Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau, also known as Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, is the roof of the world. The average altitude of the Tibetan Plateau is over 4,000 meters, making it the highest plateau in the world. The formation of the Tibetan Plateau can be traced back tens of millions of years, when the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate, causing violent changes in the earth's crust. The best-known Lhasa, Tibet is also located on this plateau.

Climatic Characteristics of Tibetan Plateau

The average annual temperature is generally below 0 degree, with extremely low temperatures in winter, reaching -30 degrees or even lower in some areas. Due to the thin air in the plateau area, there is strong solar radiation during the day while fast heat dissipation at night, so the temperature difference between day and night is large. Therefore, Tibetans generally have darker skin. And the overall precipitation on the Tibetan plateau is relatively low. Precipitation is mainly concentrated in summer, especially from June to September, accounting for more than 80% of the annual precipitation. The Tibetan plateau has strong winds, especially in winter and spring, with high wind speeds. Windy weather and dusty weather is frequent.

The Influence of Tibetan Plateau on Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in Tibet

The vast plateau meadows and alpine grasslands of Tibetan plateau provide abundant natural pasture for animal husbandry. This provides enough food sources for a large number of domestic animals such as yaks and Tibetan sheep. Moreover, the pasture on the plateau is of high quality and contains rich protein and minerals, which helps to improve the meat quality and milk production of livestock.

The solar radiation on the Tibetan plateau is strong. Many hours of sunshine provide sufficient energy for the photosynthesis of crops. For example, highland barley is one of the most important crops on the Tibetan plateau. Under strong light conditions, highland barley can photosynthesize efficiently and is the main raw material for Tibetans to make tsampa, highland barley wine and other foods.

Diverse Landforms on Tibetan Plateau

Mountains

There are many high mountain ranges, such as the Kunlun Mountains, Tanggula Mountains, Gangdise Mountains, and the Himalayas. Mount Everest in the Himalayas is highest mount in the world with 8848.86 meters above sea level.

Rivers

The Tibetan plateau is the birthplace of many rivers. The Yangtze River, which originates in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetn plateau, is rich in hydropower resources. The Yellow River originates from the Bayan Hala Mountain on the Tibetan plateau, giving birth to the ancient and splendid Chinese civilization. In addition, there are Brahmaputra, Lancang River and so on.

Lakes

Namtso is located in the central part of the Tibetan plateau and is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. The lake is 4,718 meters above sea level and is one of the highest saltwater lakes in the world. Yamdrok is located in the southern part of the Tibetan plateau and is one of the four major inland lakes in Tibet. The lake is 4,441 meters above sea level. The lake water is crystal clear and the scenery is very beautiful. Qinghai Lake is Located in the northeastern part of the Tibetan plateau. It is the largest inland saltwater lake in China. The lake is 3,194 meters above sea level.

Conclusion

I strongly recommend you travel to Tibet to see this magnificent land with your own eyes. A trip to Tibet may touch your soul and help you find your most authentic self.