[ti-bet] 
| 1. | Also, Thibet. Also called Sitsang, Xizang. Official name, Tibet Autonomous Region. an administrative division of China, N of the Himalayas: prior to 1950 a theocracy under the Dalai Lama; the highest country in the world, average elevation ab. 16,000 ft. (4877 m). 1,250,000; 471,660 sq. mi. (1,221,599 sq. km). Capital: Lhasa. |
| 2. | Plateau of. Also called Tibetan Highlands, Roof of the World. a vast plateau in S central Asia bounded by the Tarim and Qaidam basin deserts to the N and the Himalayan, Karakoram, and Pamir mountain ranges to the S and W: highest plateau in the world, averaging ab. 15,000 ft. (4570 m). ab. 850,000 sq. mi. (2,200,000 sq. km). |
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.
Note: The Dalai Lama, religious and civil leader of Tibet, was forced into exile in 1959, when the Chinese annexed the country.