Tibetan
People
This
great plateau, more than 1.2 million square kilometers in
size, has many localized climates and six vertical climatic
belts, ranging from high and frigid to subtropical. Yet
its population is only about 2.3 million, making it the
least populated region in China. The people vary in their
lifestyle and customs according to the environment in which
they live - grasslands, river valleys, mountains or plains.
One can often tell where they come from by the dialect they
speak, their hairdo and headdress, costume, bearing and
gestures.
Above
all, Tibetans have the blessing of the sun. Tibet's average
annual sunshine exceeds 3000 hours. Strong ultra-violet
rays give them a bronze complexion, healthy bodies and an
air that is at once sedate, solemn and unadorned. Carved
by the fierce highland winds, carrying grains of sand and
snow, these people resemble groups of sculptures, strong
in will and character, product of Nature's painstaking labor.
Tibetans
hunt in the forests, graze cattle on the grasslands and
farm in the river valleys. The history of their civilization
is one of man's struggle to come to terms with Nature. From
the popular herdsmen's songs and mountain songs heard in
every village, you can sense the harmony that exists between
man and Nature, and the joy of the diligent people.
Molded
by their environment and the struggle for existence, plus
the influence of religion, Tibetans are by nature kind,
honest and sincere, which add a poetic touch to their simple,
tranquil life. Here, peacefully, people come into this world
and take leave of it. With their labor, they make living
a Joy and in their loneliness, they seek consolation in
handling every ritual and ceremony with earnestness and
celebrating every festival with song and dance. These are
what make life on this, the world's highest human habitat,
enchanting and colorful as well as significant.
Total population: 2.52 million (1998)
Population growth rate: 1.59 percent (1998)
Life expectancy (average): 65
Ethnicity
At the end of 1994, the population of Tibet totaled 2.32
million and it grew to 2.52 million in 1998, of which, 2.236
million are Tibetan (96.4 percent), 66,000 Hans (2.8 percent)
and 18,000 (0.8 percent) of other ethnic groups. In addition
to Tibetans, other ethnic groups include the Lhoba, Moinha,
Han, and Hui.
Literacy
At the end of 1998, 2,907 people in Tibetan were graduates
with an educational level of college or above, 25,743, senior
middle school, 158,400, junior middle school, 947,500, primary
school In addition, there were 1.11 million illiterate or
semi-illiterate people. |
