. The following birds live here: finches, snowcock, saja. There are also predatory ones: the long-tailed eagle and the Himalayan vulture.
History of the Unification of Tibet
The Qiang tribes (ancestors of the people of Tibet) moved to the highlands from Kokunor in the 6th-5th century BC. In the 7th century AD, they switched to agriculture, at the same timethe primitive society breaks up. The Tibetan tribes are united by Namri, the ruler from Yarlung. With his son and heir, Srontszangambo, the existence of the Tibetan Empire (7-9th century) begins.
In 787 Buddhism becomes the religion of the state. During the reign of Langdarma, his followers began to be persecuted. After the death of the ruler, the state breaks up into separate principalities. In the 11-12 centuries, many religious Buddhist sects appeared here, monasteries were built, the largest of which acquired the status of independent theocratic states.
In the 13th century, Tibet falls under the influence of the Mongols, dependence disappears after the fall of the Yuan dynasty. From the 14th to the 17th century there is a struggle for power. The monk Tsongkaba organizes a new Buddhist sect 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 - the king of the Tsang region - was defeated. The Gelukba sect 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 were part of the Qin Empire. By the end of the century, other territories of the state were also subordinated. 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. A treaty was signed granting British privileges in Tibet.
The Russian government intervened, an agreement was signed with England on the preservation and respect of territorial integrityTibet. In 1911, the Xin-Han Revolution took place, during which all Chinese troops were expelled from Tibet. Subsequently, the Dalai Lama announced the interruption of all ties with Beijing.
But a strong English influence remained in Tibet. After the end of World War II, the influence of the United States is activated here. In 1949, the authorities declared 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, the uprising began 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 Buddhism appeared in Tibet
The penetration of Buddhism into Tibet is entangled in secrets and legends. The state at that time was young and strong. According to legend, the Tibetans learned about Buddhism through a miracle. When King Lhathotori ruled, a small chest fell from the sky. It contained the text of the Karandavyuha Sutra. Thanks to this text, the state began to flourish, the king considered him his secret assistant.
The first of the Tibetan Dharma kings was Srontszangambo, later he was considered the incarnation of the patron of Tibet - the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. He married two princesses, one was from Nepal, the other was from China. Both brought Buddhist texts and religious objects with them. 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 famous philosopher Shantarakshita was invited to preach, who soon founded the first Buddhist monasteries.
