About Lhasa

Lhasa is the capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has a history of more than 1300 years. It covers an area of close to 30,000 square kilometers. It has a downtown of 544 square kilometers and a population of 400,000, including 140,000 of its people living 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.

Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3650 meters and sits at 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 Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit). It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually, much more than all other cities in this regard, giving the city the title of "sunlit city."

Lhasa enjoys an annual precipitation of 500 milimeters. 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.

Lhasa has beautiful landscapes. The Lhasa River, known as the "merry blue waves," runs through the snow-covered peaks and gullies of the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, extending 315 kilometers. The river empties into the Yarlung Zangbo River at Quxu, forming a scenic wonder that features blue and whitewater waves. Inside the city towers the Potala Palace. The city features a combination of traditional and modern things, including prayer wheels and computers.

China tours inclusive of visiting Lhasa