| Lhasa, the capital of China's
Tibet Autonomous Region, has a history of more than 1,300 years.
It is the political, economic, cultural and transport center
of the region. Lhasa covers an area of close to 30,000 square
km. It has a downtown of 544 square km and a population of 400,000;
140,000 of its people live in the downtown area. Lhasa is home
to the Tibetan, Han, and Hui peoples, as well as many other
ethnic groups, but the Tibetan ethnic group makes up 87 percent
of the total population.
Lhasa has beautiful scenery. The Lhasa
River, known as the "merry blue waves," runs through
the snow-covered peaks and gullies of the Nyainqentanglha
Mountains, extending 315 km. The river empties into the Yarlung
Zangbo River at Quxu, forming a scenic wonder that features
blue and white water waves.
The ancient city of Lhasa stands
by the Lhasa River. Inside the city towers the Potala Palace.
The city features a combination of traditional and modern
things, including prayer wheels and computers.
Located at the bottom of a small basin
surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3,650 meters
and sits at 91'06E and 29'36N, the center of the Tibet Plateau.
Blessed with flat land and mild weather, Lhasa is free of
frigid winters and unbearably hot summers, having an annual
average daily temperature of 8 degrees C (43 degrees F). It
enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually, much more than all
other cities in this regard, giving the city its title of
"sunlit city."
Lhasa enjoys an annual precipitation of
500 mm. It rains mainly in July, August and September. The
rainy seasons in the summer and fall are the best seasons
of the year, when it rains mostly at night, and is sunny in
the daytime.
|
