Tibet

American  

[ti-bet] / tɪˈbɛt /

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).

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Tibet British  

/ 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)

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Tibet Cultural  

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.

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Discover More

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

Etymology

Origin of Tibet

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

Example Sentences

Bush trod a delicate diplomatic line during his August 2008 trip, as human rights groups called for a tough stance on China's rule of Tibet, arrests of dissidents and Internet censorship.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Like many, he does not seek full independence for Tibet, in line with the Dalai Lama's long-standing "Middle Way" policy seeking autonomy.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

Beijing was also unhappy over India giving refuge to the Dalai Lama who had fled Tibet after the 1959 uprising.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

As the new year begins, novelists send characters to great heights in Tibet and Wyoming, to the great depths of the 19th century Atlantic and back in time, to early 20th century Pakistan.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025

In 1949, after centuries of inaccessibility, Nepal opened its borders to the outside world, and a year later the new Communist regime in China closed Tibet to foreigners.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer