Tibet

[ti-bet]

noun

1. (Older Spelling) Sitsang. (Pinyin) Xizang. Official Name Tibet Autonomous Region. an administrative division of China, north of the Himalayas: prior to 1950 a theocracy under the Dalai Lama; the highest country in the world, average elevation about 16,000 feet (4,877 meters). 471,660 square miles (1,221,599 square kilometers). Lhasa. Also Thibet

2. Also called Roof of the World. Also called Tibetan Highlands,. Plateau of Tibet, a vast plateau in southern central Asia bounded by the Tarim and Qaidam basin deserts to the north and the Himalayan, Karakoram, and Pamir mountain ranges to the south and west: highest plateau in the world, averaging about 15,000 feet (4,570 meters). 850,000 square miles (2,200,000 square kilometers).

Tibet

/ tɪˈbɛt /

noun

1. Chinese names: Xizang Autonomous Region.  Sitsang. an autonomous region of SW China; formerly a theocracy and the centre of Lamaism: Europeans strictly excluded in the 19th century; invaded by China in 1950; rebellion (1959) against Chinese rule suppressed and the Dalai Lama fled to India; military rule imposed (1989–90) after continued demands for independence; consists largely of a vast high plateau between the Himalayas and Kunlun Mountains. Capital: Lhasa. Pop: 2 700 000 (2003 est). Area: 1 221 601 sq km (471 660 sq miles)

Tibet

1. Region in southwestern China, bordered by Burma to the southeast; India, Bhutan, and Nepal to the south; India to the west; and Chinese provinces to the north and east. Located in the Himalayas.

The Dalai Lama, religious and civil leader of Tibet, was forced into exile in 1959, when the Chinese annexed the country.

Other Word Forms

• Tibetan adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tibet¹

First recorded in 1740–50; from New Latin Tibetum, Thibetum; further origin uncertain

Example Sentences

President Xi Jinping urged unity on a surprise visit to Tibet, appearing before 20,000 people to mark 60 years since China created the autonomous region after annexing it.

From BBC

Since then, the two sides have taken a range of steps to normalise relations, including China allowing Indian pilgrims to visit key places in the Tibet autonomous region this year.

From BBC

A description of the artists' homelands was also partially covered with black paint to conceal references to Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

From BBC

"A home is a home, after all," says Pasang Gyalpo, who fled Tibet to Nepal before settling in India in 1990.

From BBC

The Indus system flows northwest out of Tibet into India, before turning southward into Pakistan.

From Salon