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Map of Lhasa City

Lhasa - capital city of Tibet

Lhasa, named as the Sprawling City, covers a total area of 30,000 square kilometers, boasts a population of 400, 000 of which 87% are Tibetans, with a history of more than 1,300 years.

In the Tibetan language, Lhasa means the Holy Land or the Buddha Land. It is the center of Tibet’s politics, economy and culture. Lhasa has rightly been the most featured and dreamt-about cities in the world,, which is not only because of its remoteness and its high altitude at 3,650 meters, but also because of its impressive heritage of over a thousand years of cultural and spiritual history that has helped to create the romantic and mysterious Tibetan region. It has been appointed as one of the 24 historical and cultural cities of China. The splendor and grandeur of the Potala Palace in Lhasa remains a world-famous symbol of the enigmatic power of politics and religion in this region.

Location and Topography of Lhasa

As the spectacular capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region, Lhasa is situated in the south Central part of the region, on the north bank of the Kyichu River (Lhasa River) in a mountain-fringed valley.

Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3,650 meters (12,000 ft) and lies in the centre of the Tibetan Plateau with the surrounding mountains rising to 5,500 meters (18,000 ft). The unique location creates the unique landscapes in Lhasa.

Climate of Lhasa

With its flat and mild weather, Lhasa is free of both freezing winters and unbearably hot summers, having an annual average daily temperature of 8?. It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually and is sometimes called the “sunlit city” by Tibetans. The air in Lhasa is thin and the temperature is comparatively low. The temperature differences during a single day can be large. The best time to have your tour should be from May to October.

Transportations in Lhasa

Railways in Lhasa

With a total length of 1,956 km (around 1,215 miles), Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the longest plateau railway and also the highest in the world beginning from Xining in Qinghai and ends in Lhasa. Trains on the railway are well equipped.

Airways in Lhasa

Chengdu, Beijing, Xian, Chongqing and Xining are all the starting points to Lhasa. Tourists usually start from Chengdu in Sichuan, because Chengdu has about 20 flights per week to the Gonggar Airport of Lhasa which takes about 2 hours and costs about CNY 1,500.

Highways in Lhasa

Five highways stretching into Tibet include Sichuan-Tibet Highway, Qinghai-Tibet Highway, Xinjiang-Tibet Highway, Yunnan-Tibet Highway and China-Nepal Highway. Only Qinghai-Tibet and China-Nepal Highway are open to foreigners at present.

Travel & Sightseeing in Lhasa

Glorious sun set against a dark blue sky, floating white clouds and desolate mountains have earned Lhasa the renowned name “the City of Sunlight”. It is a unique and spiritual city and has managed to remain its ancient palaces. Besides, the marvelous wonders and natural beautiful sceneries help to create a top tourist destination in China. The hottest tourist attractions include the Potala Palace, the Barkhor Street, the Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Norbulingka and too much to list.

-Click here to see the detailed Lhasa Touirst Attractions Map.

Lhasa City Map

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