Lhasa (prefecture-level city)
Lhasa
拉萨市 ལྷ་ས་གྲོང་ཁྱེར། | |
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%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22middle%22%20fill%3D%22%2354595d%22%20font-size%3D%2216%22%20font-family%3D%22sans-serif%22%3EView%20of%20Lhasa%20from%20Potala%20Palace%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) View of Lhasa from Potala Palace | |
%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22middle%22%20fill%3D%22%2354595d%22%20font-size%3D%2216%22%20font-family%3D%22sans-serif%22%3ELocation%20of%20Lhasa%20prefecture-level%20city%20jurisdiction%20in%20the%20Tibet%20Autonomous%20Region%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) Location of Lhasa prefecture-level city jurisdiction in the Tibet Autonomous Region | |
| Coordinates (Lhasa prefectural government): 29°39′12″N 91°10′19″E / 29.6534°N 91.1719°E | |
| Country | China |
| Autonomous region | Tibet |
| Municipal seat | Chengguan District |
| Government | |
| • Type | Prefecture-level city |
| • Body | Lhasa Municipal People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Dawa Tsering |
| • Congress Chairman | He Peng |
| • Mayor | Wang Qiang |
| • CPPCC Chairman | Nima |
| Area | |
| 29,274 km2 (11,303 sq mi) | |
| • Urban | 53 km2 (20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4,150 m (13,620 ft) |
| Population (2020 Census) | |
| 867,900 | |
| • Density | 29.65/km2 (76.79/sq mi) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | CN¥ 74.2 billion US$ 11.5 billion |
| • Per capita | CN¥ 85,000 US$ 13,100 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Area code | 891 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-XZ-01 |
| Licence plate prefixes | 藏A |
| Website | www |
pushpin_mapsize. Replace with pushpin_map_size.pushpin_map_caption. Replace with pushpin_caption.timezone. Replace with time_zone.mapsize1. Replace with map_size1.blank4_info. Replace with custom_data4_sec1.blank4_name. Replace with custom_label4_sec1.imagesize. Replace with image_size.image_caption. Replace with caption.settlement_type. Replace with type.| Lhasa | |||||||||||||||
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 "Lhasa" in Simplified Chinese characters (top), Traditional Chinese characters (middle), and Tibetan script (bottom) | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 拉萨 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 拉薩 | ||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Lāsà | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (Tibetan) "Place of the Gods" | ||||||||||||||
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| Also known as | |||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 逻些 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 邏些 | ||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Luóxiē | ||||||||||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||||||||||
| Tibetan | ལྷ་ས་ | ||||||||||||||
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Lhasa is the capital and largest city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is a prefecture-level city that covers an area of 29,274 square kilometres (11,303 sq mi) of rugged and sparsely populated terrain. Its urban center is Lhasa, with around 300,000 residents, which mostly corresponds with the administrative Chengguan District, while its suburbs extend into Doilungdêqên District and Dagzê District. The consolidated prefecture-level city contains an additional five, mostly rural, counties.
The city boundaries roughly correspond to the basin of the Lhasa River, a major tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. It lies on the Lhasa terrane, the last unit of crust to accrete to the Eurasian plate before the continent of India collided with Asia about 50 million years ago and pushed up the Himalayas. The terrain is high, contains a complex pattern of faults and is tectonically active. The temperature is generally warm in summer and rises above freezing on sunny days in winter. Most of the rain falls in summer. The upland areas and northern grasslands are used for grazing yaks, sheep and goats, while the river valleys support agriculture with crops such as barley, wheat and vegetables. Wildlife is not abundant, but includes the rare snow leopard and black-necked crane. Mining has caused some environmental problems.
The 2000 census gave a total population of 474,490, of whom 387,124 were ethnic Tibetans. The Han Chinese population at the time was mainly concentrated in urban areas. The prefecture-level city is traversed by two major highways and by the Qinghai–Tibet railway, which terminates in the city of Lhasa. In the future, the Sichuan–Tibet railway currently under construction will expect to start operations in 2030. Two large dams on the Lhasa River deliver hydroelectric power, as do many smaller dams and the Yangbajain Geothermal Field. The population is well-served by primary schools and basic medical facilities, although more advanced facilities are lacking. Tibetan Buddhism and monastic life have been dominant aspects of the local culture since the 7th century. Most of the monasteries were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but since then many have been restored and serve as tourist attractions.