Tibet, 'Shangri La', 'the Rooftop of the World' - locked away in its Himalayan fortress, has long exercised a siren's hold on the imagination of the West. Occupying an area of 2.5 million square kilometers, Tibet, the autonomous region of china, lies in central Asia. The earth's highest mountains, a vast arid plateau and great river valleys make up the physical homeland of Tibetans.

Tibet is divided into three major parts, the east, north and south. The eastern part is forest region, occupying approximately one-fourth of the land where virgin forests run The entire breadth and length of this part. The northern part is open grassland, where nomads and yak and sheep dwell here. This part occupies approximately half of Tibet. The southern and central part is agricultural region, occupying about one-fourth of Tibet's land area with all major Tibetan cities and towns such as Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse and Tsetang are located which is considered the cultural center of Tibet. The region is administratively divided into one municipality and six prefectures. The municipality is Lhasa, while the six prefectures are Shigatse, Ngari, Lhaoka, Chamdo, Nakchu and Nyingtri (kongpo). The People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region exercises the hightest administrative authority in Tibet. The land on the roof of the world is a fascinating land with rich cultural heritage which can be termed as a living museum.