Tibet
– Tibetan People
Almost
completely surrounded by mountain ranges (including the Himalayas in the south and the
Kunlun in the north), Tibet is largely a plateau located at an altitude of 16,000 ft
(4,880 mt). Many of the mightiest rivers of Eastern Asia such as the Chang (Yangtze), the
Mekong and the Salween originate in Tibet. The most important of these is the navigable
Yarlung Zangbo (also known as the Brahmaputra) which follows an easterly course through
southern Tibet. North of the Yarlung Zangbo are many salt lakes, the largest being Nam Co
(Tengri Nor) in the east.
The inhabitants of Tibet are of
Mongolian descent and speak a language of Tibeto-Burman origin.
During the past 50 years this
region has often been in the news mostly as a consequence of the difficult relations with
the Chinese rulers that consider Tibet to be merely a region of China. The Tibetan people
as a whole dispute this view and, in some cases have paid with their lives or have been
gravely injured or imprisoned to defend their view. We consider these images as a tribute
to the courage and the patience of a population that has maintained hope no matter what
problems have come their way.
